Shaving body hair for men (and women)

When working so hard for the perfect gym body, unwanted hair is just that; unwanted. Use our simply guide to prepare and protect your body skin from the rigours of shaving or waxing, to give you that smooth shiny skin you desire. 

Gym body step 1: Arm and armpit hair

To get that gym glow and a perfect hairless look, use an oil-based skin wash and shaving oil so that the skin is prepared and supple.  Oil based products give a deep oil coating into the skin and on the surface so that the blade passing over the skin cuts the hair as close as possible. The oil in your skin helps nourish and protect it whilst the surface layer helps make a friction-less surface for easy shaving. 

When passing the blade over the skin, use only light pressure, and ensure that the blade is sharp and as clean as possible. For tips on keeping blades sharper and cleaner for longer, look at our patent-pending Blaidmat. 

Gym body step 2: Shaving chest hair

Ensure the skin is prepared with an oil-based wash and shaving oil. Depending on the starting length and density of chest hair, it is often an idea to use clippers or trimmers to cut down particularly long or thick hair. This will help with the shaving process.

Once the hair is fairly short (stubble length), using a shave brick and shave oil, create a smooth lather on your chest. Taking a sharp blade, use long slow and light strokes of the blade in line with the grain of your hair. When covering the contours of your skin, ensure that your arm, wrist and hand do the work so that the blade can easily move across your skin. 

After shaving ensure you use a soothing lotion or after shaving balm. This has the effect of smoothing the surface layer of the skin, helping nourish the hair root and rejuvenating the surface skin. This will have the dual effect of reducing skin irritation, but also giving your skin a beautiful glow to bring out the best of your skin and body texture. 

Gym body step 3: Shaving legs for the gym

Legs often present both the softest skin, and some of the most tricky angles to shave. Preparation is key. Depending on the length and density of your existing hair, cut down the coarser hairs to short stubble length before attempting to shave. 

Using light, frequent and short strokes, focus first on the larger flatter areas of skin along the upper and lower thigh, hamstring, calf and shin-bone. Clean the blade after each pass, and use a blaidmat or leather strop to remove debris and maintain blade sharpness. This should be done whether using a single blade, or a multi-blade razor.

Take your time with the ankle, knee and inner thigh as these are delicate areas. If you are using new products, try them on a small part of skin first to ensure there is no adverse reaction, and make sure you continue to shave in a three-stage process. 

Shaving oil and your gym body 

Shaving oil offers one of the best options for achieving a hairless gym body. It nourishes and protects the skin before, during and after shaving. All combined, this will help reduce active drag and skin irritation at the same time. 

To learn more about oil based skin washes and shaving oils, take a look at our colour collection.