Armpit hair is often seen as completely useless and a lot of people find it irritating in the first place. However, there are a number of reasons why do we grow armpit hair that range from biological reasons to social factors. Humans have grown armpit hair for ages, which holds significant importance.
This article is an explanation of why do we have armpit hair and if they don’t align with one’s personal preference, then there are top 5 suggestions to get rid of them without any harm.
Why Do We Have Hair Under Armpits?
This section explains why humans grow hair under their armpits.
To Provide Natural Insulation
Armpit hair can trap body heat and give natural insulation to fight cold. This natural insulation serves as an advantage in cold regions or during cold weather. As a result, they also allow the body to maintain and regulate the body temperature.
To Absorb Sweat
Hair under the armpits can act like an absorbent that can absorb sweat and keep the skin fresh. The hair altogether can hold enough moisture. This feature helps in cooling down the armpits during warm weather because when the hair absorbs sweat, it cools down and the skin becomes dry.
To Control Odour
Foul odour occurs due to odour-causing bacteria. With the presence of armpit hair, these bacteria get trapped in them and cannot interact with the skin to create a foul odour. Although the hair cannot completely block the passing of bacteria to the skin, they’re very effective in limiting the number of bacteria that reach the skin, interacts with the moist environment, and create a bad odour.
Armpit Hair Has An Ancestral Connection
Human ancestors had more body hair than humans have today and armpit hair was one of them. The survival conditions used to be very tough earlier than today, and armpit hair was very helpful in keeping the body safe to some extent at that time.
Not only armpit hair used to give a layer of insulation but it also protected ancestors from dust, dirt, and microorganisms from reaching the skin to some extent, which is used to help keep them safe from skin infections to a certain degree.
Armpit Hair Helps In Sexual Signalling
Armpit hair helps in distributing pheromones. Pheromones are chemical compounds, which have the potential to influence the sexual mood and behaviours in humans. Sweat glands only in the armpit region produce these compounds and the presence of armpit hair further aids the production.
Once the pheromones are produced, the armpit hair can hold and store them and later disperse them with the movement of the arms.
When the pheromones get dispersed in the air, they reach the potential mates and also signal that the person is fit for mating and reproduction. While this may be unacceptable nowadays, it’s believed that this process was very helpful during the earlier ages of human evolution.
The Perception Of Armpit Hair Across Cultures
Cultural norms and personal grooming practices across the world differ widely. Here’s how:
- The Western culture prefers armpit hair trimmed or shaved especially in the case of women to keep the armpit region looking smooth and soft. This trend arose because of beauty standards there.
- A lot of Asian cultures don’t expect people to cut, trim, or shave their armpit hair.
- European cultures have a common trend of trimming and cutting armpit hair as desired.
- Certain Latin American cultures expect women to shave or trim their armpit hair while some do not.
- African cultures embrace natural body hair and they prefer styling and grooming. This trend has evolved due to traditional beliefs over time.
How Does Society Relate Armpit Hair With The Gender?
Here are the expectations of the society in case of armpit hair for men and women:
Men
Men have a more flexible choice over the grooming and styling of their armpit hair. Keeping traditional beliefs and practises aside, men can trim, cut, or keep their armpit hair shaved as they wish and society accepts it all.
Women
In the case of women, the social norms have been tough and rigid for them when it comes to armpit hair. Traditions say that women should shave their armpit hair to get a clean, smooth, glowing, and soft look. The hair-free appearance has always been considered more feminine and shaving their armpits would give females a more feminine and attractive look.
Furthermore, with the advancement in the beauty standards that the fashion and media drove, women have been more inclined towards grooming or shaving their armpit hair stricter than earlier.
5 Best Ways To Get Rid Of Armpit Hair
Irrespective of gender, here are 5 great unisex ways to get rid of armpit hair.
Shaving
It’s the quickest and the easiest way of removing armpit hair completely at the skin level. Required tools include a sharp razor, first-aid kit (in case of emergency), moisturizer, and aftershave (optional).
- Clean and dry the armpit region well with soap water and a dry towel. Use a hair dryer if the hair is very long.
- Use a sharp razor to get the best cutting experience without shaving the same area repeatedly. Begin from the top and shave to the bottom of the armpit.
- Once done on both the armpits, wipe all the hair and visually check for any stray hair left out. Shave them, if any.
- Apply a moisturiser and an aftershave for the best aftercare.
Trimming
Instead of cleaning all the hair, trimming will help reduce the length.
- Wash and dry the armpit region with warm water and a dry towel.
- Adjust the trimmer’s length setting and begin trimming from the top all the way down.
- If the hair is long, consider cleaning the trimmer if it fills with the cut hair.
- Visually check for any long hair left out and trim them as needed.
- Wipe the armpits with a dry towel.
Salon Laser Hair Removal Treatment
Laser hair removal treatment at the salon may take a few months, but once the treatment finishes, the armpits won’t grow hair for a very long time. This treatment cures unwanted hair with the help of laser light beams directed toward the hair follicles with the help of a laser machine.
- Search for the best laser hair removal salons in the UK nearby and check for their reviews on the internet.
- Look for any promotions, deals, discounts, etc., and book an appointment online or offline.
- On the treatment day, make sure that the armpits are washed before leaving for the salon.
- The esthetician will do the laser treatment in 15 to 20 minutes and book an appointment for the next treatment session.
- It’s possible to get temporary rashes and skin irritation, so consider keeping the armpits hydrated and free from sweat as much as possible.
The laser treatment should last for 6 to 8 sessions with a gap of 15 days between each session. Once the treatment finishes, the armpits will be soft, smooth, glowing, silky, and hair-free for several weeks.
At-home IPL Hair Removal Treatment
Salon hair removal treatments are quite expensive, especially for people on a budget in the UK that can cost hundreds or thousands of pounds each year.
Ulike at-home IPL hair removal treatment uses intense pulse rays instead of laser beams to cure unwanted hair. The light rays penetrate the skin to reach the hair follicles. The melanin in the hair follicles will absorb that light and the light energy will convert into heat energy. When the conversion happens, the hair follicle damaged and it becomes incapable of regrowing hair like before.
Expected results include:
- Reduced hair regrowth rate.
- The regrown hair density will be finer and lesser than the last time.
- Glowing, soft, smooth, and appealing finish to the armpits.
- The results are very long-lasting.
Reasons to prefer IPL treatment over anything else:
- The IPL device is very user-friendly, easy to use, and portable.
- It takes no more than 10 minutes per session and one can conduct these sessions anytime, anywhere, as they wish.
- It’s a one-time purchase while the salon treatments have recurring costs.
- IPL devices are quite affordable and cost only a couple hundred pounds.
- It’s almost painless and leaves long-lasting results.
Waxing
Waxing is a painful method of pulling out hair from under the skin with the help of cold or hot waxing techniques. For armpit hair, one can use cold wax strips that they can buy from any departmental store. It takes about 20 minutes to cure armpit hair and gives smooth and soft skin. However, there’s no guarantee that it’ll remove all the hair in one go.
Conclusion
Humans have been growing armpit hair since the early stages of human evolution and they’ve always played an important role in human lives since the beginning. However, modern advancements don’t find the presence of armpit hair important, which is why so many hair removal techniques have developed.
To get remove armpit hair for a long time in the comfort of your home, Ulike IPL hair removal device serves the best solution in every aspect. But it’s important to find out whether a person wants to remove armpit hair completely or keep the hair length short.
