Our editors carefully select every product. If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission. Learn More.

Manscaping Tips and Tactics for Extra Hairy Men

It’s really nice to finally have a term that describes an obsession -commonly held by a lot of men- with body hair.

Since those first days of puberty, when down-like strands of wispy manhood began to sprout from the pores of so many boys’ underarms and soft chins; we’ve needed a word like ‘manscaping’ to describe the need to keep body hair well groomed.

And why?

Because it doesn’t take long before that tiny little patch of fiber that you once held such pride in, to become a cumbersome thicket.

Creeping up your back, crack, shoulders and ears and snaking its way out of your t-shirt; the need to take a machete to that jungle is a genuine problem for a lot of hirsute men in this clean-cut age that we live in.​

But for a lot of men, it is easy to get used to the discomfort, letting themselves get overrun by their ragged pelts until the day arrives when they spontaneously find themselves standing naked in front of a mirror with a razor in their hands, glistening in the bathroom light while standing knee-deep in dead hair. Then comes the itching… then the rash … and the complaints about painful sex.

But grooming is essential if you want to look smart; so there must be a better way.

​Of course, there are. Here are 5:

5 Manscaping Tips and Tactics for Extra Hairy Men​

1. Never go full mole-rat

Rule number one is quite important, (unless you are doing it for fetish reasons) you should avoid clean shaving any area of your body that isn’t your head or face.

The first reason for this is a practical one. When hair grows back, it irritates the skin. This causes some pretty serious itching, ingrown hairs, and possibly a rash.

The second reason is quite simple. It looks silly when your full-bodied five o’ clock shadow starts to show itself.

And the third reason; the tendency to look and feel a bit like a pre-pubescent boy will likely put your partner off. This commonly results in a severe sex deficiency.​

Check out this video:​

2. Make sure you have what you need

Having a go at yourself with the kitchen scissors (or even worse, a disposable razor) might seem resourceful, but a bad workman always blames his tools for a reason.

So, having what you need if you are hairy enough to have to worry about manscaping is essential.

A good set of hair sheers with everything you need to maintain them will do just fine.

Manscaping Tips

Head shears will help ensure that there are no harsh lines which draw attention to the fact that you shave, and will give you a comfortable and consistent cut instead of a patchy mess. You can pick up supplies at Manscaped that are designed to help you groom properly. 

Check out their selection of products here: Manscaped

I suppose all you really need beyond that is a full-length mirror (and a handheld one would help as well), and then you can get started.

3. Make a date

Manscaping is about personal grooming as opposed to a once-off adventure. So, as it is with clipping your nails, do it often enough so that it doesn’t look like you’ve had a hair-cut when you’re done.

Check for all types of unsightly hair: trim (and I do mean trim) the pits, crotch, lower back, ears and groin; and get to work while taking care not to leave any harsh lines.

Eventually, it will just be another part of your routine if you stay consistent, but leaving it for too long might make it unmanageable, so the key to manscaping well, is to be disciplined.

4. Waxing isn’t that bad; but not everywhere

Manscaping Tips

Waxing is fairly painful, there’s no sense in being dishonest about it. But once your body gets used to it, your hair struggles far less when parting with it. In other words, hit hurts less and less as you do it.

So, waxing areas like your back and shoulders (if you grow hair there) is a good idea, especially if you look like Cousin It is riding your shoulders.​

Waxing everything, however, is not necessary. A simple trim of the chest is good enough. You’ll also want to avoid those sensitive areas of the body that tend to feel pain more intensely, but I don’t have to tell you that.

5. Avoid hair-removal creams

There are a lot of hair removal products out there that claim to painlessly take the hair off of your body in no time; and to all intents and purposes, they do.

But from my experience of most brands, they tend to leave a nasty, long-lasting rash and leave you smelling vaguely of peroxide.

You also have no way of controlling the length of the hair you take off, meaning you’ll have to go completely hairless when using creams, which comes with those ingrown hairs and itches I warned you about earlier.

If you feel the need to use hair removal creams on certain parts of your body (such as your back and shoulders), then feel free.

It is a good idea to test it out first on a small part of your body to ensure that your skin isn’t sensitive to the cream’s harmful ingredients.

What do you think?

Written by Terrence Kennedy

Terrence Kennedy is the man’s man on a journey to self-discovery. A traveler, extreme sports aficionado, an observant wanderer, a DIY-Know-How, an ultimate outsider and a documentarist of culture, sex, dating, relationship, fashion, style and gentleman's etiquette. He has learned a lot through his escapades, and is happy to pass that knowledge on to you.