can I ask a personal question? shaving?

[mariekitt24]

I know this is personal so don't answer if you don't want to.. but how much hair on your body do you shave? I was looking at some discussion on the internet where it sounded like its normal and expected that women shave their pubic hair.. and I was shocked, actually. Since when was it SO looked down upon not to shave down there? I think its everyone's personal choice and people should be respectful of that. Its just body hair!

Me personally? I shave my underarms, and I shave my legs maybe once a week when I get the time, and I tend to keep my hair 'down there' trimmed, but never fully shaved. I don't do this for any particular reason, just do.

So I'm curious, what do you ladies do? What IS the norm? and do you agree with it?

[limabean]

There was a looooooong and very interesting thread about shaving a while back. Here's the link:

http://www.mothering.com/discussions...desmond+morris

To answer your question, I shave my armpits, legs, bikini line, and "undercarriage" (leaving hair in front in the pubic area). I don't care what other people do, and don't think there's anything wrong with not shaving.

[Storm Bride]

I shave my legs, pits and all the hair from my vulva area.

I don't know if it's the norm.

I don't agree with any "norm" about shaving/hair removal. If people want to shave or not shave their face, legs, armpits, genitals, back...whatever, I think that's their business, not mine, and not anybody else's. It wouldn't even occur to me to comment.

[Phantaja]

I am on very friendly terms with my Schick Quattro for Women and have no hair growing below my eyebrows. I shave my underarms, legs, and pubic area everytime I shower, which is daily, and touch up anything else once a week.

I thought that that was normal till I took a trip to Vegas with two girlfriends a few years ago and I was showering while they were getting dressed and putting on make-up in the bathroom, too. My best friend was sitting on the edge of the tub talking to me and glanced in the shower and squealed "What are you DOING??? Your man isn't even HERE!"

A little discussion ensued, and found out that one of them had only shaved her legs twice in her life and didn't shave anything else, and the other only shaved her legs and trimmed her pubic area (just the "top part" if you're with me) if she "had plans."

I wish I could get waxed but I'm scared and I think that a lot of women in my age range do groom that way, but it's not normal or abnormal to go either way. I don't feel bad about what I'm doing and I don't know if it's what society expects but it feels right to me.

[vegemamato]

I don't 'shave' at all but I do use my husband's hair clippers to trim my every few days and armpits 1x/month

[Mrsboyko]

I am on a shaving boycot I think. Under normal curcumstances I shave legs once a week and underarms maybe 2x a week. I do trim the bikini line and "undercarrage" (haha, I like that term!) when it gets a little wild. Currently I have shaved my legs and pubic area 2x since August. Underarms are still weekly though.

[~Charlie's~Angel~]

My legs and pits get hit up every other day. I actually have a "happy trail" that must be tended to about once every two days. My womanly areas is somewhat natural. I was pretty good about keeping it "trim" before I got pregnant and couldnt even see it anymore. Now I get ingrown hairs something AWFUL if I shave, and I dont do it nearly as often as I used too. I have kinda made peace with it.

[2xy]

Originally Posted by limabean

To answer your question, I shave my armpits, legs, bikini line, and "undercarriage" (leaving hair in front in the pubic area). I don't care what other people do, and don't think there's anything wrong with not shaving.

All of the above.

[riverscout]

I've always been an off and on shaver. The older I get though, the more off it is. I haven't shaved my legs since my son was born and have only shaved under my arms once when it was really hot this summer. I regretted it as soon as I did it. I don't think I've shaved anywhere else since I was a teenager.

I think the norm however, is that both males and females are removing more body hair than ever. I don't get it.

[Monarchgrrl]

Originally Posted by limabean

To answer your question, I shave my armpits, legs, bikini line, and "undercarriage" (leaving hair in front in the pubic area). I don't care what other people do, and don't think there's anything wrong with not shaving.

Me too. "Undercarriage". I shave my pits, legs, and arms (yes, my arms and hands! I look like a freaking gorilla!) every time I shower, which is every other day. I shave my bikini line and "undercarriage" once a week or so.

[AFWife]

I shave my underarms when I'm going to be out in public and wearing something that shows...My legs? Once a month MAYBE (I've taken to waxing instead)

The private parts? Only as a treat for DH. I get horrid razor burn every.single.time. so I don't do it that often.


ETA: I have a feeling porn has made the "clean shaven" thing expected...

[Marsupialmom]

I was trimming 20-22 years ago. I had major issues with yeast infections during puberty. I am still sensitive. Trimming was "naughty". I remember the doctor that suggested it, I could tell he was flustard with the advice. He told me to wear losser jeans, cotton only undies, vinegar, no feminine hygene spray, finannly after my ??? trip he suggested it. Let me tell you I did not announce this to the world that it worked.

I think there has been women like me that have always saved. It is just not a dirty little secret. I do think all genders have issues with hair. Some like it some do not. You can find porn for every taste. I think this is just a hot button topic that the internet and modern medias have made more known.

http://www.google.com/search?q=histo...ed=0CCUQ5wIwCg

[Gentle~Mommy :)]

I shave it all, my husband likes it that way and I like that he likes it. I guess if I didn't have a partner I wouldn't do it.

[MomToKandE]

Arm pits daily
full leg daily in the summer
usually only lower leg in the winter and maybe not every day

Bikini line gets waxed for the summer. Just around the edges though, nowhere near everything. I can't shave it or I get horrible ingrown hairs. I've started laser treatments but have several more to go.

Once in a while I trim my pubic hair a bit but not regularly.

[riverscout]

Okay I don't want to take this too OT, but I have some questions for you ladies who shave your..uh...girly bits . I ask without judgment at all. I am just very curious.

1) How do you do this without injuring yourselves? My skin down there is rather delicate and sensitive and to think about dragging a sharp razor across it terrifies me .

2) Doesn't it itch like crazy? I would think having stubble down there would just be unbearable.

3) Have you tried waxing? What was that like? Better? Worse?

[nataliachick7]

Originally Posted by riverscout

Okay I don't want to take this too OT, but I have some questions for you ladies who shave your..uh...girly bits . I ask without judgment at all. I am just very curious.

1) How do you do this without injuring yourselves? My skin down there is rather delicate and sensitive and to think about dragging a sharp razor across it terrifies me .

2) Doesn't it itch like crazy? I would think having stubble down there would just be unbearable.

3) Have you tried waxing? What was that like? Better? Worse?

If you get a good quality razor, i have a venus, you should be fine I shave mostly everything down there except i leave the hair on the...not sure what to call it... (the most center part down there around the vag opening?)

I dont have any itching or ingrown hairs.

I tried waxing once down there and literally screamed in pain and cried....it was as painful as giving birth (for me)

[AutumnAir]

I'm very on again off again.

I shave my pits every time I shower and have done since I first grew hair there - I don't know what it's like to have hairy pits. (Maybe I'll let it grow in the future so I can have that experience...)

I shave my legs sometimes - during the summer I try to shave them at least once a week, but during the winter it might get done once a month! It's hard to find the time.

I've gone through periods of shaving my bikini-line / undercarriage. At the moment I am unshaven down there, but will probably shave again pretty soon. These periods last for months, though I'd say over the last few years I've been shaven more often than not. Though I haven't shaved the *whole* pubic region since I was about 15 - I shaved everything and it did itch like crazy growing back, but mostly the bit in front ( I think it's called the mons? )

And slightly OT, but I'm so glad to hear that other women have hair on their undercarriage too! I've always been really self-conscious, thinking I was horrifically hairy, because the only other mature vulvas I've seen have been in the occasional porn film or diagrams in medical type textbooks - neither of which seemed to have much hair if any!

I don't shave anything else, though I very occasionally use depilating cream on the backs of my hands.

[MissMommyNiceNice]

I shave my pits every time I'm in the shower.

In the summer, I probably shave my legs about once a week, usually up to the knee & my bikini area. Especially if we're going swimming. I did it for our anniversary about 3 weeks ago. I plan on doing it on Saturday for a wedding. I told DH not to expect it again until a few months after the baby is born.

Honestly, I used the shave reducing cream from jergens religiously for a few years. It really worked at cutting down my amount of hair & how long it takes to grow. This is why I don't usually shave over my knees anymore.

I trim my pubes once every month or two.

[LaLaLaLa]

I try to shave regularly, because I like the way my body feels clean-shaven, but don't get around to it as often as I'd like. I try to shave my legs and armpits every few days, but sometimes it's only once a week. I also like to shave all pubic hair, but that's much more time consuming, so I guess I only do that every other month or so.

It's shockingly easy to do, for the PP who wondered. I pretty much shave blind, by feel, because I don't have a good mirror or anything to see what I'm doing. I've never cut myself, and I've found that "going commando" for a couple of days after the big shave drastically reduces the amount of ingrown hairs along my bikini line. It doesn't itch at all, which is surprising.

[vegemamato]

here's another question.. do any of you ask your partners to shave for you in those hard-to-reach places?