How to Shave Pubic Hair Safely If You Have a Vagina

If you’re wondering how to shave pubic hair the right way, you’re definitely not alone. There’s a lot of curiosity (and variety) out there when it comes to hair down there. Case in point: One TikToker recently asked her followers about current pubic hair trends and the responses were all over the place. (Our favorite: “I put mine in a messy bun so that it’s curly in the morning.”) We’ll just state the obvious now: What you choose to do—or not do—with your pubic hair is 100% a matter of personal preference.

Maybe you want to leave it all. Maybe you like to go completely bare. Maybe you prefer to trim it from time to time. Either way, do your thing. But if shaving your pubic hair is part of your normal routine, or you want to experiment with it, it’s important to know how to do it safely and successfully.

Why do you have pubic hair? | The risks of shaving public hair | How to shave pubic hair | How to remove pubic hair without shaving | The bottom line

Why do you even have pubic hair?

It’s not entirely clear why people have pubic hair. When it comes to those of us with vaginas, there is some thought that it might provide protection against dirt entering the vagina, as well as against friction from exercise or sex, SELF previously reported.

There is also the (unproven) theory that pubic hair may carry pheromones that signal when you have reached reproductive maturity (and, in turn, possibly help you attract a partner to reproduce with). While the research on this is inconclusive at best, the fact is that most people begin to sprout pubic hair when they reach puberty, a phase marked by other hair growth—like armpit hair and facial hair—that can show up in different spots depending on a person’s sex assigned at birth, as well as muscle growth, breast development, a deepening voice, and acne, SELF previously reported.

Just because pubic hair is a natural part of human development doesn’t mean you’re obligated to keep it, though—just like various pubic hair removal trends don’t mean you’re obligated to groom it. “In modern life, pubic hair really doesn’t have much functionality and it’s not essential, so there’s no reason why you shouldn’t remove it if you want to,” Elyse Love, MD, a board-certified dermatologist at GlamDerm in New York City, tells SELF. That being said, “As long as you’re practicing proper hygiene, there’s also no issue with not removing pubic hair, either,” she adds.

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So, you want to shave your pubic hair? Let’s go over the possible risks first.

While you absolutely can shave your pubic hair yourself, if you aren’t intentional about how you do it, you can increase the risk of irritation, cuts, ingrown hairs, and skin infection. To that end, you absolutely should not grab any old razor and get to work; a dull razor can up the likelihood of all of the above. Instead, make sure you have everything necessary to follow the steps we’re about to go through. A multi-step shaving process may seem over the top, but knowing that there are some risks involved will hopefully make following these steps feel more worth it.

As a baseline, you’re going to need body soap and water, a clean and sharp razor (more on that below), shaving cream or gel, and a moisturizer to use when you’re finished. Keep reading for our product recommendations and detailed directions for how to shave down there.