Words: Charlie
Manscaping isn’t a new phenomenon. Men have been hacking away at their body hair for decades. Whether for aesthetic reasons or for pure convenience, manscaping is a highly personal thing and how close you go and which body parts you take a blade to is down to each individual. Regardless of how much you intend to remove, chances are that you need to do at least some, if not for you then for your partner. From which tools you require to the correct aftercare, here’s everything you need to know about manscaping.
Establish the look you’re going for
It might sound simple, but before you put a razor anywhere near your body, you should have an idea of how you want the end product to look. Do you want full on squeaky dolphin, or carefully pruned Wolverine designer stubble? Each look and everything in between will require a vastly different approach – essentially, the less hair you want, the more products you’ll need.
Use the right tools
Which brings us on to the tools. For the smoothest shave, you’ll need a razor. But be wary of using the same one you use for your face. Unlike with shaving your beard, where more blades equal a closer shave, when manscaping you want fewer blades. Your body generally has a higher concentration of long hairs, as well as more surface area, which can clog razors up incredibly quickly. More blades also results in more irritation, and potentially cuts and nicks, which can be especially troublesome around your private parts.
If you want to just tame your body hair though, a trimmer is the tool for the job. But again, it’s worth investing in a dedicated trimmer designed for manscaping. It’s not a good idea to use your beard trimmer (especially down low) for obvious reasons, but with a body hair trimmer you the added benefits of a flexible, pivoting head to get to the tricky bits, as well as thinner blades and protective guards to prevent cuts.
Always shower before
When it comes to manscaping it pays to have a bit of prep. In a similar way to shaving your face, warm water softens the skin and hair, opens up follicles and generally prepares the skin for the razor. So, before manscaping any part of your body, especially if you’re new to it, have a shower first and you’ll be in a much better place afterwards. It’ll minimise the chance of any cuts and will ensure shaves are closer and trimming is easier.
Don’t forget to condition
When removing hair from any part of your body, if you don’t condition the skin, problems start to arise. Dry, flakey skin; itchiness; tender, sore patches – this can all be prevented by simply applying the relevant conditioning lotion or cream. When it comes to manscaping, that means using a pre-shave lotion when clean shaving, which prepares the skin and combines with hot water to open the follicles and soften the hairs. When trimming this is less critical, but with both it’s essential you condition the skin post-shave.
Take your time
Above all else, there’s no need to rush. Take your time and you’ll reduce the chances of cutting yourself or taking a divot out of an otherwise perfectly sculpted section of skin. This is especially important when shaving down below. The skin around your penis and balls is especially sensitive and requires unique attention. It’s generally advised that you shouldn’t actually make any contact with the trimmer and your balls. Instead, pull the skin taut and glide the trimmer a few mm about the surface – you might not get a super clean shave but you’ll also leave fulling intact.
Looking for versatile trimmers? These will do the job…
Become a Gentleman’s Journal member. Find out more here.
Become a Gentleman’s Journal Member?
Like the Gentleman’s Journal? Why not join the Clubhouse, a special kind of private club where members receive offers and experiences from hand-picked, premium brands. You will also receive invites to exclusive events, the quarterly print magazine delivered directly to your door and your own membership card.
