Editor’s Note: The pseudonym “Bettye” is used in this column to allow students to write candidly about topics of relationships and sex without backlash.
College Station weather is unpredictable, but one thing for certain is that it’s warming up and you know what that means. It means putting on the swimsuit you bought when it was half off in December. It means pushing aside your self-tanner to run outside and convince yourself you have tan lines. It means that you can no longer hide from that thing you’ve been dreading: shaving.
Now, don’t let anyone fool you into thinking body hair (specifically down there) is unnatural or unsanitary. People survived without a shaving routine before your time, and you can too. However, there are pros and cons to different types of hair removal, so let’s talk about them.
Shave it
Some popular ways to remove unwanted hair include shaving, waxing and sugaring. Shaving with a traditional razor is convenient and easy to do at home. Yet no matter how many sugar scrubs you use or after shave serums you buy, those pesky red bumps never seem to disappear. They’re itchy and convince you to never journey down there with your razor again.
This is where Bettye’s favorite at-home tool comes into play. Electric razors are a bit more of an investment but offer a wide variety of options ranging from $15 to $90. You can find one that fits your specific needs whether that’s wet or dry trimming, different attachments or a long battery life. While trimmers might not get as close of a shave as a traditional razor does, you’re sure to be left without cuts or nicks in sensitive areas.
What’s that? Blades scare you and electric trimmers should be left to the groomers at PetSmart you say? Don’t worry, there is still hope. Sugaring and waxing produce results that can last close to a month due to the hair root’s complete removal as opposed to just a trim with a razor. The biggest difference between the two comes down to the ingredients, as sugaring uses more natural ingredients consisting of sugar, lemon and water, while beeswax is the main ingredient in waxing solutions, according to Healthline.
With that being said, prepare yourself for some extreme discomfort as well as a commitment anywhere from $50 to $100, depending on what area you’re removing hair from. The results are fabulous, your skin will never have been smoother, but a small part of you will want to die inside during the appointment from the pain.
Save it
You might have read through those options and thought to yourself, ‘Who in their right mind would bother?’ Welcome to team save it. Embracing your body hair can be beautiful, freeing and less expensive. Some people like to get fancy with special products to keep that area clean, but a little warm water and unscented soap can’t be beat.
At the end of the day, the only opinion that truly matters in this debate is yours. If you’re worried about your partner’s preferences on body hair down there, kindly remind them that you’re open to suggestions, but what you say goes. If you’re with any decent person, they won’t really care. If anyone judges how you choose to handle hair down there, tell them to go touch some grass and get a life.
