No, pubic hair is not unhygienic. However, it does trap dirt and sweat, so it can become more pungent than areas of the body that have less hair. Like other areas of the body, pubic hair does require regular cleaning.
"The hair traps the smell," Michael Cackovic, M.D., an ob/gyn at Ohio State Wexner Medical Center, tells SELF. "What you can smell is bacteria mixing with the sweat and oil." But Rowen says that as long as you have good hygiene in general, your pubic hair isn't any worse off than the hair on your head.
No health benefits are linked to removing pubic hair, so choose what feels right for you.
Pubic hair holds on to residual urine, vaginal discharge, blood and semen. Bacteria line up all along the hair shaft just lunching it up and creating odor. (Very appetizing, I know.) Trimming your pubic hair reduces that surface area for bacteria, thus reducing odor.
Pubic Hair Trends
According to the researchers, when asked if they removed their pubic hair, 80% of women and 39% of men removed their pubic hair near the time of the survey. Also, 3% of women and 21% of men had never removed their pubic hair.
Lice eggs (nits) are often easier to see than live lice. They look like tiny yellow or white dots attached to the pubic hair, close to the skin. Nits can look like dandruff. But you can't pick them off with your fingernail or brush them away.
Pubic hair doesn't require its own beauty regimen, as long as you're showering on a regular basis. "It just needs to be washed with soap and water," says Dr. Knopman. Seriously: There's no real need to shampoo it, condition it, give it an oil treatment, or treat it to a spa day.
You're Less Likely To Get Rashes
If you don't shave, those things aren't really a possibility anymore, leaving you and your lady parts in peace. Indeed, Dweck listed infected hair follicles (folliculitis), rashes, and irritation (razor burn) as some of the most common issues she sees from patients who shave.
To keep the pubic area smooth and hairless, you'll need to shave regularly, even daily. Consider if this is worth the trouble; it may become tedious after four or five weeks.
The practice of removing female body hair is not new, it can be traced back to ancient Rome and Egypt. Some of the first razors, made of copper, were used in Egypt and India around 3000 BCE. Egyptian women removed their head hair and considered pubic hair uncivilized.
Marc Glashofer, a dermatologist and fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology, claims that the texture of pubic hair tends to be thicker and more coarse than hair on the rest of our body because of its origins as a buffer. “It prevents friction during intercourse that can cause skin abrasion and rashes,” he says.
Trimming will make you feel more confident: Shaving will eliminate odour and sweat and you will feel more confident and fresh. Trimming pubic hair will help you to stay cooler down there: “That extra layer of bush would make you feel hotter. So, trimming will help you to avoid that extra heat and sweat down there.
Shaving your pubic hair is entirely a personal preference. As we mentioned, some people just let it grow out and never shave it off. The decision is based on comfort, appearance, and health.
While some women like to shave or wax it off, others like a full bush. And neither sect is wrong. Even though pubic hair serves a purpose (like preventing chafing and infections down there), all women need to be abide by one golden rule: your bush, your choice!
Pubic hair may extend out to their thighs, and some girls may have a line of hair up to their belly button. Most girls attain their peak height by age 16, but some may continue growing through age 20.
Lather the hair and surrounding area with a chemical-free, fragrance-free, natural shaving cream or soap. If you have a vulva, do your best to avoid getting the product inside your vaginal canal, warns Carroll. Pull the skin tight and shave slowly with the grain of the hair to minimize ingrown hairs.
Because the skin on your vulva is sensitive, prickling and itching after trimming your pubic hair is very common. In fact, pubic hair grows on and around your vulva to protect the vulvar area from irritation and infection.
Aging is the most common reason your pubic hair turns gray or white. And while you can't change your genes and the normal aging process, you can slow down pigment loss and those white pubic hairs by eating properly, quitting smoking, and decreasing stress in your life.
A combination of polls shows that 80 to 90 percent of women prefer some amount of grooming for starters. Only 10 to 20 percent prefer guys with a completely unkempt bush; this means that going wild below the waist is not the default look. It may require less work, but you're not playing the odds.
Your pubic hair is "protective," says Metz, and you don't *need* to remove it. But of course, if you prefer to trim, shave, wax, or otherwise remove your pubic hair, that's totally fine.
Yes. It's perfectly fine to carefully trim your pubic hair with small scissors along your swimsuit or underwear line. Many girls trim their pubic hair, or go to a salon to have a “bikini wax”; others prefer to shave just about every day, and many just leave it alone.