I grew up in a household where manscaping was not a thing. We obtained haircuts on a regular basis and bathed regularly including shampooing our hair but nothing more was ever discussed or considered. In this modern era, all different types of men are either trimming their body hair or shaving it completely. I decided it was time I learned more and became a regular practitioner of manscaping. I’ve summarized my research into this blog. I’ve organized it with the tried-n-tested who, what, where, when, how and why journalistic writing approach. Let’s get started.
Who should manscape?
Manscape denotes that this is for men. So, the first answer to this question is any male who wants to be groomed for themselves and for others. When it comes to being intimate with another person, there are some sexual partners who are attracted to a furry man, but the majority prefer a man who is trimmed or shaven. According to Amy Schlinger in the article, “Do Women Like Your Body Hair?, ” It’s safe to say that most women aren’t feeling the full Chewbacca look or the extreme bareness of an Abercrombie & Fitch model. ” Gay men have varied preferences for and against body hair all along that spectrum.
There are specific groups that can find manscaping will boost their goals and/or careers. These include body builders (removal of hair allows muscle definition to be more clearly seen), male strippers, some athletes, and male models. Some men with detailed tattoos on their body prefer not to have hair growing out of their tattoos.
What is manscaping?
According to dictionary.com, manscape means “(of a man) to remove (unwanted body hair other than scalp hair) by waxing, shaving, etc.:” Most men see their barber or hairstylist on a regular basis to have the hair on their head trimmed, some even receive a shave or have their beard trimmed. But there are many other areas on the body that could use a bit of maintenance and care on a regular basis. These include the eyebrows, nose and ear hair, chest, back, arms, armpits, stomach, pubes, butt, around the balls, thighs and calves. It is a personal preference as to which of these should receive some regular attention. We will cover all of them to make sure each reader can find the information for which they are searching.
Where should manscaping be done?
This is a two -sided question. First, where should manscaping be done as in the location. The most obvious answer would be in the bathroom and I’ll even suggest the shower to keep loose hair in one place that is easy to clean. The second part of this question would be where on the man’s body should manscaping be done? See previous paragraph for the answer.
When should manscaping be done?
Brett Maverick, male model and social media influencer suggests that you space out body grooming over several days because he prefers not to spend an hour or more grooming the many different areas of the body. Weston Boucher, fitness model, recommends body grooming every 2-3 weeks.
How do you manscape?
Eyebrows
If left to grow as they please, the eyebrows will become bushy and spread. Some may even create a unibrow where the two eyebrows grow to the center and connect. As a male matures, his eyebrows can look like a caterpillar has taken up residence above the eyes. My father has this type of eyebrows and because I was aware of his, I began plucking mine several years ago when a single hair would become too long. Today, my hairstylist runs his clippers over them to keep them low and neat. The only plucking I do these days is on the occasional stray hair that grows outside the natural arch of my eyebrows. I recommend that you do the same. Have your hairstylist trim when you get a haircut and pluck any stray hairs. Some Nose and Ear Hair trimmers have an eyebrow attachment. See below.
Nose And Ear Hair
RemingtonNE3250 with eyebrow adapter (blue) and nose adapter (black).
To put it mildly, having hairs sticking out of your nose or ears is disgusting. These should be trimmed immediately when first noticed. And don’t wait for someone to tell you, make it a habit of checking when you look in the mirror to do other things. We have owned and used a Remington model NE3250 nose and ear hair trimmer for several years. It works perfectly for its designed purpose. Without an adapter on the trimmer, you can easily and safely trim your ear hair. The trimmer has a small strip of tiny teeth that quickly remove the unwanted hairs. There is a special adapter designed specifically for placing in your nasal cavity and trimming the hairs. As mentioned above and seen in pic above, there is also an adapter to use for trimming the eyebrows making this a very versatile and valuable grooming tool. While writing this blog, I found the Remington NE3250 on eBay for $16.99 with free shipping
Groin And Nether Regions
The Panasonic ER-GK60 comes with everything you see above plus a wall charging station (shown in pic below). From top: travel case, trimmer, groin guard, trim guards for fuller look, oil and brush.
To be honest, I had never officially manscaped around my balls and nether regions. I had trimmed lightly in the past with scissors. Fortunately, I had a steady hand and had no accidents causing nicks or cuts. But for this blog I wanted the full experience. So, I researched online and watched many YouTube videos to decide what trimmer would be best for doing the job in the safest way possible. The Panasonic ER-GK60 was my final choice. It is specifically designed to take care of the groin area and is perfect for other parts of the body as well. It has an attachment that is called the “Groin Guard” that allows you to remove unwanted hair in the region without injury to your family jewels. I think it is easier to use than the other hair trimmers that you can buy. There was a time when I gave myself a haircut and used regular trimmers. I still have them. The ER-GK60 is a wand style trimmer that is easier to hold in your hand while performing the hair trimming procedure. The Panasonic ER-GK60 was listed on eBay for less than $50 including shipping. I paid over $60 for mine including shipping.
Weston Boucher, fitness model mentioned earlier, recommended a large hand mirror that you place on the floor beneath you, then you squat down to see how to best trim around your balls and ass. I also used it to check my. pubic area while standing. I purchased the mirror above at Big Lots for only $2.50. If you are wanting to shop online, here is a link to a listing of hand-held mirrors on eBay in a variety of styles for a range of prices.
Chest, Arms, Armpits, Stomach, Butt, Thighs and Calves
All of these areas can be easily trimmed using the Panasonic ER-GK60. Without any adapter on, you can trim very close. So close that it almost feels like you shaved the area. For any area that you want slightly longer hair, use one of the adapters that will leave the hair longer. Trim the butt while in the squatting position. It’s easier with the wand type trimmer because you can just slide it over the two mounds without having to be an extortionist. Trimming the calves is an option but in my research it was suggested that this was more of a feminine look. But if that is the look you want, then go for it!
The Back
The Professional MANGROOMER back trimmer.
Back hair becomes more prevalent as you get older. But many younger guys still have back hair. There are three options for taking care of this. First, have a friend or family member trim it for you. Second, have a hair stylist remove it for you. Or Third, trim it yourself with a tool such as the Professional MANGROOMER shown above. I have light hair on my back and recently purchased this product to use myself. I found it easy to use. With my hand mirror, I was able to look into the bathroom mirror and view my back to see where I needed to trim and check how well I had done. One word of caution, take your time. If you get in a hurry, you can scratch your back. I did this a couple of times. I didn’t draw blood, just a slight scratch across the skin. I found the MANGROOMER currently listed on eBay for less than $20 with $2.99 shipping.
Why Do You Manscape?
Decrease Odor
When you workout, sweat will be captured by your hair. If this is not removed soon after working out, it will create an odor. With less hair, less sweat will be captured causing less odor.
Confidence
When you manscape, it is another step in taking care of yourself. It is similar to getting the right haircut for your look, or wearing the right outfit for the image you want to put forward. Knowing that you are well groomed will help to build your confidence in any activity you are wanting to engage in.
Better intimate experiences
Knowing your body is ready for initimate experiences will allow you to focus on pleasing your partner instead of worrying about your appearance or any odor issues related to hair.
Professionalism
For body builders, male strippers, male models and some athletes, manscaping is a part of the professionalism involved in a successful career. It is important to manscape when how you look is important to you and others in your field.
Final Thoughts
Whatever tools you decide to purchase, I recommend that you find those that are wireless. It is difficult enough to reach around your body and trim without having a cord getting tangled around your neck, legs or other dangly parts. I also recommend any of the items I’ve discussed in this blog as gifts. Any male stripper, body builder, male model, well, any adult male would be happy to receive these as gifts for birthdays, Christmas, etc. Or you can do like I did and buy them for yourself. Now, make your purchases and go trim your world into a more beautiful place! Happy Trimming!
You may also find the following blogs of interest:
Male Stripper Grooming And Hygiene Tips
8 Reasons I like Andrew Christian Underwear
I definitely cannot speak as an expert, because at my age, I grew up like you described where men were not concerned with shaving our “private parts.” However, there are two things that I would like to throw out there for your or others consideration. I saw a Twitter where a very handsome young guy showed how he removed his hair around his private parts using Veet hair removal while in the shower. I enjoyed this video if for no other reason than the fact that I enjoyed watching him naked in the shower and removing the hair all around his beautiful sexy private parts. It seemed to work for him but I do know for myself. The other thing that I wanted to add is that I have a “friend” on Facebook who is a hairstylist and I was very pleasantly surprised to see his ads offering the service of “manscaping.” I believe he is in AZ or NM. I wanted to volunteer for this job. lol But again, I can offer no info personally, just what I observed from others shared. I hope might help also. Your advise sounded like the most traditional, which is probably the best.
Thank you for your comment David. I must admit that I like to see a little pubic hair on Male dncers. Not a forest, but a little more than a happy trail. I think it is sexy.