07/9Protection against the sun
PROTECTION AGAINST THE SUN: People who have a hairy body are less prone to sunburn and rashes. Another purpose that they serve is to keep us warm. This process goes like this- when we feel cold, our body hair stands on end and trap warm air which is closer to the surface of the skin.
Conversely, just 5% say it's unattractive for a man to have hairy legs. A quarter (26%) find men's hairy legs attractive (21% of men and 30% of women said this). Among 16-24-year-old women, 57% – a rate significantly more than any other age/gender group – say hairy legs on women are neither attractive nor unattractive.
Nearly 30 percent of women like “a man who trims leg hair down,” and 22 percent “love a man with clean shaven legs.” That means more than half of the women responding like it when a guy does a little legscaping.
The body hair is advantageous in cold environments, but the hair provides additional insulation to the body and impedes heat removal during heat stress. The thermal conductivity of the body surface for most mammals is reduced by fur.
The more hair you have, the more surface area bacteria has to cling to, which keeps the smell so pungent, says Bowe.
Shaving exfoliates by removing the dead cells every time the razor glides across the surface of the skin. Nazarian says that if you stop shaving, you will accumulate a layer of skin at the top of the epidermis, making it a little tougher for products like moisturizers to penetrate and be effective.
In essence yes, hair on different body parts have a different purpose. As we stated above hair under our arms, on our legs and in the genital area are there to 'protect' and to prevent chafing.
While athletes who participate in running and other sports may choose to shave their legs, it's unlikely to speed you up. While athletes who compete in swimming competitions have an advantage proven in studies, the reduction in drag is not present in running.
To be absolutely clear: There is no hygienic or medical reason you need to remove hair. In fact, the opposite is true. When hair is removed, no matter how it's done, the process may create microscopic traumas and expose you to infection.
On top of that, the most important confirmation of my research is that men do indeed prefer women without body hair, no matter if it's located in the leg and/or armpit.
Women consider longer-legged men more physically appealing than their stumpier counterparts, a study has found. Research involving more than 200 men and women revealed that people whose legs are 5% longer than average are considered the most attractive, regardless of their gender.
Is body hair a sign of high testosterone? Testosterone can cause hair growth but it's not always a sign of high testosterone levels. Testosterone and oestrogen are sex hormones, and they help determine how your hair grows. This means not only where, but also the texture, thickness and colour of that hair.
Why am I getting so hairy? During puberty, hair begins to grow on many parts of the body such as in your pubic area, under your arms, on your arms and legs and elsewhere. This is normal and can depend on your ethnicity.
If you feel like you have a lot of body hair, it might be serious. Body hair is normal, and it exists for an evolutionary reason: To keep us warm. But too much of a good thing can be a sign that something else is going on in your body.
"For most mammals, hair is important as insulation, keeping body heat in when it's cold and giving protection from hot sun. Human hair might be useful for keeping the hot sun off our head and neck, but it doesn't do much to keep us warm."
Hormones. Thick body hair is called androgenic hair because its growth depends on the production of androgens, a unisex hormone found in both men and women. Levels of this hormone are significantly higher in men, which is why they generally have thicker body hair and why they have hair on more areas of their body.
If your legs are not well-hydrated the hair will be more difficult to cut, increasing chances of irritating your skin, nicks and razor burn. Shaving dry hair may even dull down your blade faster. Do so by soaking your legs in a a warm bath or shower for at least 3-5 minutes.
Choosing whether or not to shave your body hair is a very personal decision, and there may be pros and cons to each choice. There are some benefits to not shaving like better sex, a reduced chance for skin infections, and a more regulated body temperature.
The female body may produce too many androgens when the adrenal glands do not work correctly. This can lead to a variety of symptoms, including excessive hair growth. Doctors do screen for conditions that cause adrenal hyperplasia. However, mild cases may not be possible to diagnose until puberty.
As with shaving any part of your body, shaving your armpits also opens up the possibility of getting razor burn, ingrown hairs and irritation, and the underarm area is definitely one of the more uncomfortable areas to experience this in.
China. China isn't fully westernized, so Chinese notions of beauty differ greatly than American ones (which is refreshing). In China, underarm or leg hair is nothing to be worried about; body hair is considered completely natural and acceptable in their culture. As a result, hair removal just isn't very popular there.
So where did the "ban" on above-the-knee shaving come from? As shaving became more mainstream in the 1940s, it seems our mums' mums were worried about hairier thighs if they razored too high.
"Because body hair is natural." —Debbie A.
"I stopped shaving my body hair because it is a part of who I am. Society has told women for so long that their hair is gross and improper. To me, it's natural and everyone has it, so why would not love it? I'm a relatively low-key person and razors are a hassle.