It has long been thought that shaving or trimming your pubic hair causes it to grow back faster and in greater volume.... NOT TRUE! (we're just saying).
As with many things you read online, you can probably find stories for both sides, depending on which side you want to believe. With this question in mind, we have used our high quality journalistic skills to find out for you once and for all!
Shaving pubic hair is of course something that is done a lot... so it is important that you know everything about it!
The short answer to the question ' Does shaving stimulate your hair growth ?' is no. But why? We have sorted that out for you.
Does shaving pubic hair make it grow back thicker?
In short, no. This fable is just that: a fable. Although shaving can give the illusion of thicker hair, shaving does not cause you to grow more or larger hair follicles. This applies to your head, face, pubic area and the rest of your body.
If the number and size of hair follicles do not increase, the density of your hair cannot increase either. Instead, shave your hair at the thickest part (close to the root). When you grow it again, it will be the same thickness as before (with the exception of biological developments such as puberty).
Does shaving make your pubic hair grow back faster?
It may sometimes feel that way, but this is certainly not the case. You feel like this statement is true because most men start shaving during puberty. For men, hair growth accelerates until around age 25 . Then it levels off, although changes can still occur.
None of that depends on your razor. The idea that shaving will make your hair grow faster is a misconception and the reason for the expression 'correlation does not equal causation'. It is common for your hair growth to accelerate as you learn to shave. That doesn't mean shaving causes that growth.
Does shaving make your pubic hair grow back darker?
The answer to this question lies in a somewhat grayer area (haha). Shaving won't make your hair grow back darker, but it can change the color of your hair – sort of.
This is how it works: Sunlight can lighten your hair. So hair that you have a little longer gets more sun and will therefore become lighter. When you shave, you remove the hairs that have been lightened by the sun, leaving only the dark hairs. This way, shaving may make your hair appear darker, but it won't change its natural pigmentation.
To be on the safe side, we would like to say that this only applies to hair that sees sunlight. For most men, pubic hair is not one of them.
What other hair removal methods can you use to prevent pubic hair from growing back quickly?
Although shaving does not accelerate hair growth, it is not always the best way to extend the period between necessary grooming sessions. If you want more time before you have to shave, there are some alternatives that work—some better than others.
The solution is to go deeper and use a hair removal method that goes beneath the skin's surface. This includes waxing, depilatories, epilation and laser hair removal. Whether you want to use one of these methods on your private parts is a completely different story...
Puberty and body hair: how it contributes to the myth
It is possible that the myth about hair getting thicker after shaving starts with adolescent boys and girls. When young adults and teens start shaving, the hair seems to grow back thicker and faster after shaving. That's probably true, but it's not causation, it's just a coincidence of timing. In fact, hair grows more as you get older. This means that regardless of whether they shave or not, the hair will continue to grow at an increasing rate.
This applies to all types of body hair. 17 year old boys may only have a few patches of beard hair that they can count on one hand. That same boy can grow a full, luscious beard at the age of 27. This is not because he has been shaving his face for ten years, but because of the time and developments his body has undergone.
He has matured in those ten years. The same goes for women who shave their legs, when they first start shaving it may seem like they are getting stubble more and more quickly, but that also has nothing to do with shaving. It simply means that they started shaving at a time when their body was just triggering the hair follicles into action.
Naturally, during puberty, thick, full and curly hairs begin to appear on parts of the body that are generally hidden from public view. In some cases, boys and girls start shaving this hair, making it appear as if the growth is a direct result of shaving.
While in reality this is simply not true; Coincidentally, the moment we start shaving often coincides with the period when our body is preparing for body hair growth.
Trimming, shaving & thicker pubic hair: what's the connection?
Now that we've dispelled the myth surrounding puberty, let's talk about how continued trimming and shaving can make body hair appear to grow faster and thicker.
When you let your hair grow without interference, each hair grows at a different speed than its mates. This means that each hair has a different length. Where the hair is shorter, a spot may appear balder than where the hair has grown long and thick.
In addition, body hair is usually thicker at the root and becomes thinner the longer it grows. This could be because the hair is splitting or because it becomes weaker the longer it hangs. When you start working with a trimmer, you remove all these irregularities and it appears thinner in some places than in others.
When you trim close to the skin, you expose the thickest part of the hair follicles, which automatically makes it appear as if the trimming is the reason for thickening hair. So when you look at it from that side it's true, your trimmer is the reason you're seeing thicker hair, but it's not the cause of this thickness; your trimmer has only exposed the features of the hair that were always there and removed the excess strands that caused some parts of your body hair to be more abundant than others.
It's a bit ironic, right? Sometimes the more body hair you have, the thinner it can appear overall. Trimming and shaving removes unhealthy hair and allows it all to grow (and continue to grow) at the same rate, making for an overall healthier look.
If you think about it, the same goes for the hair on your head. If you get a good haircut every six weeks, your hair will look thicker and healthier than if you do nothing for weeks. That's because regular hair removal removes unhealthy hair and prevents your hair from becoming dull.
Manscaping tools like The BushBuster 4.0 can help you keep your body hair tidy, so your crown jewels always look neat and tidy for any occasion.
Light versus dark hair: is there a difference in thickness?
This is a multi-faceted question that can go in different directions. First of all, are we talking about beard hair, head hair or the hair down there? Secondly, are we talking about a specific person's body hair, or is this a general question to which we can give a general answer? There are no easy answers, so let's explore some options.
For starters, when you're talking about hair that's exposed to light (like your beard), it can seem like the hair gets thicker after shaving. Why? Because hair exposed to the sun tends to lighten in color. On the surface it may appear as if it is thinner. New hair that has not yet been exposed to the elements is darker and therefore looks thicker.
Of course, your hair doesn't really have a problem with sun exposure down there, so what else could be causing the difference between thick and thin, dark and light? This is where genetics come into play. People with lighter hair often also have thinner hair follicles.
Even hair hidden under clothing can come in different colors. Of course, it's often coarser and thicker than other body hair, but someone who has ginger pubic hair, for example, might have a less full bush than someone who has luscious dark locks growing down there.
Research into the growth rate of armpit, pubic and facial hair
Did you know that all the hair on your body grows at the same rate? You've probably never really thought about it, especially when we're talking about areas you don't trim or shave regularly, but it's true.
Although many people think that your pubic hair grows faster than the hair on the rest of your body, that is actually not the case. In reality, you simply have a better view of the situation down there, because the area is much smaller. In addition, the hair on your private parts is often shorter than other body hair, meaning it is more noticeable when it starts to grow.
What does this mean? Simply put, if you trim the hair below the waist, you'll notice the hair growth sooner than the hair on your head, because there just isn't that much hair down there. If you were to completely shave off the hair on your head, you would probably notice similar hair growth. This applies to any part of the body where hair grows.
You might hear your friend complaining about shaving her legs or armpits even though she goes to the salon every six weeks. That's because the parts of her body she shaves have a smaller surface area and because she tries to keep the hairs away completely; on the other hand, she tries to keep the hair on her head long and lush, so she doesn't worry about the inches that will grow there in a short time.
The Growth Cycle of Body Hair
Every hair on your body grows in a cycle of three phases:
- Grow
- Stagnation
- Dropout
Pubic hair has a much shorter cycle than the hair on your head. Pubic hair only lasts about a month before it falls out and ends up in the trash or shower drain. This also applies to any other body hair that is not on your head. In general, body hair that is not on your head grows for 30 to 44 days.
The hair on your head follows the same cycle, but the follicles are much more resilient, often growing for up to six years before they end up in your brush. Sure, you've probably cut it off before it reaches its full potential, but this explains why your pubic hair will never grow to the same length as your scalp hair, no matter how negligent you are with your manscaping . (So get that trimmer to shave your balls! )
This is another reason why pubic, armpit and beard hair seems to grow faster, even if they grow at the same rate as the rest of your hair. The follicles fall out faster, meaning they regenerate faster than the hair above them.
Your scalp hair grows just as quickly, but it does not need to be replaced because it is cut at intervals and does not have to regrow from the root.
Even more information about pubic hair & body hair
Now that we've covered the facts and myths surrounding body hair, it's time to discuss some interesting facts about human (and animal) fur.
1. There are three types of body hair
That's right, not all body hair is created equal!
- Lanugo hair covers newborn human babies. It falls out shortly before or just after birth.
- Vellus hair is the short, fine and light-colored hair that covers almost your entire body, such as your arms. The hairs come from follicles that are not connected to your sebaceous glands.
- Terminal hair is the long, thick and dark hair that grows on your head.
2. Pubic hair exists to reduce friction
You don't have to have a huge bush down there, but if you have sensitive skin it can help to trim your southern parts without removing the hair completely. That's because pubic hair helps create a buffer against the friction that can occur when you're having fun in the bedroom. Keep this in mind when wondering 'Should I manscape ?'
3. You can lose up to 150 hairs per day
While most people lose 100 to 150 hairs per day, they also grow back just as much. Your body understands the cycle of life when it comes to creating hair follicles that protect the body. According to medicaldaily.com, most people lose all 100,000 hairs in 3 years and they are replaced daily.
4. 69% of men trim their pubic area.
About 69% of men have reported trimming their pubic hair. This surprisingly matches the 70% of women who reported that they prefer their partners to groom their pubic area. 70% of men also agree that their partners should do their best to keep things clean down there.
If you were wondering if your hair grows faster when you shave it, we hope we've dispelled any myths. It may certainly seem like your beard, pubic and armpit hair is growing faster, but the reality is that it is simply less surface area than on your head.
Now that you know how body hair grows, get a body groomer and trim that business!
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