Should Men Shave Their Armpits? The Definitive Guide

While the topic is a victim of much debate, there’s an entire collection of research behind this ‘controversial’ topic. Shaving your pits can be quite a weird notion, especially if you’ve grown without having to do so your entire life. The entire process should only be done by women, right? Well, not necessarily.

Shaving your armpits can be done in a lot of ways, contrary to popular belief. You don’t always have to make your armpits baby-butt smooth, but it definitely helps to keep the overall length short. Without further ado, let’s answer your question. Should men shave their armpits? Here’s the definitive answer. 

Why Don’t We Normally Shave Our Armpits?

First off, let’s address an age-old question that’s usually used to counter shaving enthusiasts. 

“If shaving our armpits is good, then why don’t we normally shave our armpits?” 

Actually, we do. The problem with this question is in the pretense that it isn’t normal for your culture to shave armpits. Shaving your underarms is actually pretty common and acceptable, just as common as finding societies where armpits are not shaved.

In fact, shaving excess “man-hair” can be dated hundreds of years back to Egypt, where bronze razors and natural creams were commonplace among Egyptians. It’s important to remember that your frame of reference is probably only limited to your geographical vicinity.

With that in mind, hopefully you’ll find this concept much more appealing from a neutral standpoint. Shaving your armpits can benefit you in a lot of ways, with odor just being the tip of the iceberg.

Why Do Women Shave Their Armpits?

Just like the previous statements, women shaving is correlated to a lot of social and cultural factors. However, for Americans, there’s a popular theory that shaving only became commonplace when razor companies advertised women with shaved legs back in the 1920s.

We don’t credit this as the cataclysmic event that spread shaving all across America, but it’s a good basis to start this answer on. In a nutshell, women shave because they are pressured by society and, subsequently, their parents to do so.

The United States is home to the largest razor companies in the world. Gilette, one of the biggest companies, advertised shaving to women for a long time. With tarpaulins and billboards of shaved ladies wearing revealing sleeveless clothing, it’s easy to see how this trend started.

Around the 1920s, with the invention of safety razors, shaving became commonplace. Using a straight razor to shave your legs is gnarly and hair-standing to say the least. When safety razors were released, the game changed and shaving became a prominent display of attractiveness for the ladies.

Should Men Shave Their Armpits?

Now, this begs the question, should men shave their armpits? Yes, but also kind of no. Quite peculiarly, some girls do prefer their men with a little bit of hair and we do respect subjective taste. At the same time, if you don’t feel like shaving and already have someone who wants you in your full-grown-follicle glory, then feel free to keep yourself uncut.

However, that should be the only case when you shouldn’t shave. Other than that, cleaning and trimming your armpits can make a world of difference for your odor, beach life, hygiene, and cuddling. While these are only a few from the whole list, we’ll expound on each of these in the following subtopics.

Why Cut My Armpit Hair?

Body Odor

Probably the biggest reason on this list depending on your experience, but shave your armpit hair to remove that rancid body odor! No one in God’s good grace should have to snuggle up to you after a long day’s work only to be greeted by your shoulder’s equivalent of a fart.

Give the wife, or future wife, a present and shave your armpits. Anyway, if you aren’t sure about her stance on the topic—positive or negative—then you can always start trimming it a bit first. Generally, women do appreciate a man who takes care of himself.

Furthermore, we all know the irrational fear of feeling sweat in your pits and wondering if people around you can smell your musk. It’s not a recommended experience. Shaving your armpit hair will help mitigate a lot of that smell, especially if you shave out a lot of your hair.

Unsightly, Unkempt, Unclean

Without playing too hard on the gentleman card, keeping yourself clean and tidy is an attractive aspect that any girl can appreciate. While we won’t explicitly say that a clean-shaven underarm leaves the best impression, but it’s definitely an eyesore to find an ecosystem underneath one’s armpits.

This little horrific easter egg can even be at the lower left (or right) corner of your eye whenever you raise your arm up to fix your hair. Additionally, if you haven’t seen this then we sincerely hope that you never will, but we’ve seen our fair share of sweat droplets hanging from the tips of armpit hairs.

Needless to say, it’s quite cringe and squirm-worthy. Thinking of a concentrated salty droplet hanging from an equally salty strand of hair is enough to stop time for most people. Take our advice, it looks and feels much better to not have extensions of yourself staring at people whenever you raise your arms.

Stop Getting Armpit Stains

While we can’t stretch how much shaving reduces your body odor enough, freeing yourself from armpit stains is just as liberating. Having a ton of hair on your armpits will increase the heat in that little arm pocket which causes you to sweat.

Though stains are inevitable if you’re the type to sweat, it helps out a lot to have space between your shirt and your armpit. This way, you’ll be able to avoid getting instant armpit stains just from the tiniest bit of sweat.

Besides that, you’ll also be able to avoid rashes with your hair grinding against your armpit every time you move your arm. Say goodbye to randomly having to unstuck your shirt from your armpit!

How Do I Shave My Armpits?

Trim And Swim

Are you just going out on a beach trip with your friends? You can get away with just trimming your armpit hairs short enough to stop it from sticking out. An electric shaver with several millimeters of leeway will do a great job in trimming your armpit hair.

You don’t even have to wait for a beach trip, feel free to trim your armpit hair with a couple of scissors down to half an inch. The truth is, shaving isn’t for everyone. But compromises like this will still net the same odorless results that clean-shaved armpits benefit from.

During the summer, walking out in a sleeveless shirt and board shorts is common attire for the unfortunately hot day ahead. Make yourself look presentable and feel less self-conscious by cutting inches off your armpit hair with a pair of scissors.

Lastly, here’s a pro tip. If this is the first time you’ve tried trimming your armpit hairs, then trim it a couple of days before the beach trip. For first-timers, the newly cut hair can feel quite itchy and can ruin what should be a good beach day. Continue reading to find out how you can lessen the itch on our next tip.

The Baby Butt Trick

Well it isn’t really a trick, but waxing your armpits has the best visual results. While you might be familiar with waxing, from TV shows or a girlfriend, actually getting yourself waxed isn’t as hysterical or traumatizing as reality TV sells it.

Yes, it is painful, but it’s extremely worth it! Waxing yourself will remove the individual hair follicles from your skin, unlike shaving where it’s simply cut off. This will stop most of your hair from growing back normally while stunting the growth of other strands. 

We recommend getting yourself professionally waxed to get rid of most of your hair. After that, you can do it yourself or with a friend. Once you’re done with the first wax, most of your hair growth will be stunted and reduced. Which should make your next wax much easier to do.

Manly, But Not Gross

Another alternative, if you don’t feel like really cutting your hair down really short, is by just trimming your armpit hair at least an inch and a half short. Hair can be perceived as a manly trait but only in moderation.

Settling for just a quick trim can go a long way, while still minimizing the odor from your pits. Additionally, you’ll still be able to keep that somewhat manly appeal of having a tiny bit of hair visible from your armpits. 

Hair-Removing Cream

Lastly, you don’t even have to shave at all! Certain hair-removal creams on the market have been gaining popularity for its ease of use. With this, you’ll be able to just apply the cream on your armpit and after a few minutes, wipe it off together with the hair!

The only challenge you’ll face is finding the right cream that doesn’t cause irritations for your skin. Other than that, perhaps looking for a YouTube video to keep yourself pre-occupied for 5-10 minutes is the next big problem.

But What If It Grows Even Longer?

We get this question a lot and also found a lot of similar inquiries around the internet. Without beating around the bush, pun intended, your armpit hair doesn’t grow longer than its original length after shaving. Shaving doesn’t increase or stunt hair growth in any way.

This might feel counterintuitive, but the illusion behind this myth is definitely deceptive. Most of the time, people begin to shave during puberty, which is the exact same time that hair begins to grow longer and thicker. 

Additionally, shaved hair will have thicker ends since hair is thicker the closer it is to the roots. This way, it’s easy to think that your hair grew much thicker in the next few days. Really, if cutting your hair made it grow longer then older people (men in their 40s) would probably look like apes by now.

How To Avoid Razor Burn

We very much understand the concern that comes with razor burns. If you’re especially particular about this problem, then chances are you’ve already experienced a razor burn elsewhere already. 

This is a very common issue that usually is the dealbreaker for most people. Luckily, there are a ton of things that you can try and apply to your skin to make the entire shaving process better and smoother.

Start by hydrating your skin and loosening the hair follicles. This can be different for everybody, some people oil their armpits a couple of days before, while others hydrate and cream just a couple of minutes before shaving. This will decrease the resistance of your hair, resulting in less razor burn.

Next, you’ll want to invest in a really sharp razor. Getting the ones with three blades is a great idea, the sharper the better. It’s times like this that you might want to consider subscribing to Dollar Shave Club or any other men’s grooming companies.

Lastly, you don’t even have to shave at all! Trimming or waxing your armpits to a much shorter length is already a 100 percent improvement to your lifestyle. 

Maintenance And Aftercare

Powder Your Armpits

Shaving your armpits for the first time can be an unpleasant experience, especially if you have sensitive skin. Although you’ll get used to this sensation after shaving a couple more times, getting through the first few shaves is the challenge here.

Applying some baby powder, or any type of talc-based powder, on your armpits will save you from a lot of rashes at first. The powder will smoothen out your skin and lessen the friction between your currently sharp armpit hairs from each other.

This way, you’ll avoid having to feel uncomfortable throughout the entire day. Once you get past this phase, you’ll get used to the sensation and no longer have to rely on powder to relieve yourself from the discomfort. 

Shave Once Every Two Weeks

When you start shaving, the obvious concern that most people have is what to do when hair grows back again. To be honest, shaving your pits and (hopefully) your pubes is a lifestyle choice that you carry with you. 

If you just give it a shot for a couple of days, it can feel incredibly gratifying to feel clean ‘down there’ and elsewhere besides your beard. Additionally, shaving or ‘manscaping’ is another form of self-care and can actually lead to days where you look forward to being clean-shaven.

Of course, the frequency between shaves depends on the rate of your hair growth. However, we’ve found that the magic number is usually between 14 to 20 days per shave. Again, this can vary per person, what’s important is that you maintain your hair and keep it short.

Trim Your Nipples

Yes, you read that right. While we’re on the topic of maintaining bodily hair, always make sure to trim your nipple hair. No one wants to see a single 2-inch strand of hair protruding from your nippular area. Take the time to get a pair of scissors and trim your nipple hair every so often.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Men Shaving Their Armpits

Is it more hygienic to shave armpits?

Yes, it is. Shaving your armpits means getting rid of nasty and annoying hair which can accumulate sweat and increase the heat in your armpits. With more heat comes more sweat, and more sweat usually comes with worries about sweat, which makes you sweat even more. 

Additionally, germs and bacteria grow easier in such nasty environments, which can be attributed to what might be the rancid smell from your armpit. 

Why don’t guys shave their armpits?

A lot of guys actually shave their armpits. In fact, a ton of cultures are open and used to the entire ordeal. The origin of your question is usually rooted in your own culture. Why don’t your countrymen shave? 

There are a lot of countries where it’s normal for guys to shave their armpits. In fact, manscaping can be traced to Egypt back a thousand and more years.

If I shave my armpits, will the hair grow longer?

No. Shaving or cutting your hair neither stunts nor increases the rate of growth of your hair by any means. This is a common myth that’s usually due to the fact that most people start shaving at the same time that hair begins to expand all over your body. 

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A Final Word From The Trending Man

Shaving your armpits is definitely a healthy, hygienic, and aesthetically pleasing choice that you can do for your body. Avoid razor burns by properly hydrating your skin and applying aftershave. Do a compromise and settle for just trimming your armpit hair short with a scissor.

Whatever the case, doing anything that decreasing the hair in your armpit is a plus in our book and with the ladies. Get rid of super sweaty armpits, rancid pit odors, and germ-infested armpits and grab a razor.