The other day, the warm temperatures in downtown San Francisco prompted me to bust out a sleeveless top. As I hopped on an extremely crowded bus with no seats available, I held on to the rubber straps for dear life. "Oh crud, did I remember to shave my pits this morning?" I wondered. The answer was yes, but I did so in a haphazard fashion.
Shaving armpit hair is an annoying task, but using better techniques for more effective results makes it a little more bearable. Check out my tips for a smooth underarm shave when you read more.
- Hold it: Shave your armpits as late into your shower as possible. The warm water helps soften the coarse hair in this area, so shaving will be a little easier.
- Scrub-a-dub: Make sure you remove all traces of your deodorant with a thorough washing. You might also want to consider exfoliating with a body scrub like The Body Shop Mango Scrub ($10 to $20), for a more even shave. (Do this before flicking the Bic, of course.)
- Up, down, and all around: I prefer using a razor with multiple blades, because with more blades working, it gets the job done a lot faster. That, and you don't have to shave an already-sensitive area over and over. After lathering up with a great shaving cream, lift the arm high, and start shaving. Shave up, down, and side to side. Keeping the skin taut will result in a closer shave, so pull your skin however you need to go to create an even surface. Rinsing the blade off after every other stroke or so will also keep the razor nice and unclogged.
- Mini razor: If you encounter an area that's difficult to maneuver around, or if you discover you've missed a few hairs, a mini razor should do the trick. Try Noxzema Bikini Razor for Women ($3).
- Don't be dull: It should go without saying, but make sure your razor isn't dull. Check out my tips for extending the life of your razor, and happy — or at least less tedious — shaving.
JC de CASTELBAJAC
Dune
Ezekiel
Flicking the Bic? Isn't that marketing for Bic cigarette lighters?
1I never thought to exfoliate there!
2Don't they say to shave in one direction only to avoid getting ingrown hairs?
3i used to get razor burns all the time with shaving cream, so i tried the conditioned trick and it worked like a charm. now it doesn't hurt or itch the next day. and i try not to apply a lot of pressure, so that the skin doesn't get shaven off, just the hair. and now i'm trying out moisturizing my pits with body butter every other day.
4My mom is Filipina and in Tagalog, we call the armpit, kili kili. As a kid, I got the task of plucking the kili kili hairs, which were sparse, thank god. Since then, I've always plucked the hairs right out. Plus my skin is verrry sensitive (curses to my Keratosis Pilaris), so shaving there is too irritating.
5i hate shaving anywhere cuz my skin is so sensetive so i got lasered and it was the best money i have spent in a long time. i don't have to worry about it anymore!
6I shave that every day, so the skin is pretty tough and used to it. And my lovely Intuition razor makes quick work of it.
7All pretty self explanatory to me...
8Wow, tatsauce...I find it very interesting that you pluck your armpit hair. Is it really any better?
9thanks for the tips =)
10I can't imagine shaving everyday or even every other day, that would be way to irratating for me. I let my skin rest by shaving every 3 or 4 days(specially since i live in NYC i mostly wear lots of clothes). Besides, doesnt shaving your armpits so often causes the skin to darken and get pigmented? I always see that in women that shave often in there. I always exfoliate before shaving and one time tried plucking but it hurt to much.
11hmm i do all these things
12but i stay away from shaving everyday. That area is too sensitive for that
i just wax my armpits myself and it's honestly the best. The hairs grow back so light and baby thin. I only need to do it every 3 to 4 weeks.
13I'm with dragonlady920. The Intuition razor makes it so easy to shave every day, so I don't get itchy legs or underarms when the hair grows in.
14can we please all refrain from using the term "pits?" am I the only person who thinks it is so crass and gross? what's wrong with "underarms?"
15seeing as i was just at the beach for week, this would have been good to know, but its also helpful for the future!
16wax its better.....and you dont have to worry in about 2 weeks.....
17I inherited disclored underarms (thanks mom) but I found shaving relatively easily. I don't get much hair in that area so shaving takes like 2 seconds.
18*discolored
19I wish I could wax there but seriously only like 2 hairs come out!! the lady at the salon said its because i have more than one hair in each follicle.
Waxing my legs is way more easier and I prefer it to shaving because I won't have any stubble the next
day.
When I shave my underarms I sometimes use that st. ives apricot scrub there and it really help irritation and ingrown hairs.
20i have so much irritation from shaving my underarms...i should get it lasered or something.
nothing seems to help!
21One thing that I've found helpful is rubbing baby oil on my underarms after shaving and not applying deoderant until I get to work an hour or so later. The oil soaks in a little bit to moisturize and creates a light barrier against the deoderant (a lot of people are allergic to the aluminum in it). And I don't shave every single day (this will be more difficult to get away with during the summer).
22i use veet and it already gives this thing that you can use it to shave. it doesn't have any blades its jst a plastic. i use that and mine's never a clear shave. it's always bumpy and its not liek how it looks wen i wax my legs.
23how do i get celebrity shaved underarms? i always shave but i get bumps. not red bumps but just normal bumps and it gives dark stubbles, i dont know how to get rid of it. HELP PLEASE.
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