Should You Manscape? Your Guide to Manscaping

Should You Manscape? Your Guide to Manscaping

Naked Armor

It used to be that among men, having body hair was next to being masculine.

Published by Naked Armor

Nothing symbolizes male virility as much as a lush thicket of chest hair, with a trail to boot.

Body hair removal, meantime, was relegated to something women would do. In fact, the female market in the 1900s was one of the reasons how razors and feminine shaving began to be commonplace. Fashion pressured women to shave off their body hair in order to become more smooth and, therefore, attractive to men.

But now that we are in the 21st century, grooming attitudes have shifted. More and more men are embracing the idea of shaving, not only facial hair, but all over the body. Several marketing surveys have, in fact, pointed out that about 57% of the male millennial segment now actually consider body hair removal as part of regular grooming. And in America, Hispanic guys are more likely to remove body hair than the rest of the male demographic.

So popular is this routine that it has even acquired its own: manscaping.

What is Manscaping?

Manscaping is basically the removal of a man’s body hair mostly for cosmetic or aesthetic purposes. It’s not just about looking fresh and smooth but also trimming the excess body hair to highlight the right body parts on the appropriate occasions. One doesn’t workout at the gym in order to develop a fine pair of pecs only to have it covered by dense hair when gallivanting at the beach.

The earliest mention of manscaping was traced back to 2006. The Dollar Shave Club notes that this was primarily because of the popularity of Craig’s portrayal as James Bond in the movie Casino Royale. During that beach scene that showed him in hairless glory, millions of guys began thinking it looked manly and sexy to have no body hair at all.

However, it was the gay community that originally invented the term. According to The Body Reader: Essential Social and Cultural Readings, the term “manscaping” was originally coined by the hosts of early 2000s television show Queer Eye For The Straight Guy. A simple portmanteau of “man” and “landscaping,” manscaping was defined at the time as “waxing, shaving, lasering, or simply shaping any hairy region of the male body below the head.”

Manscaping 101

Pros and Cons of Manscaping

Despite the common perception that manscaping is just a fad hoisted about by the proponents of the metrosexual male lifestyle, there’s actually a good reason for doing it. It’s a great way to maintain good body hygiene. During summer, removing your body hair can help you be less sweaty.

It can also help your sexual health. Manscaped men have a decreased risk of catching some types of STD like pubic lice infestation when you shave the pubic hair off.

On the con side, it can be tedious to manscape especially if one grows hair faster than most guys. One will have to spend more time shaving it off on a regular basis. So, if you are wondering "how often should I manscape down there?" the answer truly depends on how fast hair grows down there.

There also a real risk of injuring oneself. Especially if one decides to manscape his pubes. The skin around that area is thin and easily bleeds. That’s why one needs to be very careful when shaving the nether regions.

And then there’s your sex life. While there isn’t really a definite consensus on whether women generally like their men shaved below, manscaping can still impact your performance in bed. They say that one of the functions of pubic hair is to trap pheromones which make you attractive to your partner. Shaving it all off then will lessen your sex appeal. To that we say, there’s more to sexual performance than pheromones, though.

Different Styles of Manscaping

Like beard grooming, manscaping need not be all about shaving it all off. It can range from simple trimming of wild hairs to full-on shaving. One can always pick the right level to suit one’s styling objective.

Along with how much hair you plan to keep, it’s also important to think about the placement and shaping of the body hair. Some men prefer a hairy chest and shaved abs, while some prefer a smooth chest and treasure trail.

When it comes to shaving pubes, there’s also various styles as well. One can go all natural or neatly trimmed. We’ve actually come across an excellent discussion on the best manscape designs. Whatever works for you, we’re here for it.

How to Manscape

How to Manscape

There are many ways on how to manscape yourself. You can have it done professionally at a waxing salon or a laser hair removal clinic. You can also go to the drugstore and buy a chemical hair removal cream. All of these, however, will cost you.

If you don’t want to overdo on the spending, you can always decide to manscape yourself. It’s really the most common way of doing it since most men are still embarrassed at seeking professional manscaping services. That being said, you have to be very careful because the risk that you might injure yourself-especially down there-are high if you’re doing it the wrong way.

So here are our tips on how to manscape safely and properly.

Tip 1: Always Shave Along the Grain

Shave in the direction that your hair grows to minimize irritation and risk of getting ingrown hairs. Pull your skin to keep it taut to get all of the hairs. Always remember that the skin in the groin area is thin and can easily get cut so never attempt to shave against the grain.

Tip 2: Wash Your Body Hair and Pubes before Shaving

Warm moisture softens the hairs so that it’s easy to shave them. Even then, shave lightly and slowly. Work your way throughout the area in small stages.

Tip 3: Use Natural Shaving Soaps, Creams and Gels

Don’t use creams, gels or soap with synthetic ingredients because they can cause irritation. Use organic products. To test if the shaving cream is good for your skin, apply a small amount of it to a part of your skin and wait for a reddening or itching reaction in five minutes or less. This shows that you’re allergic to the cream.

Tip 4: Don’t Get Cream or Gel on your Junk or on your Meat Stick

Save the cream for the body and leg hair. Warm water is usually sufficient. But if you need something to make the shaving experience smoother, use natural soap.

Tip 5: Shave Carefully

Shave slowly in incremental stages. Let the weight of the razor guide your stroke. If you think shaving the facial hair takes time, try shaving your nether regions. If you’re not careful, you can really injure yourself. The scrotal sac is easily cut and doesn’t stop bleeding easily.

Tip 6: Use a Safety Razor

Safety razors have a guard that keeps the blade away from cutting too much into the skin layer. And unlike multi-blades, its single blade won’t tug at the hair strands while shaving. This gives you a smoother and much comfortable shaving experience. It's the closest you can get to a straight razor shave.

Tip 7: Always Disinfect your Safety Razor Before Shaving

This is a non-negotiable tip. That’s because one can easily get a blood infection from a nick caused by an unsanitary safety razor. The risks become higher especially when one is shaving in the groin area since the skin there is delicate.

A safety razor must always be clean and disinfected with alcohol before using it.

Tip 8: Get a Naked Armor Safety Razor

Here at Naked Armor, we manufacture world-class safety razors that put the luxury in shaving.

Our Aglovale Closed Comb Safety Razor, for instance, is not just made from high grade stainless steel for the perfect face-to-shave ratio and balance. Instead of a cold metal handle, it is also fitted with a warm, luxurious handle made of valuable sandalwood.

This safety razor comes with a shave kit to get you started. It includes an all natural shaving soap and badger friendly shaving brush, all wrapped up in an elegant box. Aside from a straight razor, a safety razor is a disposable razor alternative that can give you the baby-butt smooth shave for your manscaping needs.

So if you want to get a safety razor that will help you manscape safely while giving you a luxurious shaving experience, add our safety razor to cart now and get the Naked Armor Safety Razor experience.

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