TeenBodybuilding.com - Ryan Ward

Printable page

Did you know?
Nearly 80% of college and high school students use alcohol, 30% smoke marijuana and 25% smoke cigarettes!

Getting rid of hair has been the hardest part of living a bodybuilder's lifestyle for me. Having very thick, black hair that after shaving stubbles the next day annoys the hell out of me.

By: Ryan Ward

Getting rid of hair has been the hardest part of living a bodybuilder's lifestyle for me. Having very thick, black hair that after shaving stubbles the next day annoys the hell out of me. I have seen up to four hairs grow out of one pore and I always tell myself (and want to believe) that my hair problem is a result of a testosterone overload in my body and hair growth is an outlet, even though

I have never heard or read anything that supports it. Though I hit puberty around eleven and had facial hair around twelve, I have recently set out to find out the best way to remove body hair, and this is what I found.

Sprays and Creams

My first idea was creams because it seemed like the easiest and most painless route. I picked up a sample of Nair For Men at the Arnold Classic and couldn't wait to try it out. When I did, my first disappointment came when the Nair did absolutely nothing. I then tried Epil Stop and Spray and the only result I got was a twenty-dollar hole in my pocket.

Nads For Men

The next route I took to hair removal was Nads For Men. When I spent thirty dollars on the stuff, I was sure I would also be 'hair free for up to six weeks'. After going over the instructions and seeing the examples on the included CD, I followed the instructions to the point but was also eventually disappointed.

Though the gel is soluble in water (easy to clean), it is extremely messy and the strips included are poor quality. I tried Nads and my chest and didn't remove any hair, except around my stomach, where the pores started to bleed and later left bumps. The rest of my body gave me the same type of results.

I have a theory for the reason for my problem. Since waxes and gels stick to the hair, having more that one hair in each pore can be a problem. After shaving, hair is obviously unevenly cut and even though Nads removes hair, it only clung to one hair in each pore, therefore still leaving hair on the area.

Nads is also extremely painful and inefficient. It would take at least 90 minutes to remove all your body hair if you didn't run out of the Nads first. And although the ads say that Nads is painless, they are far from the truth.

Shaving

Though I have tried many other alternatives, shaving has always been the method I went back to after numerous disappointments. It's fast and it temporarily removes the hair you want.

Shaving cream?

Many people wonder how much shaving cream they will use in a month of shaving. I would estimate that you would go through maybe two cans a month for use on the whole body, which can start adding up when you consider how much you are spending a year. I personally use shampoo when shaving for very good reasons. First, it's cheap because you just use the shampoo twice in the shower or bath instead of only once for your hair. Also, shaving cream tends to clog up your razor pretty fast, where shampoo will just pass right through.

Razors

Once you decided on taking the route, you need to find a razor. I tried out Gillette's Mach 3, Xtreme 3 and Schick's Diamond razor and I liked the Xtreme 3 the most. First off, it's disposable so when your razor gets dull in a few days of shaving your body, you can just get a new one from the pack.

Secondly, since the razor is disposable the clip on cartridge won't fall off if you are pressing hard like with the Mach 3. Also, it has three blades for a close shave and a long handle to somewhat reach your back. Lastly, the Xtreme 3 has a comfort strip (that most disposable razors lack) that lubricates your skin enough that you can shave without and shaving cream or shampoo,

Tips for shaving

Don't waste shampoo on your legs. Shave them while in a hot bath with soft water or a bubble bath for the best results.
Take the most time on your upper chest because it tends to be the most sensitive area when shaving and can break out easily. Shave your chest last so the hairs have had the most time to soften up.
Learn the way your hair grows on different places and develop a pattern when shaving to make sure you hit every spot.
Shaving your back is possible to do alone if it's not in the middle of your back, but having someone else do it for you is most effective. I would have them do it without any lubricants after your shower, while your hair is still wet.
Having a good tan can hide stubble much better than having pale, white skin.
Have a schedule when you shave, so you are maybe shaving your upper body one day and lower body another so you aren't stuck the bathroom for an hour doing your whole body at once.

Shaving can become very tedious and feel defeating after stubble grows back the next day, but just keep up and remember that it's the cheapest and best affordable way to remove hair.

Don't forget to check out Bodybuilding.com's hair removal products here.

Thanks,

bigward@bodybuilders.com