We’re at a point in time when women no longer need to feel pressured about maintaining smooth, hairless bodies all the time. It’s totally fine to want to rock a natural look, from your armpits all the way down to your lady bits. And when it comes to the lady bits, whether you’re opting for hairy or hairless, it’s important to know how to take care of your pubic hair.
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How to Care for Pubic Hair
So, what is the best way to take care of your pubic hair? It all depends on what you want to do with it. After all, it’s all about a woman’s choice. Her body, her rules.
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So, what is the best way to take care of your pubic hair? It all depends on what you want to do with it. After all, it’s all about a woman’s choice. Her body, her rules.
Here, we’ll teach you how to trim your pubic hair, how to shave your pubes, how to avoid ingrown pubic hair, and how to soften pubic hair. Basically, this is going to be your all in one pubic hair guide, so strap in and get ready to learn!
Why Do We Have Pubic Hair in the First Place?
You may feel like pubic hair is just a pesky tuft of hair down there that serves no purpose than to annoy you. However, ob-gyn Jessica Shepherd says that pubic hair actually does have a purpose or two, especially female pubic hair.
According to the doctor, pubic hair can help protect your vagin* from bacteria and pathogens. Yes, you can thank your pubes for warding off issues like UTIs, yeast infections, and vaginitis.
There are other theories as to why humans have pubic hair. Some believe that pubic hair helps keep our privates warm. Others believe that it serves as a sort of cushion during sex.
Another interesting theory is that pubic hair “traps pheromones,” or the smells that make us attractive to potential mates. Though none of these have been scientifically proven, they should be enough to encourage you to keep things a little bit hairy.
What Does Pubic Hair Care Look Like?
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Though it’s perfectly fine to keep things au naturel in your nether regions, a lot of people find joy and comfort in doing some landscaping. In fact, a study found that many women believe grooming their pubes makes their privates more attractive.
When it comes to the health benefits of pubic hair trimming, the jury is still out. But while it isn’t true that shaving, trimming, or waxing will make your vagin* cleaner – remember, pubes keep bacteria out – it’s a nice feeling to have neat and short pubes. One obvious advantage of keeping your pubes shorter is that less hair equals faster drying pubes and thus fewer odours. Again, it boils down to comfort and confidence.
Below, we’ll tell you how women can trim the hedges properly.
Trimming
Trimming pubic hair may be the most time-consuming, but it’s also the most low-impact of the pubic hair removal/minimisation methods. It also requires fewer tools. All you need is a small, clean pair of scissors or a pubic hair trimmer, a comb, and a mirror. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to trim pubic hair.
Step 1: Wash up
Make sure that your pubic area is clean. Wash with soap before attempting any hair removal. This’ll also help you avoid getting infections in case you cut yourself.
Step 2: Dry Your Pubes
It’s important to trim when the hair is dry. Wet hair is more difficult to trim. Plus trimmed hair sticks to everything.
Step 3: Set Up Your Mirror and Your Area
Prop up a small mirror in front of you so you can see where you’re going, especially for hard to reach places. This will help you avoid cutting yourself and allow you to trim more uniformly.
Before you get going, place a newspaper or a towel underneath your butt to catch trimmed hairs.
Step 4: Snip Away
Using your comb, gather the hairs on your pubis and make them taut, then snip above the comb using your scissors to avoid cutting yourself. Take time to trim each side of your downstairs region with care. Don’t rush because this will put you at risk of nicks.
Shaving
Now that you have trimming down pat, let’s move on to shaving.
Step 1: Preparations
Preparing for shaving is just about the same as preparing for trimming, only instead of keeping your pubes dry, it’s advisable to shave when your hair is wet. First, take a hot shower to open up your pores and soften your hair and follicles, then apply shaving cream to the area to avoid irritation.
Step 2: Map Out the Areas and Stretch
Know which areas you’ll be shaving and have a picture of how you’ll be shaving each one. Some areas may be difficult to reach with a shaver, so it’s important to strategise and be careful. Another thing to remember is to stretch the skin of the area you’re shaving. This is to avoid cutting yourself with the sharp razor.
Step 3: Shaving
If there’s one thing you should keep in mind when learning how to shave your pubes, it’s that you have to shave with the grain. If your hair grows downward, shave downward. Going against the grain will only make you susceptible to itchy skin and ingrown pubic hairs.
Step 4: Rinse, Dry, and Moisturise
Wash off the shaved hairs and shaving cream, dry your pubic area, and apply a moisturiser like aloe vera to avoid skin irritation.
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Other Hair Removal Methods
The hair removal methods mentioned above are DIY ways that can be done at home. If you want to really get rid of all your pubes, whether temporarily or permanently, there are better, more professional alternatives.
Waxing is a temporary alternative that can be done at home, although it’s best done by a professional at a salon. You can choose between cold or hot wax, sugaring, and a spate of other options at the salon. Wax technicians can also provide the best tips and tricks to maintaining a healthy and happy pubic area.
As for semi-permanent and permanent methods of hair removal, there’s laser hair removal and electrolysis. Laser hair removal uses radiation to stunt hair growth by damaging follicles; so laser hair removal is semi-permanent. Meanwhile, electrolysis is a permanent solution that kills the hair follicle; once you’ve had electrolysis, your pubic hair will never grow back.
Taking Care Down There: Texture, Ingrown Pubic Hair, and Other Issues
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How To Soften Pubic Hair
It’s important to remember that alcohol and fragrance chemicals can irritate the vagin* and cause infection, so pubic hair should be softened using a hair conditioner that is fragrance and alcohol-free.
Ingrown Pubic Hair
Ingrown hairs happen all the time, but can also be a result of shaving. When you notice ingrown pubic hair, there are several things you can do about it. If you want to attempt to remove your ingrown pubic hair, try applying a warm compress first to the affected area to soften it, then, using a sterile needle or tweezers, pluck out the ingrown hair.
Other ways you can avoid ingrown pubic hairs are to regularly exfoliate your skin and to simply avoid shaving and waxing.
Pubic Lice
Pubic lice, or “crabs,” can be treated using special shampoos, changing and washing underwear, towels, and beddings, and avoiding sexual contact while the lice are treated.
What Are the Trending Styles for Ladies?
Pubic hair designs vary tremendously, though there are a few that have endured the test of time. Some of these designs have been around since the ‘70s, while others are a bit new but have gone past trendy and into classic territory.
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The Landing Strip
Perhaps the most iconic pubic hair design, the landing strip is characterised by a narrow strip going down your mons pubis. Think of it as a trail that’ll lead you to the treasures beneath.
The Brazillian
A Brazillian pubic hair design means that there is zero hair left. This is made popular by today’s adult stars and is preferred by a lot of women. It appears clean, it feels fresh, and it is itch-free.
The Triangle
This style looks good on pretty much anyone. Basically, the triangle style is shaving all the hair on your vulva, and thighs and leaving the hair on the mons pubis. The triangle style is popular because it allows women to retain most of their pubic hair while still giving them the freedom and confidence to wear bikinis.
Conclusion
Now that you know how to maintain, shorten, and design your pubic hair, you can choose a style that will help you feel more confident in your own body.
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