Is shaving too often bad for you?

About this episode

There’s a lot of popular ideas out there about body hair removal. Shave too much and the hair becomes thicker. Wax, and it will gradually start thinning out. It can be hard to know who or what to believe. Both women and men increasingly spend a lot of their time and money removing body hair, even though it acts as a barrier to bacteria, and sexually transmitted diseases in the case of pubic hair. Shaving with a razor, using an electric epilator and waxing all have their own pros and cons. But let’s take a moment to consider the rarely discussed topic of whether any of them pose health risks. Shaving for example is perhaps the most popular hair removal method due to how quick, easy and cheap it is. Using a razor is actually quite harsh on the skin though, and tends to dry it out in the long run. Depilatory creams are a gentler alternative, but they also contain certain hair-softening chemicals which can irritate the skin or worse, trigger an allergic reaction. Are there any risks associated with waxing? It is said that bikini waxing can be particularly harmful. Is that true? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions! To listen to the last episodes, you can click here: Why is sugar bad for our memory? Does the law of attraction really work? How can I stay trendy buying only second hand clothes? A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance. In partnership with upday UK. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices