Waxing is life: How to prep your pubes for removal

Piece by: Caroline Mutembei
Lifestyle

If you’re on pube patrol, you’re dealing with some of your most sensitive parts so it pays to do a little preparation before diving in with sharp objects.

A careful routine can prevent irritation, razor burn, and injury.

Clean your tools

Keep a separate grooming kit for your bits. Multitasking with tools you’ve used on other parts of your body can introduce infection.

Before each use, soak your implements in a disinfectant for at least 10 minutes, or clean them thoroughly with rubbing alcohol. Make sure your scissors or razors have sharp blades.

Trim excess hair before you shave, shape, or tidy

If you’ve got a long, thick thatch going on, cut the hair to about a quarter inch.

This step helps you avoid razor or trimmer clog. You’ll also gain a better view of your skin and direction of hair growth, which will help prevent accidents.

Bathe before grooming

Whether you’re shaving it all or just shaping it up, start with clean skin to avoid bacteria-causing bumps. Wash your pubic region thoroughly with soap and water in the bath or shower.

Soak or steam for at least five minutes to allow your skin to soften and your hair to expand.

Exfoliate

Using a gentle scrub, exfoliate the area you plan to groom.

Exfoliation removes any dead skin cells or sebum clogging the hair follicles.

This provides your razor or other tools the smoothest surface possible to glide across.

Lather up

Keep your skin moist if you’re planning to shave. You need this lubrication to minimize friction and avoid nicks.

Using cream or gel can also allow you to see where you’ve just shaved so you can avoid going over the area twice and causing irritation.

Shave or trim in the direction of hair growth

Going against the grain means your tool has to lift the hair before slicing at the follicle. This creates the potential for razor burn and other irritation.

You’ll get a smoother result if you go with the flow.