Get the inside scoop from manscaping and intimate grooming expert yours truly, Tiffany Piggée. Whether you’re new to manscaping or looking to perfect your routine, I share the best tips for keeping things smooth and comfortable.
The simple definition of manscaping is: to remove unwanted body hair other than scalp hair by waxing, shaving, etc. It’s basically the words man and landscaping combined to create pop culture lingo, and there you have it. Side note: I will use the terms groom, manscape or bodyscape interchangeably throughout this post. They mean the same thing.
The days of a guy having to slay a dragon to get the girl of his dreams are a thing of the past. While a handful of women may find the dragon slayer look appealing, most of us want our man to be well-groomed and to smell good. If you don’t believe me, I did a recent poll on ME Beauty Republic’s page and every woman said that they prefer their man to be groomed.
I’ve been in the business of manscaping for close to two decades. The evolution of the industry makes my heart sing. Way back when I started out, manscaping was something that was very underground. So much so that local PD departments would secretly shop my business to try to bust me for “illicit activities”. Which when you think about it is kinda messed up. I am literally providing a service that I am licensed through the state of Michigan to provide. Why was manscaping taboo?
Given my history with manscaping, and seeing where I started almost 20 years ago to how it’s becoming a household term, I am over the moon with excitement. I love to see grown men put effort into their physical appearances in their own unique ways, and for them to not feel ridiculed for doing so. Not every guy is going to wear a three piece suit. Some of you might be cargo pants and polo guys, or you might be a graphic tee and ripped jeans kinda guy. Whatever your personal style is, I am giving all of you gold stars and A++ for effort.
If you’re in the US and own a home, it is traditional for men to be responsible for the landscaping of the family residence. You mow the grass, trim the bushes, use a weed whacker, and maintain the outside of the home. We’ve all heard the phrase that a well maintained yard increases a home’s curb appeal. The same rules apply to men that decide to groom their unwanted body hair. Women notice when men put effort into their appearance. It gives you guys curb appeal.
Get Your Grown Man On
The introduction of grooming starts young for some guys. According to Gillette, most guys in the US (82%) first notice facial hair between the ages of 12 and 17, and 67% shaved for the first time between 14 and 17. What I found interesting is that the majority of young men are taught to groom their beards, but not the rest of their bodies.
Their female counterparts in the same age group are taught and expected to groom their bodies — bikini, underarms, legs. Same age group, but very different expectations when it comes to body grooming. In my personal opinion this lack of knowledge on how to properly remove unwanted hair plays into relationship dynamics.
The vast majority of men that I serviced in my early days had never done any type of bodyscaping to their chests, backs, groin, and underarms. Guys, I am a hardcore body waxer probably to the day that I die. If you don’t believe in hair removal, that’s okay, but at least shampoo, condition, detangle, and comb or brush your body hair several times a week. Just like you would the hair on your head. If you are going to keep your body hair intact, it needs to be maintained.
The more I think about how young men are not properly taught how to groom outside of their beards, it would make sense why so many men in partnerships rely on their significant other to become their predesignated bodyscaper. I want to go on record saying that it is not the responsibility of the woman that you are romantically connected to to manscape you. This is a personal journey. While you may be a bit behind on the lesson, I am more than happy to coach you along.
Why are guys manscaping?
I have asked hundreds of men why they manscape and they all have one of three responses:
For sanitation purposes. Lots of guys say that they feel cleaner and worry less about having body odor after manscaping. I’ve also been told that manscaping makes showering and using the restroom an easier and tidier experience.
Silky smooth and loving it. Lots of guys tell me that they like the way that their skin feels after manscaping. Smooth and soft are the most common phrases used.
Hey good looking. Lots of guys say that they like the way their bodies look after manscaping. I’ve personally noticed a few gentlemen flexing in the mirror after a back or chest wax.
What tools are guys using to manscape?
- Trimmers — the most popular tool I’ve seen. I really like WAHL peanut clippers, because they are small, easily get into small areas, powerful and easy to clean.
- Razors — some guys use razors to remove their unwanted body hair.
- Tweezers — I don’t recommend tweezing unwanted body hair over large areas. An occasional hair here or there is fine.
- Stainless steel grooming scissors with a safety tip — used for noses, brows, mustaches, beards, and ears.
What areas can you manscape?
To be completely transparent, you can manscape from the rooter to the tooter. How much or how little you decide to do depends on your personal preference. Popular areas include the back, chest, legs, arms, underarms, neck, ears, nose, brows, groin, toes and hands.
Lots of guys will pick a combination of areas that they concentrate on, and that becomes their signature style. Some guys manscape every stitch of hair on their bodies. It all depends on what works for your lifestyle.
What’s the best method of manscaping?
I am not going to tell you the best method. The best method is subjective. You get to pick what works best for you.
- Shaving — the most popular method, using a razor, shaving cream or gel, and good old fashioned elbow grease.
- Trimming with clippers — fast, accurate and can cover large areas in less time than it takes to shave.
- Trimming with scissors and a comb — the scenic route of manscaping, in my opinion.
- Tweezing — great for small areas. Large areas, less so.
- Depilatories such as Nair or Veet — quick and temporary.
- Waxing — you’ll get the longest lasting and smoothest results. Waxing will outlast the other methods and leave your skin buttery soft.
Manscaping is a pop-culture term used to describe methods of hair removal other than hair on the scalp. While manscaping is never a requirement to exist in a civilized society, it is greatly appreciated and definitely noticed when a guy puts a little extra effort into his physical appearance.
I’m Tiffany Piggée, a licensed esthetician specializing in junk waxing (manscaping) and pimple popping (skin care). I dream in color, create unique and welcoming spaces like ME Beauty Republic, craft beauty products, and write content that educates and inspires.