Tiffany Piggée, a manscaping and intimate grooming specialist, shares the different techniques guys use to groom and maintain their bodies.
Do men really groom?
That’s the question I get asked most often when I tell people what I do professionally. The look of surprise is often accompanied with a barrage of questioning. What do they get waxed? I’ve been specializing in male intimate grooming services since 2006. If it were not for the guys giving me a shot I would have probably given up by now.
Guys were my first repeat customers. I did not catch on with the dolls until circa 2009. Before that I was just a daddy’s girl that was “passionate about waxing it”. It’s now 2024 and while it seems like a lifetime ago, my passion for waxing backs, cracks, and sacs has not let up one bit. I cannot imagine doing anything else. This is what I was born to do!
I am pretty sure that you stumbled on this page because you are in the process of researching possible grooming options. I am not here to knock down any single person’s path to do what works best for them. I just desire to communicate in a way that helps you make a decision that is best suited for you in the long run.
To Shave or Not to Shave
Some guys choose to shave and for years I shaved before I learned to wax. Every once in a while, in case of an emergency, I will shave (and later regret it) my lower legs or underarms. I do know there is a greater risk of injury with shaving than with being professionally waxed.
I have no clue how many of you have nicked your scrotal sacs while shaving, but the way y’all be slicing up your faces, I can only imagine. Personally I am not a fan of men shaving that part of their body because of the greater risk of injury. If anything, trimming with trimmers is a safer option than shaving in my unsolicited opinion. As a professional with close to two decades of experience with intimate grooming, I really dig those WAHL peanut corded trimmers. The cordless ones were meh — they tend to lose power after so many uses, but the corded ones are perfect for trimming body hair. The trimmer is small enough to get in those tight spaces.
Depilatory Creams Doing Their Thing
I’ve known of a couple of guys that have used depilatories. When I say depilatories I am talking about products like Veet and Nair. They are also a method of hair removal. Personally I would not recommend it because the skin on the scrotal sac is thin and its texture can vary from smooth to wrinkled. I’ve personally used Nair much of my life before becoming a waxer, and I liked the result. The one downside to using depilatories is that they smell like rotten eggs, and can cause irritation and burning if you don’t follow the directions as stated.
Laser Hair Removal
I personally know several guys that have gotten laser hair removal done, and I still end up waxing them. Why am I waxing guys that have had laser hair removal done? Thanks so much for asking. Let me give you the scoop. When I say laser I want you to think of a lightsaber. Would you want a lightsaber near your skin? Lasers are highly concentrated beams of light that are used to destroy the pigment in a hair follicle.
My biggest gripe about laser “hair removal” is that it’s not really hair removal, it’s technically HAIR REDUCTION. The overall goal with laser is to reduce the amount of unwanted hair, not remove it.
FYI: in the Great Lakes State laser hair removal falls under medical use. So estheticians that are not working under the care and supervision of a doctor should not be performing the service.
Here’s a crash course in the anatomy of body hair. Each hair is located in something called a hair follicle. Blood supply at the bottom of the follicle gives hair its nutrients. The cells that give our hair color are also located at the bottom of the hair follicle. The cells that stimulate hair growth are located one third down from the skin’s surface.
When you do laser hair reduction you are using a concentrated light that destroys the pigment cells at the bottom of the hair follicle, but it does not impact the growth cells. Which explains why, after some time has passed, many people experience their hair growing back only lighter in color than it was before. If hair is void of pigment — blond, gray, or red — or your skin is very pigmented, you’re not necessarily a candidate. I know of two clients that are permanently scarred from being burned by a laser. I say all of that to say that I want you to make an informed decision. If you choose this route, go somewhere safe.
Electrolysis Hair Removal
Next on the list is electrolysis. Unlike laser, electrolysis is actually permanent hair removal and the only method that has received this classification by the FDA.
According to the Cleveland Clinic: “Electrolysis is a hair removal treatment. A trained electrologist inserts a thin wire into the hair follicle under the surface of the skin. An electric current moves down the wire to the bottom of the follicle, destroying the hair root. The follicle damage prevents hair from growing and causes the existing hair to fall out. Electrolysis has been around for more than 100 years.”
While I personally am not a trained electrologist, I do recommend their services for individuals that need a permanent hair removal solution.
Waxing is Hair Removal Too
Last but certainly not least is my speciality. Waxing is the process of hair removal from the root by using a covering of a sticky substance, such as wax, to adhere to body hair, and then removing this covering and pulling out the hair from the follicle. New hair will not grow back in the previously waxed area for four to six weeks, although some people will start to see regrowth in only a week due to some of their hair being on a different growth cycle. Almost any area of the body can be waxed.
Men are interested in grooming! They are just quiet about how they do their research and pick their products and services. I certainly hope this post gave you some insight into the options that are available to you.
About the writer: I’m Tiffany Piggée, a licensed esthy that specializes in junk waxing (manscaping) and pimple popping (skin care). I dream in color, build one-of-a-kind safe spaces like ME Beauty Republic, make beauty products, and I write stuff that educates and influences people.