Guide to Trimming Chest and Stomach Hair

At this time of year, we’re all carrying a little extra weight and body fuzz. Before considering taking it all off, you might want to consider that the less body hair you have, the more body you can see. Unless you’re an athlete, it may be a good idea to leave some body hair, just in case.

Guide to Trimming Chest and Stomach Hair

At this time of year we’re all carrying a little extra weight and body fuzz. Before considering taking it all off, you might want to consider that the less body hair you have, the more body you can see. Unless you’re an athlete, it may be a good idea to leave some body hair, just in case.

Our objective is to achieve balance. Don’t do a 'Prince Harry’ who, just before jetting off to a friend’s holiday in the Caribbean, decided to wax his chest rug off completely, which opened him up to ridicule from his friends. Why? Because it looks somewhat ridiculous to have a waxed chest with hairy arms, stomach and legs.

"Make sure that your chest hair is in proportion to your stomach hair and arms."

If you are even slightly hairy then just trim. You’ll be delighted at the difference a trim makes to the look and feel of the front of your body. Make sure that your chest hair is in proportion to your stomach hair and arms. If you have only a little growth on the face then you can go shorter on the chest. On the other hand, if you are rocking a beard, then you can afford to go a bit longer all over.

What You’ll Need to Shave or Trim Your Chest Hair

Remember that we’re trimming and not shaving, so you’ll need some sort of hair clipper. And if you’re not happy with a bulky unit that’s plugged into the mains, then may we heartily recommend a modern, purpose-built deforestation weapon?

And remember, even if you’re reading this intending to go with a full-on, all over wax - you’ll still need a trim with the clippers first.

Our turn-to-first weapon-of-choice is the Philips 7000 Body Groomer - it has a trimmer with a long handle on one end (great for sorting out your own back hair) and on the other, a skin-friendly contour system. It’s both waterproof (you can use it in the shower!) and cordless (no tangle!). You can also try the 5000 and 3000 models which are comparable.

On the other end of the budget scale, you could be trimming for around a tenner, using the Wahl 9953-1452Y Rechargeable Body Groomer All in One Grooming Kit.

Shaving The Chest

First, let’s check the neck beard. It’s important that the beard or stubble doesn’t meet the chest hair. Shave from just above the Adam’s apple to the t-shirt neckline.

"Go in the direction of the grain, shaving downwards all the way from the outside in."

We’re doing this dry, not in the shower - you can always hydrate afterwards. Go in the direction of the grain, shaving downwards all the way. Some of us go from the outside into the middle of the chest, but that's not too important.

Shaving The Stomach

Remove all of the fuzz from the sides of your abdomen, working inwards to leave a ‘happy trail’ that runs from your diaphragm down all the way to your nether regions. In doing so you create an optically flattering ‘T’ shape to your body.

While you’re at it, you may as well take a short comb to the shoulders, that’s if you have hair there, and a medium comb to the arms, down to the wrists. Don’t forget the underarms, it can be surprising the length of the hair as it's not an area of the body you see too often.

Finally, if in doubt, before getting too stuck into any kind of body hair grooming, first ask the person who most likes to see you naked.

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