Gentlemen, what washing/grooming product(s) do you use on your body hair?

August 7, 2009 6:45 PM

Should I start to shampoo and condition my body hair? Are there specific products out there?

Okay, so I'm a pretty hirsute guy. I've got a pretty thick layer of hair everywhere except my back, although it's slowly getting there as well.

Recently I realized that, hey, I ought to be doing something about it as it is, well, hair and there's a heck of a lot of it.

So what do I do? Shampoo? Condition? I do both to my winter-beard, but that's considerably thicker than my body hair.

Just as a sidenote: this isn't about having it look nice, but more wondering if it would feel nicer and be better for the skin if I started taking better care of it.

posted by anonymous to clothing, beauty, & fashion (9 comments total)

Assuming that you're already washing your body in liquid soap/bodywash, then using shampoo on top of that isn't going to make any real difference. You're effectively washing the hair twice with very similar products. They both use surfactants to get rid of grease and dirt, just in different strengths and combinations. As for conditioning, I don't know if anything like that is possible, or if any products are out there. You could try a (thin/non-greasy) body lotion for any areas of skin that are becoming irritated or affected by the hair.

Of course, I'm not exactly hirsute myself, so take the advice with that caveat. But hey, kudos for keeping and caring for your body hair.
posted by Sova at 7:08 PM on August 7

I know a guy with a real hair shirt who used to swear by using (scalp) hair conditioner on it.
posted by availablelight at 7:18 PM on August 7

As the former companion of someone with hair, conditioner is nice.
posted by small_ruminant at 7:57 PM on August 7

You could probably just use conditioner, without shampoo. I think you definitely could if you're already using bodywash.
posted by Solon and Thanks at 8:02 PM on August 7

Dunno about body hair but I like it when my guy shampoos and conditions his beard with products that smell nice.
posted by Niomi at 8:11 PM on August 7

I think conditioner on your body hair would give you clogged pores- the hair is too short to really keep the conditioner off of your skin the way (I think) most people condition the length of their head-hair but not their scalps. I have long hair and use a lot of conditioner, and it definitely gives me backne if I get a film of conditioner on my skin.
posted by pseudostrabismus at 9:38 PM on August 7

You could try a combined shower gel and conditioning shampoo (example).
posted by iviken at 7:18 AM on August 8

Not a gentleman, but a lady with rather coarse scalp and body hair.

It seems to me that what you're trying to achieve is softer, more pliable body hair, which means you would need 1) a moisturizing/humectant agent and 2) if you're in a very dry environment w/ dry skin, MAYBE a very light oil to sort of 'seal in' moisture. Pretty much all regular scalp hair conditioners have these two things. However, most scalp hair conditioners also have a ton of other stuff in them which you probably don't need for your body hair and which you wouldn't want all over your skin anyway (glossers, detanglers, etc.)

Seconding Sova: non-greasy body lotion is the best bet, used right after you get out of the shower. The advantage to using it after a shower is that you seal in shower moisture and lotion is easier to spread around (i.e. it goes further and is cheaper).

Moisturizer is a pretty individual choice, as everyone's skin reacts differently - what works for me might make someone else break out in horrible acne. It's kind of a trial and error thing to find something that smells good to you and is good to your skin. I'm partial to the Kiss My Face Aloe and Olive moisturizer as it seems to work for me. Read the labels, don't cheap out (it's going all over your porous skin and staying on all day), but more expensive doesn't always mean better either.

Anyway - the same ingredients that moisturize your skin will moisturize and soften your body hair. When I moisturize regularly, my arm and leg hair is softer, and my leg stubble is less prickly. Take care of the skin, and you probably won't need an additional product for your body hair.
posted by Knicke at 8:03 AM on August 8

My husband looks like he's been tarred and haired. He washes his entire body, head to toe and front to back, with Pert Plus. The hair is soft and fluffy and usually smells pretty nice.
posted by defreckled at 7:10 PM on August 8