Hairy pits improve your sex life? You may be surprised what other benefits come from leaving your razor behind. This is why you might want to stop shaving under your arms!
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00:00Hairy armpits improve your sex life?
00:03You may be surprised what other benefits come from leaving your razor behind.
00:08Shaving body hair is an extremely personal choice.
00:11Throughout history, hairlessness has been considered a sign of cleanliness, purity,
00:15and fertility.
00:16While people have been removing body hair since the Stone Age, it didn't become a social
00:20norm for women in the U.S. until the 20th century, according to CNN.
00:25These days, shaving is typically viewed as an aesthetic choice, one that many still feel
00:29pressured into by society.
00:31This is especially true for women, who are often encouraged to remove their underarm
00:35hair.
00:36In fact, it's still considered so taboo that the majority of shaving commercials targeted
00:40toward women feature a model sliding a razor across already hairless skin.
00:45I haven't been shaving my pits, eh?
00:47Oh my God.
00:49Despite any social norms that still exist, it's entirely up to the individual to decide
00:53whether or not they want to keep their body hair.
00:56But a factor that's often overlooked is the benefits of choosing not to shave.
01:00Sure, it's much more convenient to not have to worry about pesky underarm hair, but it
01:04also may help you in other, more significant ways.
01:08As dermatologist Rachel Nazarian pointed out to Well and Good, body hair serves an evolutionary
01:14purpose, saying,
01:15"[Hair prevents skin from irritation when it rubs against itself, protecting from chafing
01:20in many areas of our body, especially in the underarm area, while chafing under the arms
01:25can occur during activities like running or walking.
01:29Underarm hair can help reduce friction, protecting the skin from things like rashes and ingrown
01:33hairs."
01:34This lack of irritation is one of the primary benefits of not shaving your underarms.
01:39Not only will you be able to avoid annoyances like razor burn, but you'll also decrease
01:43your risk of certain infections.
01:45The micro-tears caused by shaving leave you susceptible to infections like streptococcus,
01:51staphylococcus aureus, and MRSA.
01:54Per Cosmopolitan, your love life might also benefit from not shaving your underarms.
01:59A 2013 study claimed that one of body hair's major functions is to release pheromones,
02:05which play a role in our attraction to others.
02:08The study also showed that males secrete a pheromone called endrosteniodone from their
02:13underarm sweat, which increases sexual desire.
02:16The pheromones emitted by women have yet to be studied in depth, but as Byrdie points
02:20out, that doesn't mean they behave differently.
02:22As explained by The Cut, there are scent glands in your armpits, and growing the hair out
02:27actually helps spread that scent.
02:29While this might sound gross, the outlet cited a 2001 study that found that how someone smells
02:34is one of the most important features people look for in a partner.
02:37Today, more and more people are embracing their armpit hair, including a lot of celebs.
02:42The wave of celebrities who are showing off their unshaped underarms goes back decades.
02:47Vogue noted that Sophia Loren flaunted hairy armpits in the 1950s, while Julia Roberts
02:52rocked underarm hair on the red carpet in 1999.
02:55As actress Bella Thorne wrote in a piece for InStyle,
02:58"[Body hair is totally normal, and no one should be ashamed of it.]
03:02She explained,
03:03"'Guys' feel more manly when they have body hair, right?
03:05So what's the problem with a woman wanting to feel more manly?
03:08Whether I'm a tomboy or a rebel, I'm comfortable with it.
03:11So why shouldn't you be?
03:12If you really want my legs and armpits shaved so badly, you can do it yourself."
03:16If nothing else, you'll save time and money if you stop shaving under your arms.
03:21Just think of the money spent on razors and shaving cream, not to mention all the time
03:25spent shaving your armpits and nursing razor bumps, ingrown hairs, and cuts.
03:29A 2009 survey from American Laser Centers found that, on average, women will shave nearly
03:358,000 times in their lives.
03:37That's a huge chunk of time dedicated to removing body hair, but it also comes with quite the
03:42bill, $10,000 on various shaving items, to be exact.
03:46Not shaving under your arms could make your to-do list a bit more manageable.
03:50Ultimately, the decision is yours alone, but the benefits of having body hair are certainly
03:55worth taking into consideration.