When do both male and female hairy armpits? Does it have any benefits? What about removal techniques? Will waxing, shaving, creams, etc help in getting rid of your underarm hairs?
Shaving underarm is experienced by both girls or boys what have reached puberty stage and even adults.
Shaving armpit benefits
Do shaving armpits reduce sweating? This is the common question being asked online by many people. Let us look at the general benefits of shaving your underarms including whether it reduces sweating or it does not reduce it.
1. Armpit hair and sweating
It is unclear whether shaving armpits will reduce or lessen sweating. There is not sufficient evidence that shaving will reduce sweating or increase it.
According to realmenrealstyle.com, “while shaving your underarms won’t make your armpits cooler – or produce less sweat – the sweat stains on your clothes will be less pronounced.”
2. Hygiene
The odor of sweat is caused by bacteria and the bacteria can multiply in the damp area of armpit hair, shaving results in less space for bacteria to breed.
3. The aesthetics of a shaved Armpit
If you are an athlete or an underwear model then shaving this area would make you look good, considering it is generally considered as a trendy thing. Even if you are a regular guy, no one likes to see hair poking out from under your arms.
4. The connection with smell
There are widely circulated opinions that shaving this parts actually helps reduce a person’s body odor. Other studies show that a man’s confidence is lowered when he is aware of his own body odor.
Your antiperspirant and deodorant will be more effective
Deodorant prevents odor from happening by dealing with the bacteria that accompany sweat. As you now know, less hair means fewer bacteria. This gives your deodorant fewer bacteria to fight against, making it more effective.
On the other hand, antiperspirant reduces the amount of sweat. Once applied, antiperspirant minimizes how much sweat is excreted from the glands. When you shave your armpits you can apply the antiperspirant directly to the skin, instead of on the hair. This makes it easier for the product to reach your sweat glands, thus increasing its effectiveness.
Shaving underarm tips
When shaving anywhere on your body, be it legs, underarms or bikini area, proper miniaturization is a vital first step. Never shave without first moistening dry hair with water, as it is difficult to cut and breaks down the fine edge of a razor blade.
Here are the tips for shaving underarm:
- Moisten skin and apply a thick shaving gel.
- Lift your arm up while shaving to pull skin tight.
- Shave from the bottom up, allowing the razor to glide over the skin.
- Avoid shaving the same area more than once, to minimize skin irritation.
- Wire-wrapped blades, like those made by Schick® or Wilkinson Sword, help prevent careless nicks and cuts. Don’t press too hard! Simply let the blade and handle do the work for you.
- Avoid applying deodorants or antiperspirants immediately after shaving, as doing so can result in irritation and sting. To prevent this, shave underarms at night and give the area time to stabilize before using deodorant.
Does shaving armpits make them dark
It is somewhat true that constant skin irritation during shaving can make your underarms to be dark. However, it is not just that alone. Here is information of what causes dark armpits of both male and female apart from shaving.
Acanthosis Nigricans
Dark underarm staining can be brought about by a therapeutic condition known as acanthosis nigricans. While it can influence generally sound individuals, acanthosis nigricans is every now and again found in people with insulin issue, as indicated by the Cleveland Clinic.
Diabetes and insulin resistance are two noteworthy reasons for acanthosis nigricans. It is additionally found in people with Addison ailment, pituitary issues, hypothyroidism, or those experiencing development hormone treatment, utilizing oral contraceptives or cholesterol solutions containing nicotinic corrosive.
It can influence any piece of the body with folds, including the underarms. Zones influenced feel smooth and are dull dark or darker shading.
Bacterial Infection
A bacterial disease known as erythrasma can be a guilty party in delivering dark underarms. The contamination, brought on by the Corynebacterium minutissimum bacterium, starts showing up as pink patches.
The pink spots transform into dark colored scales. It is more typical among people with diabetes mellitus, as indicated by the National Institutes of Health. It influences a larger number of people in warm atmospheres than those in frosty.
Antiperspirants and deodorants
Ingredients in antiperspirant items could respond with the skin or individual body science to bring about staining. The Beauty Brains site asserts this is essentially incapable, yet notes episodic confirmation where individuals have quit utilizing antiperspirant and antiperspirant mix items who have watched the end of dark underarm staining.
Hyper-pigmentation
This condition causes your skin to produce excess melanin pigment. It doesn`t usually affect armpits, so it’s a less likely cause.
The buildup of dead skin cells
According to at least one dermatologist, dark spots under your arms are the result of dead skin cells that are trapped in microscopic “hills and valleys” on your skin. It is recommended to be exfoliated with a product containing lactic acid.
Note: When you shave, you cut the hairs off at, or just below, the surface of the skin. If your hairs are slightly darker than your skin color, they can give the appearance that your skin has a dark stain when it`s really just sub-surface hair. Therefore, you will be expected to stop shaving and try waxing.
Side effects
Armpit skin contains a layer of skin that is slightly different than other skin types. When shaving underarm, the following are some of the side effects or dangers associated with shaving armpit hairs:
1. Appearance of bumps
When you happen to shave the armpit using an improper shaving equipment expect the appearance of pimple-like bumps afterward since the skin underarm is more sensitive than other parts due to the presence of a fair amount of cholesterol, ceramides and his little content (cell adhesive).
2. Peeling of underarm skin
Armpit hair shaving process was dangerous and it can ruin the appearance since when shaving it, about 1/3 the skin around the axillary or 2-3 mg would help exfoliate the skin. Without any need to be shaved, the skin will peel off naturally. However, by shaving the skin is forced to peel.
3. Sore armpit
This instance will occur in case you happen to shave your armpit using a dull razor blade. Therefore you should know how to shave armpit hair in a better way by using better equipment.
How to remove armpit hair naturally
The following are the natural ways on how to get rid of this hairs apart from shaving underarm. They include:
1. Turmeric paste
Old ladies in the past have utilized turmeric for relaxing hair follicles, this makes hair removal to be much easier. Follow these instructions when using turmeric paste:
- Add all the ingredients to make a thick turmeric paste.
- Apply the well-stirred paste onto the area – works best with thinner underarm hair, and leave it to sit for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Wash off with the towel which has been soaked in warm water.
- Pat dry and repeat the treatment to loosen follicles and thus, remove hair.
2. Honey + lemon
Honey has been used for various facial treatments. This natural ingredient is useful for removing unwanted hair if applied regularly.
The instructions are as follow:
- Mix the honey and lemon juice and stir well.
- Apply the mixture to the desired underarm areas.
- Leave it for 15 minutes.
- Rinse with warm water or wash it off using a damp towel.
- Pat dry and repeat the treatment 2-3 times a week for continuous 4 weeks to remove the hair permanently.
3. Homemade sugar wax
This is a natural remedy for more-permanent hair removal. Waxing in the salon cost a lot of money, and this sugar wax can be an alternative which is more pocket-friendly.
To prepare the way, here are the instructions:
- Put sugar in a pan and pour the water into it.
- Cook the mixture until the entire sugar dissolves, creating brown caramel color.
- Add the lemon juice and keep stirring the mixture until you get a waxy solution. This will take approximately 20 minutes.
- Pour the wax into a heat-resistant and let it cool down.
To apply the wax, use this method:
- Wash the targeted area with warm water and pat dry with a towel.
- Spread the wax onto the targeted area in the direction of hair growth using a spatula.
- Put a cotton cloth or waxing strip on the applied wax and press it tenderly.
- Remove the strip in the opposite direction of hair growth. Do this real quick to minimize the pain and maximize the effect on treated areas.
- Apply gentle moisturizer to the treated area to soothe it. A natural aloe vera will be better in calming the skin pores.
4. Sugaring paste
Sugaring has been one of the most popular methods for removing unwanted hair. It can be done at home easily and gives much better effects on your skin compared to waxing. Sugaring is aimed at the skin cells and thus, will not reduce the skin elasticity even though done frequently.
To make the paste, do these steps:
- Mix all ingredients in a saucepan and put it on the small flame to simmer.
- Do this for 25 minutes to make sure the mixture has the right consistency and is not too sticky.
- After 25 minutes, the mixture will turn into a dark amber color. Remove from heat and let it cool.
To do the sugaring, here are the directions:
- Clean skin thoroughly.
- Apply a light dusting of baby sugar to make sure the paste grasps the hair tightly and does not stick to the skin too much.
- Take out a scoop of the paste with your hand.
- Roll the paste into a ball using a light pressing with your bare hands.
- Apply the paste to the targeted skin in the opposite direction of hair growth firmly, allowing it to spread.
- Peel the sugaring paste off following the direction of growth. It is important because otherwise, you are going to break the follicles, causing a shorter period of effect.
- If some hair is missed, the sugaring paste can be applied to the same area once or twice, but not more than that. The paste ball can also be re-rolled and thus, re-applied a couple of times before disposed of.
References
- http://thebeautybrains.com/2006/12/the-top-5-causes-of-darkened-armpits/
- https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-benefits-of-not-shaving-armpit-hair
- https://groomingessentialsblog.com/how-to-shave-your-armpits/
- http://marcoshirohige.blogspot.co.ke/2012/07/adverse-effects-of-shaving-armpit-hairs.html
- https://beautyhealthtips.in/homemade-tips-remove-underarm-hair/