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Why do you shave?
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So I was thinking about this recently and thought I'd ask you guys.

There are a bunch of different ways to get rid of body hair, so why does everybody (myself included) shave?

I guess its convenient as I also shave my face, so I already have most of the necessary equipment and its something I'm used to but its also annoying to do so frequently.

The Trinewbies article is a good read for how to shave and has some points about why its the superior way of doing things, but then this article really makes me consider trying something else.

If its something that I'll be doing over and over again, why not go for a technique that reduces hair growth and makes the need to shave way less frequent?

Thoughts? Have you guys tried epilating or waxing or even laser?

Is it worth even considering or should I stick to shaving?
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Re: Why do you shave? [triathgain] [ In reply to ]
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I only shave if I am going racing or it is very hot weather.
I also MTB and having a bit of hair there is helpful if you take a tumble.
I find it makes quite a big difference in hot weather if shaved though.
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Re: Why do you shave? [triathgain] [ In reply to ]
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I shave my face every 2-3 days (could probably do it every day but I don't like what it does to my skin on the 2nd day). I shave my legs weekly (razor). I shave mainly because I like the feeling of shaved legs while riding. I feel dirty while riding if my legs aren't shaved. I also hate all hair except on my head. I have hated hair since I was 15 or 16 years old. I was also a swimmer growing up so I've been accustomed to shaving for quite some time but I used to only shave twice a year for big meets. The aeroness, road rash, and massage benefits are nice to have but they aren't my main reason for shaving.

I've never tried epilating but I have done laser hair removal on my back. Laser hair is expensive and you have to go multiple times. I think I did 3 or 4 sessions on my back and it still grows back but it is definitely less. Anyone that says laser hair removal completely removes all hair is just lying to you. Everyone is different and depends on your hair color and type (I have dark dark hair which makes laser hair removal a bit harder). If you do laser hair removal, you have to stay out of the sun. I live in Florida and run with my shirt off when outside which makes staying out of the sun quite difficult.

blog
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Re: Why do you shave? [triathgain] [ In reply to ]
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If I don't shave I resemble a runt Sasquatch, and Mrs. mck414 prefers me to not look like a runt sasquatch. Tired waxing my back once.......once. I'll stick to a weekly shearing.

I actually started ye ol' full body shaving during the summer months when I stationed on Okinawa, I found I was way more comfortable without the additional hair t-shirt. This was before I found triathlon, so I came into the sport already a weird guy who shaves.

--------------------------
The secret of a long life is you try not to shorten it.
-Nobody
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Re: Why do you shave? [triathgain] [ In reply to ]
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I can't stand body hair, not mine, not anybody else's, so I have tried most types of body hair removal more than once:

Laser
Pros:
  • long lasting
  • smooth

Cons
  • expensive
  • not particularly painless
  • need several sessions (4 to 10)
  • need to know which laser is used (wrong one means all the efforts were done in vain)
  • after couple of years have to start from scratch

Epilation
Pros
  • very smooth from the first session
  • lasts about a week

Cons
  • very painful
  • lasts only about a week
  • may want to use a pro
  • may cause serious irritation or infection

Shave
Pros
  • cheap
  • fast
  • no external help needed (except the back)
  • painless
  • no special tools required - most of us already have the shaver (my favorite is the "stolen from the wife" one)

Cons
  • short lasting
  • occasional nicks
  • occasional irritatoin

The worst one is in my opinion is the epilation. The best one is the laser, but it is rather troublesome and not particulary cheap, so I stick with the fast and easy one.
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Re: Why do you shave? [triathgain] [ In reply to ]
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To piggyback off the shaving question. To those who shave their chest/leg/whatever hair weekly-ish, are you walking around with stubble towards the end of the week? And does it end up looking weird with shorts or itching under pants?
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Re: Why do you shave? [kgro] [ In reply to ]
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I don't bother removing hair, except once a year when girlfriend requests I get my back done in advance of a beach holiday!
I've had my back and shoulders waxed for the last couple of years. It's not a pleasant experience!
I do have quite a hairy lower back and it really hurts.

I did once shave my torso several years ago. This was because I'd done a stress ECG and the technician had shaved two little patches on my chest to get a better electrode contact. These looked ridiculous so I decided to shave the lot and let it all grow back together. Having done my chest I decided the back had to be done to match. That was all pretty straightforward and pain free. However, a couple of weeks or so later (can't remember exactly the time period) when the hairs had grown back to several millimeters length, just long enough to curl around and stab me every time clothing or anything else brushed against me. The discomfort was awful, and relentless. This continued for another week or two IIRC. So, it seems to me, if you start shaving you have to keep it up or suffer the growback pain. Correct?
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Re: Why do you shave? [kgro] [ In reply to ]
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kgro wrote:
I can't stand body hair, not mine, not anybody else's, so I have tried most types of body hair removal more than once:

Laser

Pros:
  • long lasting
  • smooth

Cons
  • expensive
  • not particularly painless
  • need several sessions (4 to 10)
  • need to know which laser is used (wrong one means all the efforts were done in vain)
  • after couple of years have to start from scratch

Epilation

Pros
  • very smooth from the first session
  • lasts about a week

Cons
  • very painful
  • lasts only about a week
  • may want to use a pro
  • may cause serious irritation or infection

Shave

Pros
  • cheap
  • fast
  • no external help needed (except the back)
  • painless
  • no special tools required - most of us already have the shaver (my favorite is the "stolen from the wife" one)

Cons
  • short lasting
  • occasional nicks
  • occasional irritatoin

The worst one is in my opinion is the epilation. The best one is the laser, but it is rather troublesome and not particulary cheap, so I stick with the fast and easy one.

Amazing response thanks for doing this!

I wonder if a home laser would be a good compromise as it seems to be the most effective by far if not for the expense and making sure you use the right laser.

Has anyone tried a home laser? I had a look at the Remington iLight and the Tria 4X. Seemed fairly decent except the Tria looked like it would take forever to do legs.
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Re: Why do you shave? [kgro] [ In reply to ]
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kgro wrote:

Epilation

Pros
  • very smooth from the first session
  • lasts about a week

Cons
  • very painful
  • lasts only about a week
  • may want to use a pro
  • may cause serious irritation or infection




The worst one is in my opinion is the epilation. The best one is the laser, but it is rather troublesome and not particulary cheap, so I stick with the fast and easy one.

This is good to know. I had heard about an epilator sometime last year and wondered why I hadn't heard of anyone in cycling/swimming use one.
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Re: Why do you shave? [triathgain] [ In reply to ]
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It must be January again.
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Re: Why do you shave? [triathgain] [ In reply to ]
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I don't shave, I trim. Hate having long hairs on the legs, so I trim with a buzzer with #1 clip. I do shave my 10 chest hairs because they are just out of place =)
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Re: Why do you shave? [triathgain] [ In reply to ]
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Best part of being bop is never having to shave.
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Re: Why do you shave? [triathgain] [ In reply to ]
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triathgain wrote:
Sso why does everybody (myself included) shave?

Chicks dig it.

Well, the type of chicks that'd double up on a dude like me do.

I'm beginning to think that we are much more fucked than I thought.
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Re: Why do you shave? [Willi3ja] [ In reply to ]
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Willi3ja wrote:
To piggyback off the shaving question. To those who shave their chest/leg/whatever hair weekly-ish, are you walking around with stubble towards the end of the week? And does it end up looking weird with shorts or itching under pants?

Yes to the stubble. No it doesn't look weird (legs I'm talking). Yes it itches, not due to pants, just due to the regrowth I think. I shave the legs 2x/week.
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Re: Why do you shave? [jdais] [ In reply to ]
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jdais wrote:
I don't shave, I trim. Hate having long hairs on the legs, so I trim with a buzzer with #1 clip. I do shave my 10 chest hairs because they are just out of place =)

This is an interesting. But don't you feel like its kind of a half measure?
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Re: Why do you shave? [triathgain] [ In reply to ]
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I shave my face.

That's it. Once on a Monday once on a Thursday.

I have zero chest hair. Literally zero. People think I wax. Nope. Just hairless.

Don't shave my legs - tempted but I am yet to hear any valid reason why I should.

As for 'other areas' I'm a man. Not a pre-pubescent child.

I ride:
Cervelo - P-Series/R3
GT - Sensor Carbon Expert

Supporters - Flo Cycling, Mount Bikes
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Re: Why do you shave? [triathgain] [ In reply to ]
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triathgain wrote:
jdais wrote:
I don't shave, I trim. Hate having long hairs on the legs, so I trim with a buzzer with #1 clip. I do shave my 10 chest hairs because they are just out of place =)


This is an interesting. But don't you feel like its kind of a half measure?


I do the same thing. I keep my legs trimmed (weekly, and no clip guard) and only shave for races. It's faster than shaving and still helps me keep cool and aero.

After years of shaved legs I hate the feel of having leg hair (heat, how the wind feels on the bike, pants/sheets feel different) and trimming works well enough.

ECMGN Therapy Silicon Valley:
Depression, Neurocognitive problems, Dementias (Testing and Evaluation), Trauma and PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
Last edited by: Titanflexr: Jan 11, 17 14:52
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Re: Why do you shave? [triathgain] [ In reply to ]
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Am I the only one that goes to the local beauty salon and gets one of the ladies to wax me or is everyone else just too ashamed to own up ... ? lol

WD :-)
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Re: Why do you shave? [racehd] [ In reply to ]
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racehd wrote:
This is good to know. I had heard about an epilator sometime last year and wondered why I hadn't heard of anyone in cycling/swimming use one.
I tried epilation. First time was very painful, subsequent times not as bad because the hair doesn't all grow back at same time, so you're not pulling as many hairs on any given treatment after the first.

The biggest issue with epilation for me was ingrown hairs - tons of them, it was a huge PITA so I went back to shaving which for me doesn't cause irritation or ingrown hairs.
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Re: Why do you shave? [triathgain] [ In reply to ]
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Home (IPL) lasers are decent but obviously not nearly as effective as commercial lasers. For me the home setup stopped growth in areas and slowed the growth in other places. It does involve a decent time commitment to keep on top of the treatments. Laser removal at a plastic surgeon's office has come down in price a lot. They will generally quote you over the phone so it may be worth your time to call around.
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Re: Why do you shave? [triathgain] [ In reply to ]
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As a teenager back in the 70's I would ski barefoot in my ski boots, for better feel of the snow. One pair of boots I had, had leather liners. Every nice to ski in. Well, the hairs of my legs would go into the pores in the leather and when I'd turn, the hairs would get ripped out. I could wait for them to get ripped out or I could pre-emptively shave them off. I shaved up to the top of my boots. I got lotsa grief from guys in gym class, but as a pro skier I got all the girls. It was easy to put up with the comments from my buddies.
Later I got into cycling and got back to shaving because it was the done thing. Swimming for tri got me shaving to my speedo line (no-one looks good in a budgie smuggler with hairy bike shorts all the way to shaved lower legs. Full leg it is then.
Then I was under the care of a cardiologist and those little chest stickers ripped out the hairs, and my wife and kids laughed at the patchwork chest hair, so that got taken off too.
Actually, I'm a wimp, and with plenty of scars over my body, I use depilatory cream instead of shaving and nicking all my scars.
I gave up tri a few years ago, but as TriSpouse prefers the smooth look, I've kept doing it. Besides, it's easier to shave than to train :-)
I go smooth, not for speed, massage easier or easier road rash recovery, I go smooth because it makes me feel pretty and wifey likes it.

TriDork

"Happiness is a myth. All you can hope for is to get laid once in a while, drunk once in a while and to eat chocolate every day"
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Re: Why do you shave? [triathgain] [ In reply to ]
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So I'm not mistaken for a homeless person.

'It never gets easier, you just get crazier.'
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Re: Why do you shave? [WD Pro] [ In reply to ]
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Used to. Funny anecdote. The aesthetician was my old bosses daughter. Now, I just shave n trim. Use quality cream rinse instead of shaving gel/foam, much better results.
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Re: Why do you shave? [j p o] [ In reply to ]
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j p o wrote:
triathgain wrote:
Sso why does everybody (myself included) shave?

Chicks dig it.

Well, the type of chicks that'd double up on a dude like me do.

I believe you would get your ass kicked saying something like that man
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Re: Why do you shave? [triathgain] [ In reply to ]
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The answer is full body duck tape. Get the the really strong gorilla brand. It's important you cover the entire area and do not overlap pieces. Leave the tape on for about one hour, then rapidly remove each strand. The treatment will be effective for a very long time.
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