Even The Wrestler (2008) understood that underarm grooming can be weirdly personal for men. In the movie, director Darren Aronofsky had Mickey Rourke’s character shave his underarms precisely because it made him feel exposed and uncomfortable.
But you don’t need to be starring in a gritty Aronofsky movie to care about yours. Much like the grooming routine for the rest of your body, even your underarms deserve extra care (especially if you don’t want to be the reason why people in the room are holding their breaths).
Now, the question is simple, “Why does underarm grooming matter and where should you get started?” Well, we have that covered for you!
Let’s Have a Chemistry Lesson, Shall We?
Before we begin, we have to dispel a myth first: Sweat itself doesn’t actually smell bad. Shocker, right? Pure sweat is made up of three things: water, salts and proteins.
So, what’s causing that mid-afternoon funk after you sweat through your shirt? Well, it’s the bacteria living on your skin. For them, the combination of water, salts and proteins in your sweat is a 5-star buffet that they feast on. The result? They produce volatile organic compounds.
The bushier your armpit hair is, the more surface area the bacteria have to create these compounds from your sweat and make your armpit an odour magnet (and not the good kind!)
When you groom your underarm using an Underarm Trimmer, you are essentially “weeding”. You strip away the moisture trap, thereby starving these bacteria. Not to mention, it also helps your deodorant reach your skin instead of sitting on the hair.
In short: Less hair > Less trapped sweat > Fewer bacterial playgrounds > Less odour. A simple knowledge of this should be enough to make you self-aware of how crucial personal grooming is.
Trimming Doesn’t Equate Being Hairless
We have a habit of making things overly complicated, no wonder a major men’s grooming study suggests that only 68% actively groom their underarm. The remaining 32%? Well, they are probably confused about the process.
Here’s a simple rundown you need to understand:
- If you don’t want to shave your underarms completely, you don’t have to.
- If you don’t want to wax your underarms, you don’t have to.
You don’t have to wage a grooming war against every hair follicle in your underarm. That’s why trimming is considered the safe middle ground. The Switzerland of personal grooming, if you will. The neutral choice.
A good underarm trimmer will let you trim the length of your unruly and bushy underarm hair significantly. So, if you want a “natural looking” finish but don’t want to have baby skin, trimming is your best bet.
Unless you have an extremely fast underarm hair growth to a point where it has reached, “I could probably braid this,” stage, trimming is a once in a few weeks affair. So, maintenance is fairly simple too.
Should You Use Your Regular Beard Trimmer for Your Underarm?
“A trimmer is a trimmer, right?” No, it’s not.
The Beard Trimmer you use for your face, one to trim your beard, moustache, eyebrows, etc., has no business roughing up your underarm hair.
Keeping aside the hygiene aspect, your beard grows on a relatively exposed and easy-to-access area, a.k.a your face. Underarm hair, on the other hand, is like Arizona’s Grand Canyon, filled with folds and crevices. So, choosing the right type of trimmer is a non-negotiable in this case.
Different terrains. Different requirements. You wouldn’t use your dull craft scissors to cut your hair, right? The same applies to the trimmer you choose for grooming your underarm hair as well.
The exception of course is a full body trimmer that comes with different attachments. One for your face and a separate one for your underarms.
Less Hair = Less Friction
If you live in a hot and humid country like India, for example, you have likely experienced the holy trinity: sweat, movement and underarm skin and hair rubbing against each other. It creates the most uncomfortable situation.
Underarm hair can add to that friction, especially during a gym session, a run or simply when you are moving around in the hot weather. The solution? Trimming the underarm hair as close to the skin as possible. This reduces friction, reduces trapped sweat and eliminates the discomfort and irritation.
Not to mention that a freshly trimmed and groomed underarm also pairs well with your clothing, be it a shirt, t-shirt or a half-sleeve active wear. It feels less restrictive and freeing when you aren’t constantly worrying about what’s happening underneath.
Quick Checklist for Underarm Grooming
The trick is simple: Do not overthink it.
Follow the steps next:
- Start with clean and dry skin.
- Instead of rushing, take your time to pick the right underarm trimmer and know about the appropriate guard or setting depending on the length you want to trim.
- If this is your first time, start longer. You can always go shorter and negotiate the patch of hair you want to leave. But, once you trim the underarm hair too short, there’s no going back. So, take your time and start slow.
- Once done, clean the trimmer properly and let your skin breathe for some time. Then, apply deodorants as needed.
Well, that’s pretty much it. Simple. Straightforward. No ceremony involved.
So, Should You Be Grooming Your Underarm?
If you like the way trimmed underarms feel, well, absolutely go ahead. However, we have to reiterate that preferring to keep your natural body hair is okay too.
The reason why underarm hair grooming is recommended primarily is to reduce friction, odour and help you be your most confident self in a room full of people. So, take charge of your personal grooming choices and stand out!