I’m just going to put my own two cents out there right at the very beginning of this post…

‘Scape, baby, ‘scape!

All men should do at least a little manscaping, in my personal opinion. I’m not talking about Nair-ing your entire body (although, I do have a friend who’s girlfriend made him do exactly that!), but there is something to be said for a well-groomed man — both the publicly visible bits and the ones that are more private.

WHAT IT MANSCAPING?

Manscaping, in the most general terms, is the removal of male body hair. Most men do at least some form of manscaping.

Unless you’re going for a ZZ Top-style out of control beard — you manscape every time you shave. Have you ever gotten your hair cut and had the stylist give your eyebrows a little trim?  You’ve been manscaped!

(Author note: Guys, if the stylist asks if you want your eyebrows trimmed, it means you NEED them trimmed because they’re getting unruly! Your answer should always be “Yes”. This also holds true if someone offers you a breath mint or gum. Just sayin’.)

In addition to the more routine hair removal processes of male facial hair, manscaping also includes hair removal on any other part of the body including (but not limited to):

• The chest
• Pubic region
• Arms and/or armpits
• Legs
• Back
• Ears
• Nose

Please note: manscaping doesn’t have to be the complete removal of the hair, but can include trimming. Do your armpits look like you have Chewbacca in a headlock? A little manscaping trim can keep your manly, furry pits while eliminating the need to put a hair net on your armpits when barbecuing in your favorite bro tank.

WHY SHOULD YOU MANSCAPE?

There are several reasons why you should manscape. Now, I know there are some who will argue that I’m completely wrong here and that body hair is amazing and natural and removing even one errant hair is akin to sacrificing puppies. For this reason, please know that obviously the reasons below are subjective. If you and your partner love all things body hair – I think that’s awesome! But, for the rest of us, here are just some of the reasons to manscape:

• Aesthetics – The old saying, trimming the bush makes the tree look bigger is true. Don’t hide one to two inches (or more!) of your penis behind an unruly mass of pubic hair. Again, you don’t have to shave everything off (although if that’s what you’re into – go for it!), but trimming your pubic hair down to a more reasonable level can make a huge difference on how big your penis looks.

• Cleanliness – Body hair traps oils, dirt, bacteria, dead skin cells, and a whole slew of things that make you less clean than if you had less body hair.

• Odor Control – See that list above of all the stuff your body hair traps? Guess what – a lot of it doesn’t smell so good! Trimming and/or removing body hair, especially in the pubic region, can really help with odor control.

• Tactile – Have you ever run your hand up the leg of your partner, after she’s recently shaved or waxed, and enjoyed the satiny, smoothness? Women can enjoy that feeling too! Whether it’s fingertips or tongue or some other part of the body, there is something very nice about the velvet feeling of hairless skin.

• Consideration – If you enjoy receiving oral sex, manscaping your pubic region can be one of the more considerate things you do (along with general hygiene). Not only does your partner get the cleanliness and odor control benefits of a well-groomed play area, but no one I know enjoys getting a stray pubic hair in their mouth. It kind of spoils the mood when you have to stop and clear a hair from the back of your throat, before you start coughing like a cat with a hairball.

METHODS OF MANSCAPING

The method you use for manscaping depends not only on how much you want to ‘scape — take it all off or just a little trim – but also where you’re doing the grooming.

• Shaving – This is probably the easiest for guys, simply because you are probably already used to shaving your face. You can use your razor for other areas of your body, from your chest to your Speedo lines, if you’ve got Bozo the clown tufts sticking out of your suit. They can even be used, obviously with caution, on more sensitive areas, like the testicles. Razors are most often used for complete hair removal.

• Waxing – Waxing lasts longer than shaving, since you are literally ripping the hair out by the root. Of course, waxing hurts more than shaving, because well… you are literally ripping the hair out by the root. No surprise – waxing is for complete hair removal of the area.

• Chemical Removers – There are numerous depilatory lotions and creams on the market that can remove hair from most places on the body. Be sure to read the instructions first, and only use it on approved areas. Also, never leave a hair remover on a body part longer than recommended by the manufacturer, you can get a chemical burn from leaving it on too long.

• Scissors – If you just want to do a bit of trimming, scissors are a great tool for manscaping! In fact, even if you want to remove all of the hair, you might want to start by trimming it back first, before going with a complete removal method. Always be careful where your cutting, when using scissors anywhere near your body. Take your time.

• Trimmers – Electric trimmers come in a variety of sizes. From full-size hair clippers to pen-sized personal trimmers that can even be used in the nostrils or ears, there’s a trimmer for every job. The smaller personal trimmers often come with different-sized guards, to help you control the amount of hair you remove. These are great for doing eyebrows when you start getting that Andy Rooney eyebrow thing going.

MANSCAPING CONLUSION

In the end, talk to your partner about what they’d like to see on you, as far as manscaping. Do they love your hairy chest, or would they like to see what it felt like super-smooth? Start slowly. And, remember — it’s just hair. If you don’t like it. It’ll grow back!

Kimberly Wylie