Male hair removal methods have certainly evolved through the years. Gone are the days when men used a shaving blade to remove hair in different parts of their body. The advances in technology help male grooming become safer, healthier, faster and more convenient to do.
Men remove body hair for a variety of reasons. One is to improve their appearance. Women often do not like hairy men especially if a thick mane grows out of the chest or the back. Hairs coming out of the nostrils or a bushy monobrow are also very unattractive to look at. For men who are into sports such as swimming, getting pubic hair removed is almost a must since they look unsightly with Speedos and swimming trunks. Some men remove underarm hair for better grooming and to prevent body odour.
Men remove body hair for a variety of reasons. One is to improve their appearance. Women often do not like hairy men especially if a thick mane grows out of the chest or the back. Hairs coming out of the nostrils or a bushy monobrow are also very unattractive to look at. For men who are into sports such as swimming, getting pubic hair removed is almost a must since they look unsightly with Speedos and swimming trunks. Some men remove underarm hair for better grooming and to prevent body odour. Male waxing and sugaring are two great examples of current male grooming techniques. These two hair removal methods have a number of similarities as well as differences when it comes to application. But they do serve the same purpose which is to get rid of unwanted man hair. An estimated third of the male population regularly do hair removal procedures in the back, chest, intimate areas, legs and other areas.
Waxing
Waxing for men, also called manscaping or more recently maxing, is a popular choice in salons or male grooming studios. Most men prefer to have a waxing treatment as opposed to some of the other temporary hair removal methods available because of the numerous advantages that waxing provides including:
Areas that have been waxed often remain hairless for at most eight weeks. The reason for this is because waxing removes hairs from the roots not just on the surface and for those clients who carry out regular body waxing benefit from a slower regrowth.
Smoother skin. Areas that are subjected to waxing often have smoother skin. The wax serves as natural exfoliant since it removes dead skin cells once the wax is removed. It not just uproots the hair but the dead cells on the skin too.
Softer hair. The hair that grows after waxing is usually much softer. Also, there are no signs of stubble after waxing unlike shaving.
Reduce skin irritation. Shaving may cause irritation to the skin especially if the blade touches sensitive parts. The person may have cuts and razor bumps from shaving. Not so with waxing.
Sugaring
Sugaring is another popular hair removal option. The sugaring mixture is made up of sugar, water and lemon juice. These ingredients are combined in a lukewarm temperature. They are then applied to the skin where unwanted hair grows. The technique originated in Egypt.
Sugaring for some male grooming clients offers the same benefits as listed above in terms of the appearance of the skin, the regrowth period and smoothness of the skin.
Some male clients are drawn towards sugaring as a suitable hair removal method if they have heat sensitive skin or react to the rosins found in a lot of waxes. However it is worth remembering that a lot of the good wax companies often offer a range of products that are rosin free to offer these clients a more comfortable waxing treatment with less trauma and better results on the skin.
,Waxing and sugaring are similar processes but they do have differences in the application and results and clients should research the best options for themselves.
Both methods of hair removal use a similar process ; strip waxing and strip sugaring – applying the product directly to the skin and then removing with a paper strip or a piece of fabric. Non -strip waxing and hand sugaring – applying hot wax or sugar paste directly to the hair and removing without the need for any paper or fabric.
More often male clients can have strong coarse body hair and with the waxing method it can offer a better hair removal technique for various reasons; the “ shrink wrapping “ effect of hot wax can encapsulate even the smallest of hairs to ensure a smooth hair free result, something that hand sugaring often cannot achieve. New generation non-strip / hot waxes can also be applied successfully to areas where hair grows in various directions, sugaring often does not achieve best results in these areas.
Degree of discomfort. Both procedures require hair removal from the roots. This means a certain degree of pain or discomfort in both methods, but it is worth stating that for most clients this discomfort is minimal and if these treatments are carried out by a professional trained male grooming therapist as opposed to friends or partners then the difference is remarkable!! You only need to look on YouTube to see those terrible home waxing videos...
Waxing and sugaring may not be a permanent solution to male hair removal but they do provide a viable option for male grooming. The long duration before hair grows back makes them a popular choice among male clients. Both procedures are effective hair removal solutions.
Jack Dunn – London Male Waxing – January 2012.
