Normal and natural
Whether to groom or let it grow is your choice—no one else's. And there is no reason to apologize about your pubic hair, to your ob-gyn or anyone else.
Women aren't just burning their bras. In 2023 they are breaking up with their waxers and throwing out their razors.
The reasons may include a desired aesthetic, sexual practices, one's sense of personal hygiene, participation in certain sports or exercise, and/or clothing choices and comfort. From the gynecologist's perspective, shaving regularly to eliminate pubic hair has drawbacks.
But we've noticed a recent uptick in the number of people who've tossed out their razors and waxing kits in favor of letting pubic hair grow au natural. Natural pubic hair seems to be coming back into style—and it might be because more people are discovering the surprising health benefits.
Male pubic hair is currently less "full bush" and more "clean-cut," which is the current trend. As a result, not all men should completely shave off their pubic hair because doing so can cause excruciating discomfort and even unpleasant skin conditions like razor burn or ingrown hairs.
As we age, some pubic hair thinning, or loss, is normal. However, certain conditions like alopecia or an adrenal issue can also cause hair loss.
As a person ages, their body begins to produce fewer androgens. This may result in pubic hair loss.
While bikinis have been around since the 1940s, they continued getting smaller throughout the 20th century, and by the 1980s the style was completely mainstream. With more exposure came a growing desire to remove hair around the bikini line, in addition to other areas of the body like the legs and armpits.
As for the curliness of pubes, Brian Steixner, M.D., Director of the Institute of Men's Health at Jersey Urology Group in Atlantic City, suspects it's because curly hair does a better job at trapping the pheromones secreted from sweat glands around the groin area.
Pubic hair removal is common — approximately 80 percent of women ages 18 to 65 report they remove some or all of their pubic hair.
In general, we recommend shaving every two to three days if you want a clean shave; three to five days if you want to simply style or trim; and if you want to just let your hair grow, then simply stop shaving.
A slightly musty smell is normal. This is usually caused by sweat, dead skin, heat and is especially present in pubic hair.
Does pubic hair cease growing once it's reached a certain length? All hair grows at a contstant rate, but eventually falls out. With body hair, which typically does not grow as long as head hair, the rate at which it falls out is greater. This results in hair that appears to reach a certain length then stops growing.
The main role of pubic hair is to reduce friction during sex and other forms of exercise, protecting the delicate skin around the genital area. Just like eyelashes and nose hair, pubic hair helps prevent the transmission of bacteria, trapping any dirt, debris, and microorganisms that could be harmful to the body.
This process usually begins between the ages of 8 and 13 for girls and 9 to 14 years for boys. Along with puberty, children begin to have a tendency to grow body hair.
Research has shown that men who keep their pubic hair have a lower chance of getting warts. This is because pubic hair acts as a shield to reduce skin contact between people during intercourse. Getting rid of pubic hair is different from going to the barber for a haircut.
Interestingly, 84 percent of the men surveyed had a preference when it came to a woman's pubic hair, but only 9 percent would end a date or sex because of a women's grooming habits -- so they must not care all that much. And of the men polled, a whopping 88 percent do some grooming of their own.
Over the summer, Vogue even ruled that the Brazilian is out and the full bush is in. While having more pubic hair might be on trend, studies show about 85 percent of women " and close to 66 percent of men " remove at least some of their hair.
Seven percent said they went the route of permanent removal by way of laser hair treatments, and 26 percent said they regularly trim their pubes to keep things tidy. That leaves just three percent of women who said they leave their pubic hair entirely alone—no trimming, no tweezing, no shaving, no nothing.
The key to shaving pubes is to use short strokes with gentle pressure. You can shave in any direction that feels comfortable, but shaving “with the grain” will help to avoid excess shaving irritation. Clean the blade in water every 2-3 strokes to keep your hair from blocking the blades.
The Standard Bikini
The triangle shape of pubic hair cut gives you that perfect trimmed look with little fuss. It is a good option if you want to keep the look of your pubic area on the more natural side. It's also a good go-to if you don't want to spend a lot of time grooming since it's quite easy to maintain.
In separate studies, 59% of women and 61% of men stated that they groomed their pubic region for hygienic purposes. However, there is currently no scientific evidence to suggest any health benefits associated with removing pubic hair — other than the removal of pubic lice.