Shaving?

[Doc Mike]

You young ladies may want to consider laser treatment. Cheaper than what I have spent in gear and will pay for itself in time and money. Just a thought...

Doc Mike

[IronGutsTommy]

Lots of talk in the female forum about shaving, hair, etc....I just wanted to say, to me, there is nothing more beautiful than a woman on the trail. I dont notice the hair, the legs, etc. I find the smile on her face as she lets go of her worries/insecurities on the trail breathtaking.

[Downunda]

Funny that someone should bring up the topic of shaving legs... in 2002 I shaved my legs before my AT hike (I'm a male!!!). The theory was that I would have a much better chance of spotting deer ticks on my legs if they were clear of hair. The ironic thing is that I did get two deer ticks attach to me and they were both on my hands (Murphy's law in action).

Also I think I am one of the very few males who shaved (my face) every day of my hike... in fact I became quite well known for it.

On another tangent have you ever wondered why male cyclists shave their legs? I figure its so they will easily recognize another cyclist, any other ideas on this one?

[Smile]

Don't bother. You're hiking, enjoy yourself and drop all that baggage along the trail the first few days

[Cobrastryke]

LPoo, I'm totally with you on the hairy legs thing. And truthfully, it's not to please anyone else - I just prefer it. I'm planning a NOBO thru-hike starting in early March, and I plan to keep my legs more-or-less shaven the whole time. My logic - my grandfather spent an entire winter in the woods of Belgium at the front during WWII. Band of Brothers - style. And he shaved his face on a regular basis - it was required. So if he could do it in those conditions, I can certainely find a way to do it on my thru-hike. In the past, I've shaved ounces elsewhere and indulged in shave cream and a razor - I rinse with the water left over from dinner. Most people think this is ridiculous - I think it's great and seriously, if it's something that will make you happy, just go for it.
Full disclosure: I'm a bit more OCD when it comes to cleanliness than most hikers. Sometimes I wish I wasn't; it certainely complicates things. But not really that much; I just give myself a little sponge bath with heated water every night, and then I sleep clean as a whistle and like a baby. I don't have to clean my bag liner nearly as much, and my clothing doesn't smell as much either, because of this. But this isn't for everyone. I might not be the best person to give advice. There aren't very many like me that get so meticulous.

[LaurieAnn]

Wax your legs... that should give you about 6 weeks. Maybe there's even a salon in a town along the way where you could get it done again if your hair grows fast?

[Philip]

I agree with Cobra. I don't neglect my hygiene regimen just because I'm not at home. Granted I don't get too fussy about details like plucking errant hairs around my eyebrows or making sure my nails are perfectly buffed and clean, but I do still hit the big stuff.

I don't mind carrying a few extra ounces of fuel and toiletries to make sure I can take a warm bird bath every night and a fresh shave every morning. And yes, I do wear deodorant every day. Like she said, you feel better, sleep better, and your clothes and bag liner aren't nearly as nasty all the time. I'd imagine people you come into contact with along the way appreciate it too. It just makes for a better hiking experience all the way around to spend a little time taking care of yourself. Win/Win

Here's something that might make shaving a lot easier outdoors, assuming you can heat up a little water and soften the hair... http://www.kiehls.com/Close-Shavers%...=men-pre-shave

It even softens the hair on its own and moisturizes your skin. Can't beat it at 1.7 ounces. It just takes a couple of drops to do my whole face, so a bottle lasts for months. I'd expect it would work out great for legs and underarms just as well.

As for my razor, I've always been partial to the Gillette Mach 3. I leave the handle at home and just shave with the blade...it gets the job done as long as you take your time and don't cut yourself.

I understand you ladies might consider this next little tidbit a little too riske for you, but I even shave my head on long hikes so I always look neat. Though this is probably not the best look for me, it's still better than looking shaggy (for me anyway).

But with all that being said, if you don't want to shave your legs, then don't. I for one always thought the practice of shaving half your body on a regular basis strange anyway. Natural hair on a woman doesn't bother me one bit, and I'd imagine I wouldn't be alone in this perspective if people weren't so conditioned with expectations to the contrary. HYOH

[Dicentra]

Embrace the Hiker Trash mentality... Go all natural.

[gipcgirl]

You're right, it is about you and your comfort level. We are all different in what's important and not. But just to give my perspective. At home I am a very "girly" girl. My hair is always styled just right, hair color always fresh, nails manicured, pedicures, make up always and clothes always stylish. Won't even go to walmart with out being "presentable" . On the trail it a different story! I don't brush my hair, just pull it back in a pony tail and pop on a baseball cap. Don't shave but I do try to stay clean in the important ways. As soon as I am off trail it's back to the at home routine. I love the two different me's !

Same here. I love the contrast of back to nature when you are out hiking, I even don't mind the smell its just like everyone else out there. Although I did shave when in town not all the time, just when I was staying with nice clean people.

[Sonno]

[Fog Horn]

You young ladies may want to consider laser treatment. Cheaper than what I have spent in gear and will pay for itself in time and money. Just a thought...

Doc Mike

I got all over laser hair removal (with a life time guarantee so if I get pregnant or go through menopause and grow hair due to it, they'll remove that for free) and it cost me about 10 thousand dollars. I don't have kids, and it has improved my life exponentially, so I felt that it was worth it.

I don't have anyone else in my life, however, who has a spare ten grand sitting around their house they can use for this procedure.

On a side note though, if you plan to get LHR before the hike, keep in mind that it takes more than one treatment. Each treatment, on average, reduces hair by about 10%. They say you average about 6-10 treatments that are ten weeks apart from each other, so you're looking at a year or two of treatments ( you get about 9 of those ten weeks in between where you don't have any hair). This means that if you are planning to do LHR for a thru hike, you'd need to start on it a year or two before you plan to thru.

I know most of the women on this site would rather spend ten grand on equipment and camp food, which is why I'm not a strong advocate of it, but it has changed my life for the better. I'm in the military, so simply not having to dry shave before sweating at physical fitness every morning is worth the money to me. There is a certain freedom that comes with never having to worry about shaving your legs as well.

to each their own. I just wanted to throw it out there that while it is a rewarding experience, it is not cheap by any means, and much like a boob job or veneers for your teeth, you get what you pay for. If you find it for much cheaper than I did, you risk a botched job.

[foreversuperawesome]

shave when you're in town? or bring along a small bic razor with you when you become too hairy for your liking.

[gimpat01]

I carried a disposable razor with me and used warm water if I wanted to shave between towns... otherwise I shaved in towns. It made it easier for me and my hiking partner to hitch rides. I'm lucky though, in that I have mostly blonde leg hairs.

[CKM]

I got all over laser hair removal (with a life time guarantee so if I get pregnant or go through menopause and grow hair due to it, they'll remove that for free) and it cost me about 10 thousand dollars. I don't have kids, and it has improved my life exponentially, so I felt that it was worth it.

I don't have anyone else in my life, however, who has a spare ten grand sitting around their house they can use for this procedure.

On a side note though, if you plan to get LHR before the hike, keep in mind that it takes more than one treatment. Each treatment, on average, reduces hair by about 10%. They say you average about 6-10 treatments that are ten weeks apart from each other, so you're looking at a year or two of treatments ( you get about 9 of those ten weeks in between where you don't have any hair). This means that if you are planning to do LHR for a thru hike, you'd need to start on it a year or two before you plan to thru.

I know most of the women on this site would rather spend ten grand on equipment and camp food, which is why I'm not a strong advocate of it, but it has changed my life for the better. I'm in the military, so simply not having to dry shave before sweating at physical fitness every morning is worth the money to me. There is a certain freedom that comes with never having to worry about shaving your legs as well.

to each their own. I just wanted to throw it out there that while it is a rewarding experience, it is not cheap by any means, and much like a boob job or veneers for your teeth, you get what you pay for. If you find it for much cheaper than I did, you risk a botched job.

Worth not hearing "wookie" calls behind you everywhere you go too, right? I'm in the MC myself, and it's honestly been hell. I have body hair like most women don't have body hair, so I guess they're right on that count. It's been a constant problem for me and now that I'm approaching my EAS I'm considering laser removal; haven't had that sort of time in one place before now. Gotta agree with the pro-shaving ladies, I don't reach cute-scruffy levels, I just go straight to mammoth. I'm wondering if one of those super fancy electric guy razors that say they're good for wet and dry shaves would work?

[T.S.Kobzol]

Given the high frequency of town stops that contemporary thruhikers exhibit I wonder how this would be any issue at all. Just shave every time you reach civilization. Readin TJ logs it seems thst you would be in town every couple of days or so...

sent from samsonite using tapioca 2

[Bear Cables]

SHAVING is time consuming....? Really? Takes me maybe three minutes to do both legs below the knee. Not very time consuming at all. And I agree that no one else probably cares. It's not ABOUT who else cares. It's about my own personal comfort, and I'm just personally not comfortable with having itchy, hairy legs. It annoys me. Just because I want to find a way to have hair-free legs while hiking doesn't mean I'm some insecure person who shaves solely because society says I'm supposed to.

Sorry! Didn't mean to hit a nerve Just giving my POV. I really didn't think you were insecure at all....

[carophil]

i usually don't shave, but if ya really want to, just carry a disposable and pick up another when that one wears out. use some eco friendly soap and shave whenever it's getting too unruly for you.

[tawa]

Cyclists shave their legs mainly to aid in healing and recovery if and when they go down on asphalt and get serious road rash. Smooth legs help u clean the wond and treat it better as it heals! Besides thats---chicks dig it--with those biker shorts and clean smooth tan legs that show off ythe definition of your leg muscles! lol

[stushica]

So this thought crossed my mind and low and behold there was a thread for it. Mentally I think I'd like to be all natural and it inspires me on other women but the reality is once my own hair reaches a certain point I fall into a state of "AHHHH GET IT OFF ME!!!!" I'm planning on embracing the fuzzy legs as long as I can and shaving them in towns. The fuzzy legs bother me so much less than everything else though and I honestly think I stink way less without the pit fuzzes which worry me the most. That being said I'm mainly posting to put out a heads up that my local groupon occasionally has deals on laser hair removal making it a few hundred instead of a few thousand. It's still not in my budget but as soon as it is, you bet I'll go that route!

[oldbear]

Shaving in the hiker funk environment also carries with it the possibility of getting a staph infection