How To Shave Your Butt

Jul 12, 2022 Posted by: Karyn O’Hara

A task not as easy as we’d hoped it would be! Shaving your derrière seems like an impossible task to do alone. You almost need to be a contortionist to twist back and down in order to get every hair, but there are ways to do it easily and not so twisted up. To help share the best tips, we asked Dr. Tiffany Clay, certified dermatologist to provide us with some insight.

What is the best way to shave your butt?

One word: mirrors!

Unless you’re Gumby, there is no way for us to fully see our behinds and our buttholes with just our eyes. If you’re shaving your bum cheeks, you can prop a leg up at a time in-front of your bathroom mirror or if you have a moveable length wise mirror, that will work too. Propping up your leg will keep your cheeks taught. For the more hidden butthole, a smaller hand held mirror will be fine. Try doing it sitting in the bathtub, so you can prop the mirror up and have a bit more control.

What supplies do you need to fulfill the job effectively?

You really only need 2-3 things:

A bikini trimmer
A razor
A great shaving mirror
And shaving cream, body wash or shave lotion

Bikini Trimmer for shaving your butt

I’m sure we’ve all experienced it in the past, where we’ve waited a longtime to shave and then end up vigorously shaving away at the hair with 2 or more razors, cutting our skin and leaving the area irritated . A trimmer is good to incorporate if the hair is really long, that way it’s shorter and you only use one razor and save yourself from cutting yourself. Always shave with a cream or a lotion. You want to create a barrier and give a bit of slip so the razor can move over the skin nicely. Never ever dry shave, as it will create uncomfortable razor burn.

If you want to fully remove your butt hair, what’s the best way to trim it?

How to shave your butt

A small facial trimmer or a bikini trimmer works great. There are trimmers with attachments that have a flat head that can easily maneuver over surfaces that aren’t flat, for your butt cheeks. In-between your cheeks around your butthole, using a small trimmer with the prongs is just fine, just be careful!

If you are looking for a permanent solution to hair removal on your butt, Dr. Clay says "the best methods are those that require less frequent maintenance such as laser hair removal and waxing. I'd strongly recommend laser hair removal which is done about every 6 weeks until the hair is not noticeable and then touch ups as needed. It can be expensive but much more convenient in the long run and has less likelihood of causing razor bumps and folliculitis."

"The best methods are those that require less frequent maintenance" - Dr. Clay

Is it a good idea to shave your butt hair? Or should it be left intact?

I wouldn’t say its a bad idea, it’s really about personal preference. It’s your butt, so it’s your choice. Some people will get rid of it for hygienic reasons to be sure they can keep the area clean, some just don’t like having it there. There is no right or wrong way to go about it. We asked Dr. Clay this question as well and she said, "shaving butt hair is a personal preference. Anal hair doesn't serve much of a purpose. Some remove it for hygiene purposes and others for aesthetic purposes."

What are the pros/cons of shaving butt hair? Can it lead to discomfort? Or is it more comfortable?

Shaving your butt with a trimmer

I personally don’t feel like there are many pros and cons to shaving butt hair. It can be comfortable doing it, if you wear a thong it can feel better having no hair there than hair. It can also lead to a tiny bit of discomfort once those hairs start growing through the surface, as the hair between your cheeks is coarser. But I wouldn’t say its a painful discomfort, but more just an annoying itchy discomfort. Your bum cheek hair tends to be a fit finer, so the grow back isn’t terrible.

Pros

Wearing a thong it can be more comfortable
Depending on preference it could be preferred

Cons

Irritation on coarser hair is more common.
It can lead to itchy regrowth

"Itching can occur from skin irritation that occurred during the process of shaving" - Dr. Clay

Why might a butthole become itchy after being shaved?

"Itching can occur from skin irritation that occurred during the process of shaving, which can cause tears or little cuts in the skin that can become very itchy as they heal", says Dr. Clay. "Think of a skinned knee that's healing and how itchy it can get. Itching can also occur if you develop ingrown hairs or folliculitis, which feels like small bumps at the hair follicles resembling pimples."

What’s the best way to treat razor burn on the bum? What about pimples and ingrown hairs? Also, what causes each of these things?

The best way to treat razor burn on the bum is good aftercare. You might not think you’d need aftercare in that area, but if you’re shaving anywhere, you need to upkeep! It can be an after shave lotion or oil, aloe vera is also nice and cooling on razor burn, but also leaving it alone. Let the area rest and reset, don’t shave over it or exfoliate until it feels better.

Pimples and ingrown hairs are bound to happen with the action of hair removal. When you shave, you are only removing the top of the hair, so there is still hair within the follicle. When it continues to grow it can sometimes curl up under the skin. Pimples happen when there is excess oil and bacteria that will clog the pore. You can alleviate them by cleansing, exfoliating and hydrating the area in-between shaving.