An old saying claims that trends come and go in cycles. We're not just referring to fashion when we say that things that came and went out of style will return in time. Hairstyles, makeup styles, and even how we maintain our body hair are all vulnerable to change over time. This time around, it seems that long hair, bell bottom jeans, and a peek of underarm hair are all making a comeback.
Public examination of how women maintain or don't maintain their body hair has a long history. In fact, participants in a 2004 study that was published in Psychology of Women Quarterly expressed revulsion when they saw body hair on women. But some contemporary women have thrown out their razors as a show of defiance against that idea, just like they did in the 1960s and 1970s (per Wall Street Journal). Others choose to keep their underarm hair merely out of personal preference. Whatever the reasoning, there are a few compelling scientific arguments in favor of leaving your underarms unshaven.
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The advantages of maintaining a hairy underarm
According to Healthline, the skin beneath your arms is very delicate, so if shaving your underarms every day is part of your beauty routine, you run the risk of causing razor burn, ingrown hairs, and skin irritation. In addition, bacteria found in razors have the potential to infect minor cuts, scrapes, or rashes.
Despite the general consensus that it should be removed, body hair has a role. When we let our underarm hair grow naturally, it can help us regulate our body temperature all year long and avoid chafing while exercising (per Insider). Additionally, pheromone release is one of the main roles of body hair, according to a 2007 study that was reported in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine. Hair likely grows in those particular spots to release the scent of sexually mature adults since the apocrine glands, which are only present in the pubic and axillary regions, are primarily there for odor secretion.
