How do I get rid of nipple hair?

May 1, 2007 9:32 AM

I'm a man, and I have nipple hair. I don't have much chest hair, so the nipple hair is really noticeable - it's thick and dark. I can't imagine waxing there, and shaving makes it worse. What's the best way to get rid of it, or at least control it, without laser procedure?
posted by anonymous to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (13 answers total)

Pluck.
posted by smackfu at 9:39 AM on May 1, 2007

Plucking, with tweezers. Hold the skin around it tight while you pluck and it'll hurt less (eventually it stops hurting all together).
posted by anaelith at 9:40 AM on May 1, 2007

Well, I wouldn't mind it (I'm female, straight) but your best bet if you really want to remove it would probably be hair removal cream (don't know where you are but it's called Immac/Veet in the UK). You'd need to apply it every few weeks, probably.
posted by altolinguistic at 9:44 AM on May 1, 2007

this is the answer.
posted by krautland at 9:45 AM on May 1, 2007

Electrolysis or laser hair removal for a permanent solution.

If that is not your cup of tea, check the back pages of your local weekly for the services of someone who can bind you and then tenderly pluck one hair at a time from you nipples. Electrolysis would be cheaper.
posted by caddis at 9:57 AM on May 1, 2007

Waxing might actually be your best bet. It'll sting, but it'll be over relatively quickly... Plucking each hair out would sting less but would amount to hundreds (thousands?) of little stings, which would seem more torturous to me. You could get it waxed professionally pretty easily... I think most waxing places only refuse to do men's bikini areas.

If you're going to go the hair removal cream (Nair, Veet, etc) way... Trim the hair first, if it's long. Then you'll be using less of the chemical stuff. I've heard some guys say that those creams sting the nips quite a bit, however.
posted by CKmtl at 9:57 AM on May 1, 2007

DO NOT USE HAIR REMOVAL CREAM. Chemical burns on your nipples are no fun.
posted by geoff. at 9:57 AM on May 1, 2007

Use a lidocaine cream, then take an epilator like this one to the thatch. Or use wax strips, like these (these are the only brand I can recommend, having tried lots and lots of them on my legs and underarms over the years).
posted by houseofdanie at 10:08 AM on May 1, 2007

Electrolysis is generally the most permanent form of hair removal. It's expensive for large areas but in your case should be pretty cheap.
posted by chairface at 10:10 AM on May 1, 2007

Hey, at least you're not a woman with thick, dark nipple hair.

To make a good first impression on someone I cared for, I plucked the most noticeable ones - y'know, the inch-long, kinky ones. I did it in the shower, which I think helped a lot. It stung less, and also I knew I had washed the area right before I did it (and of course disinfected the tweezers right before).

I only did it once, though. I decided I wasn't interested in doing it for the duration of a long-term relationship (mostly since I'm lazy) so the person in question was just going to have to love my hairy body. After all, if they were thrown by my nipples, there wasn't really any point in letting them see what was in my pants...

Hooray for my Mediterranean heritage!
posted by crinklebat at 10:18 AM on May 1, 2007

Ow! Don't wax or pluck!

This might be better than a shave. Yes, it really works. No, it doesn't hurt.

Perfect for all your delicate areas :)

Incidentally, my fiance is afflicted with a similar hair style as you, and it doesn't bother me a bit. Frankly, I'd rather a little nip hair on my man than the alternative yeti look!
posted by odi.et.amo at 10:24 AM on May 1, 2007

Hint on the plucking: do it after you get out of the shower. The steam opens your pores and makes it easier (read: less painful) to pluck the hair. A good pair of tweezers will help, too.

Although if you have a lot of hair, you might find the plucking route tedious. If the hair is growing around your nipples (instead of right on them) waxing might still be an option. Go to a good salon though - those home wax kits don't work.
posted by AV at 10:30 AM on May 1, 2007

Why not just trim it with scissors close to the surface? Not painful, not nearly as noticeable, and takes a reasonable amount of time to grow back.
posted by Krrrlson at 11:12 PM on May 1, 2007