Trimming vs Shaving Body Hair – Which Is Best Suited?

I must admit that on my manscaping journey, I have been caught up in the should I just trim bodily hair or completely shave it all off dilemma plenty of times.

No absolute way suits all, and if you are like me –body grooming preferences change from one method and then back to another. 

Another thing we find is that each body part from the neck down can be trimmed, shaved, or both –with many guys, including myself preferring a combo.

Trimming and Shaving Differences

It is quite simple. 

Shaving aims to get as close to the skin as possible. BBS (baby butt smooth) is the goal for most of us.

Trimming is any other length, as close as a trimmer level without a comb attached, and above is a good measurement.

Trimming vs Shaving Pros & Cons

Both of these grooming methods have pros and cons. However, these can differ depending on the body part, which will require a bit of further explanation.

I can throw in a few of the general highlights here, though.

Trimming Pros & Cons

Shaving Pros & Cons

Depending On Which Body Parts To Groom

You might want clean-shaven balls with a 5mm pubic area, a quick trim all-round, or other combos –so let’s look at body parts and get more specific!

I won’t include a standard electric shaver as an option, as normal facial electric shavers are not designed for body grooming. However, body groomers can be used because they have a different foil section design than facial shavers.

Chest Hair

Based on my own experience, it is much easier to trim chest hair than to shave with a razor. The razor gets wonderfully close, and it feels great at first, but within two days, that awful stubble stuff is straight back (the stubble even pokes through t-shirts).

I guess we could shave with a razor every couple of days, but I am not up for that as I facial shave and head shave frequently –it’s just too much to do.

A benefit of shaving with a razor once the stubble period has grown is we can leave grooming again for another month or whatever suits us best. 

Body groomers like the Philips Noreclo 5000 Series can trim and shave. However, these have taken me longer to shave with compared to a razor, and I am always left with some stubble. 

Armpits

It makes sense to continue using the same shaving or trimming tool used when shaving the chest to keep grooming simple. However, the armpit area is much smaller than the chest, and it’s much easier to shave than the chest.

It’s worth me bringing up varying how your manscaping session might make sense while we are on the armpits. For example, you can trim from the neck to the balls, and to avoid chest stubble, only shave the armpits and the crown jewels. 

The Back Area

Trimming or shaving the back area is the most difficult for obvious reasons. Not only is it impossible to reach, but it’s a large area.

There are options available to self-trim or shave the back. The two best options are razors with an extended reach that are ergonomically friendly or an electric body groomer that can be used for all other body parts (with a back reacher included). 

The Philips Noreclo 5000 Series includes a back reacher accessory that can shave or trim. The 5000 series is a great tool that I have used and reviewed, but I have a couple of concerns.

The two concerns I have with the 5000 Series or any other body groomer with a back reach are when using the back reach shaving, it is hard to apply enough pressure, and the trimmer width is quite small, so if you have a lot of back hair the task could take some time. However, you are doing this stuff on your Jack Jones, and nothing is perfect.

Again, you have to think about if you want that spikey stubble feel after an electric body groom shave or the initial stubble after a razor shave –or trim with no stubble effect. 

Pubic Area and Family Jewels

The lower or rather mid-body regions are a personal thing with many variations. Some like a trim, others like a pubic area trim with clean shaven balls, while others want all hair eliminated (I’m sure there are other variations!).

I doubt I have to say it –Be Cautious around this area! 

Electric shavers are a no-go –apart from the foil section of a body groomer shaver, and even those have yet to be pleasant for me. For the balls, it’s a trimmer and a good cartridge razor that has worked best so far for me –without cuts and hair-plucking stuff going on.

Trimming is quite easy, but be cautious with some trimmers, as they can draw blood (I have witnessed).

The first shave will give you an itch, but that is only usually on the first shave.

To look good, consider if you are shaving or trimming from the neck down to keep it all consistent. A bald midsection with hair all around looks a bit weird, and this is when trimming might work best.

Your Butt

A delicate area indeed. The butt.

The positive aspect of shaving the ass crack rather than trimming is it’s a close shave, just like shaving other areas like the armpits and chest.

However, shaving the butt brings on a heck of an itch, making trimming a preferable option for many guys. 

Legs

Leg shaving or trimming is a tricky one. Many guys, including myself (despite being up for manscaping), won’t be shaving our legs any time soon. Other guys are happy to shave or trim their legs –or do it because they’re bodybuilders or are working in an industry where hairy legs don’t fit the criteria.

Most guys go down the trimming route as a good leveled-out trim is easier, and they don’t have to go through the spikey stubble stage. 

The legs area is also a larger area to scale with a razor.

Most guys are going to find a trim is best suited. 

Other Hair Removal Options

The other three main options besides a trimming and shaving routine are waxing, depilatory cream (hair removal cream), and laser removal.

• Waxing: The great thing about waxing is it lasts a lot longer than a shave before the hair grows back, but that comes with the not-so-enjoyable aspect (having hair pulled out by the root –ouch!). Everything can be waxed except the scrotum and butt hole area –unless waxing torture is your thing. 
• Depilatory Cream: Burning the hair out of its root after applying a hair removal cream is an option some guys use which works well for them. Like waxing the hair, it is removed as far down as the root and takes more time to grow back than shaving with a razor. However, the biggie here is it is as unnatural as it can get and can cause pretty bad skin irritation for some guys.
• Laser Removal: This option works very well and keeps hair from growing the longest compared to any other option. The biggest issue with laser removal is it is expensive, and you need to find a professional service.

This article only covers the basics of the above three treatments. They are options to look into but look into them thoroughly and attempt them cautiously.

Wrapping Up

If you are just getting into manscaping and testing out what works best, then –easy does it– is the best attitude, and the easiest method is to begin with trimming.

As you can see above, the different areas of the body can be treated differently. However, you want the manscaping results to be even in some way!

One thing to keep in mind is to keep the length the same from the neck down to the groin, apart from the back and balls. The back and balls could be clean-shaven alongside a same length trim on the front of the body.

Shaving is always the best option if a close (BBS) shave is the goal. However, we have to contend with that itchy or spikey hair-growing phase.

If a close shave is something you already do and you know that you want to continue having a close shave end result, then the other three hair removal options could be worth looking into (i.e., Waxing, Depilatory Creams, or Laser Removal).

Have fun finding what works for you!