How I Care for My Body Hair: AKA "Garden" Maintenance 

I’ve always been a less-is-more person when it comes to skincare. 

I use a lot of the same products to address a range of concerns. Take vitamin C serum: I use this anti-aging powerhouse on my face, sure, but also on my neck, chest, and sometimes hands. Same with my moisturizer and, yep, you guessed it, my sunscreen. 

Perhaps it's not a surprise that when it comes to my pubic hair, I use many of the same products I use elsewhere on my body. 

Did she say “pubic hair?” Oh, you bet she did! 

It might make you blush, but the hair down there is nearly universal among femmes and women and transmascs and men and enbys and androgynes and everyone everywhere. 

So if you’re interested in learning different ways to maintain your pubes, I’ll share some insights I’ve learned along the way in the hopes that it might inspire you to develop a routine that works for you! 

Use dedicated tools

If removing most or all your hair feels good, you do you, boo. 

For me and my lady garden, I do a careful trimming of the hedges with scissors purchased and used only on this area, plus a little edging with a small electric trimmer that, yep, also is only used for this purpose. 

Why use tools specifically on that area, you may ask? 

Well, like all skin and hair, your nether regions have their own flora, including healthy bacteria and also the rude kinds that cause drama. Your hair follicles release sweat everywhere, including down there. And, you’re already aware of the other bodily functions released nearby, including feces, menstrual fluids, and urine. With all that in mind, this is one place where a unitasker is the right way to go! And, I make sure to clean and fully dry any equipment I’ve used on my pubic hair. 

I also find that shaving is too irritating for both my sensitive skin *and* my curly coarse hair. By trimming, I can control the amount of hair I remove and ensure I leave the hair long enough to not get ingrown hairs either.

Use the right tools for the job, in the right way

This site on my body has proudly been accident-free for more than 5,000 days—and you want yours to be, too! My scissors aren’t pointy. I do all my own landscaping (I trust myself more than anyone else!). And I follow the other recommendations of the American Academy of Dermatologists, too. Safety first, y’all. 

Other things: Trim your body hair before you bathe. Trimmers don’t like wet hair, your scissors don’t like wet hair, and it’s way easier to wash off stray hairs by jumping in the shower or bath after a haircut. 

Exfoliating before doing hair removal of any kind helps remove dirt and dead skill cells, so I like to exfoliate the day before with something like the Scentuals Anti-Aging Facial Scrub I snagged in a past Kinder Beauty Box which already works wonders on my face and to banish bacne. If you prefer to shave instead of trimming, you can exfoliate in the shower and then shave—just remember to shave with the grain! 

Use pubic-friendly products

Listen, I’m aware my vagina is a self-cleaning organ so neither it nor my vulva needs to smell like fake roses or fake anything for that matter.

Be sure to use products you feel good about being near a coochie-coo, which includes you, too, penis havers! Shopping for clean beauty products is a good first step, but even then keep in mind that not everything belongs near your bits. 

Overdoing it on cleansing can also throw off your natural PH balance, so using gentle and fragrance-free products is a genius idea. 

Practice good post-care 

No matter whether your pubic care is post-shave, post-wax, post-laser, or post-trim, aftercare is key. Prevention is better than a cure, right? 

I use a gentle, natural oil to soften and condition the hair and skin along my bikini line, which also helps limit ingrown hairs (or stubble if you opt to do a little shaving as your edging). I’m digging on Dirty Lamb lately, so the Copaiba Body Serum is my current go-to (which was featured in Kinder Beauty’s springtime box!).

Also, try to give your body a little breathing room in the days after a body hair home salon session. The time for tight-fitting pants is not today, babes. Not today. 

Leah M. Charney is sassy yet classy and is always seeking a beauty routine to match. She delights in both the science and aesthetics of the clean beauty movement.