So, you’ve decided to give manscaping a try? Good for you! There are several popular techniques to get rid of excess body hair on a men today. Apart from the traditional razor blades and trimmers, a lot of men resort to more aggressive techniques such as electrolysis, laser treatment and bro-zilian waxes…etc.

Nowadays, more men are picking up the razor to shave their body hair and for good reasons too. Some include:

Better personal hygiene
To lessen or eradicate body odour
To be more aesthetically pleasing to the eyes
To improve athletic performance

Typically in the Sport and Fitness worlds, it is more common for male body hair to be kept in check as it can improve performance and show off hard earned muscle definition. So it total, how much body hair do men have? Well, recent studies have shown that over half of young men are deciding to remove body hair - possibly attributed to reality TV and media promoting smooth muscular physiques as desirable. Although male body hair removal is nothing new, evidence suggests even Ancient Greeks, Romans and Egyptians were also fans of manscaping.

Let’s get a few facts out of the way first.

Does shaving body hair protect against body odour?

The simple answer is yes, shaving body hair can help reduce body odour! Underarm hair is a wonderful breeding ground for bacteria, which thrive under the protective cover of the body hair, boosting the smell of perspiration as a result. But it isn't the sweat itself that pongs. The bacteria on your skin is actually what breaks down in the sweat, which creates the unpleasant smell. The bottom line is this: shaving armpits and body hair leads to less bacteria and a more pleasant smell.

What is the purpose of male body hair anyway?

Back in the Stone Age when men were hunter-gatherers, long before the days of body shaving, body hair had a range of different purposes: from keeping warm to proof of sexual maturity. Today, our perception has changed in this regard, and although body hair may help to regulate body temperature during sport by catching sweat and helping it to evaporate, the overall differences are minimal. Therefore, there's no need to worry about body shaving to remove the fuzz, if that's your preference. But not all body hair is useless - eyelashes and eyebrows still play a vital role, and nose and ear hair can be trimmed but not removed.