Underarm hair is like dust on a shelf. No matter how much time you spend removing it, it always resurfaces soon enough. It’s always…there. Some don’t mind it. To others, it’s a prickly sweaty nuisance. When the underarms become a tad too hairy and sweaty, most people will want to solve the problem efficiently, as part of personal grooming.
Let’s take a closer look at how underarm hair reduction works, but first, a disclaimer: The best way to get rid of underarm hair, is to choose the right method that works for you, based on your comfort. There are no hard-and-fast regulations per se.
With that declaration, let’s delve into the matter!
Underarm hair reduction: How?
As stated above, there exist a multitude of options when it comes to removing underarm hair. All of them are loosely based on the same principle, however. Armpit hair can be removed in one of two broad methods: either by dealing with the hair itself or getting to the root of things, with the hair follicle methods.
Methods like shaving and waxing are pretty simple in terms of how they work. If there’s excess hair, you get rid of it by shearing/peeling it off. Simple, right?
These are the most popular options chosen by a majority of the people facing underarm hair issues. Whether through ads for epilators or at your local skin clinic, you’re bound to have encountered one of these options.
Then there are the other methods that dig a little deeper. Hair removal creams can be used as an alternative to shaving. Yes, they are relatively painless when compared to waxing. Yes, they are readily available products that are offered by major cosmetic companies. However, there is a downside to using them.
For those who prefer and practice moderation, you can always go the natural route; many people swear by the benefits of lemon and honey and other concoctions in underarm hair reduction.
Understanding What’s Good & What’s Not
Every method of underarm hair reduction has its positives and negatives. Remember when we gave out our disclaimer? Here, you’ll see why exactly it is that way. Let’s inspect the pros and cons of the different underarm hair reduction methods, while also taking a glance at the removal’s pluses and minuses as well.
Pros:
Removing underarm hair reduces excessive sweating in your pits.
Consequently, this greatly helps reduce your body odor.
Waxing your underarm hair can be an effective solution to it for a fair period.
Waxing exfoliates the skin in the area, contributing towards its health.
Hair removal creams and natural methods offer painless and quick methods to take care of underarm hair.
It gives you smooth skin in your underarms.
Cons:
Improper execution of removal methods can result in adverse side effects such as ingrown hair.
Constant overexposure of the sensitive armpit skin can lead to their darkening.
The physical methods can cause injury to the sensitive armpit region if done improperly.
The chemical methods don’t have a long-lasting effect and can cause bad odors of their own.
There’s also the underlying possibility that hair reduction doesn’t remove enough sweat glands along with it to be effective in reducing sweaty pits.
Now that we’ve had an overview of both sides to the topic of underarm hair reduction, let’s apply those and dive into the 5 facts that you must know before you address the issue of underarm hair (if and when the issue arises). You may know some of these, and yet others may be entirely new, so let’s get straight to it!
5 Facts You Must Consider Before Underarm Hair Reduction
1. What underarm hair exactly does, is still unclear. Most experts concur that armpit hair helps get rid of bacteria in the smooth skin region of the armpit in some way and diffuse the sweat. However, there is no concrete evidence to back this hypothesis. Whatever it is, experts unanimously agree that it plays an important passive role, so don’t remove it in excess.
2. Armpit hair, like any hair, has two parameters: density and length. The difference between both is significant. There are times when your armpit hair will be dense, but not long and vice versa. Always decide on when to trim it off based on how dense the hair actually is in the region.
3. Most of the issue with underarms comes from the sweat, not the hair. As most of the techniques for underarms involve getting rid of the hair anyway, underarm hair reduction is a thing. Your underarm hair is not as big of a problem as it may seem.
4. Your underarms are home to a plethora of different cell types. Lymph glands, blood vessels, sweat glands and all. Why do you think they’re so sensitive? As such, any disturbance can cause adverse conditions like swelling and rashes. Exercise caution.
5. Ingrown hairs are a bigger risk than you might think. Confused? Ingrown hairs occur when the hair is cut irregularly at the follicle and is forced to grow into the skin, causing painful growths on the skin. They can be very painful, so tread carefully while removing.
With these 5 facts in mind, you should have a clearer picture of the process of underarm hair reduction. If you’re going for it, make sure you keep it clean, before, during, as well as after.
