(NSFW) Women who trim (but not shave) their bikini - how does that not itch?

First off, it’s not just female bikini lines that are like that.

Much of the itchiness if from the hair trying to get through the skin. If you trim instead of shave, the hair is already through the skin, so it doesn’t itch.

Nope. Shaving is what itches. The area that I trim doesn’t itch at all, ever.

@jerv Then how come when it’s really, really short, it never itches? And it doesn’t itch if you’re naked?

@ANef_is_Enuf How long is the area that you trim?

I dunno, I use the shortest setting on my little trimmer. ¼”? Short enough that it isn’t obnoxious, but not so short that it feels pinchy to the touch.

That is a slightly different type of itching.

¼” would be enough for the hair to bend without putting any real force on the skin. When you get a bit shorter, the hair is stiff enough that it moves the skin in a way not unlike a splinter; not as painful, but enough to cause an unpleasant sensation since there are lots of little hairs each making themselves felt.

Too short and it won’t snag at all, and it also won’t itch if you aren’t wearing anything that rubs right against it the way most women’s underwear does. Rubbing is also the reason many men wear boxers or Boxer briefs; even if you don’t trim/shave, you don’t really want that sort of friction there. Basically, there is a certain length that is a hassle. Longer or shorter is fine, but right in the middle is uncomfortable.

@jerv So trimming is the longer version? Huh.

I have yet to see a trimmer or even electric shaver that gets as close as a blade, so yes.

Never have itching. I have seen men post questions about reducing itching when they let their beards grow, and I never knew that was common until reading it here. My husband never complains about beard itch when he grows his.

I blade shave and trim close. Blade shave on the bikini line, and trim close with electric shaver in the other areas where I still want some hair.

I’ve shaved before, and I trim now. For me, what caused the itching was the shaved hair growing back, not the length of the hair itself.

Sensitivity reduces after you’ve shaved/trimmed the area frequently. If I’m trimming the shrubbery that hasn’t been done for a while, I apply “Hawaiian Tropic” after sun gel with lidocaine immediately afterward and have no itchy-squirmy problems.