Tips For Dealing With A Barbarian Back!
Once you’re over the hurdle of finally committing to managing your back hair and purchasing a shaver specifically designed to reach your back, you might need some helpful tips on shaving your back. I know I wished I had some tips when I first started shaving my back.
Without a functional back shaver, grooming and maintaining your back hair is next to impossible by yourself. Or at least doing a good job.
Men, by nature, are fiercely independent and often refuse to ask for help even when it’s at their own peril. Also, it is next to impossible to find a willing participant to shave your back, if you are lucky enough to have a wife or girlfriend shave your back, she is a keeper and you better hold on to her.
Once you have traversed to that other side of that commitment, you’re going to embark on your own. Why not learn the tips and make the experience more enjoyable? Well, that’s why I decided to help out here, to provide some insight, tips, and ideas to turn you from a hairy gorilla into a well-groomed man.
Back hair is like the red-headed stepchild of the placement of body hair, being the least desirable, most unwanted, and least accepted out of all the other places hair likes to grow. The hair on other areas of men’s bodies is just more acceptable than back fur. Yep, genital, butt hair and underarm hair are more acceptable over back hair. Shocking, I know.
Nobody I have ever met loved back hair or thought it back hair enhanced their back or look. People laugh, gawk, and look down at us for our ability to grow back frizzies.
I love that guy you see at the beach who is a full-fledged savage sporting his back mane, not caring what other people think. I respect this because I could never do what he is doing. I’m not giving an S#*t, what people think. So, I shave and confirm.
First…You’re Going To Need A Quality Back Shaver
Shaving your back fuzz is the least expensive and simplest option to diminish repulsing friends, family, and yourself. You know what I am talking about when you happen to get in between two mirrors with your shirt off. Duh!
To combat the never-ending growth, we need tools. Freaking hair is so resilient! I have three suggestions, and you can read their reviews to help you determine more for yourself. The first two use regular razors, and the third uses an electric back shaver. All three are great options for tackling mowing down hair growth. These are my highest-ranked shavers. Each has its pluses and minuses, but all work great, and I can very comfortably recommend them.
- BAKblade – BAKblade 2.0 Elite Plus Back Shaver Review
- Bro Shaver – Bro Shaver Review
- ManGroomer – ManGroomer Lithium Max Back Shaver Review
Neck Shaving
This area can often be missed or grow faster than you need a haircut. To make sure you are always dapper, I recommend using a neckline shaving template. I wrote an article on this amazing product, Nekmate Review.
Get this along with a quality back shaver for the complete do-it-yourself man.
10 Back Grooming Tips
Number One Tip: Shave after a long hot shower, especially if you’re going to be using a razor. This will first clean the skin but also properly prepare the hair for shaving. Just like regular beard shaving, with the hot towel placed over your face or shaving your beard after a hot shower, it is so much easier once the hair has been softened. Back hair is pretty soft compared to beard hair, but on some people, it can be coarse and bristly like a wild boar.
Tip Dos: shave in the shower. Why not, right? (only if your shaver is not electric, obviously) It softens the hair to allow for a smoother shave, and it’s easy to clean up the back hair as it will just go down the drain. Also, when shaving, you can simply rinse the hair off the blade to prevent clogging. I tried shaving in the shower and liked it. It for sure increases your time in there, in addition to cleaning your body. Killing two birds with one stone comes to mind as well.
Tip Three: Shave with either a shaving gel or cream. I know some razors can be used dry (baKblade), but try it with a lubricant and just watch your skin irritations become non-existent. This cuts down on the nicks and cuts associated with shaving, as well as the already-mentioned skin irritations. Seems obvious, I know, but it needs to be mentioned.
All creams or gels are not made equal. Try different brands and see which one you like the best. I plan on doing some reviews on gel, creams, and powders for back shaving. Stay tuned.
Tip 4: Back positions and body position. Shaving your back, even with the best back shavers on the market, can be improved upon when shaving just by slightly altering body positions. Depending on what area of the back is being shaved. To get the crease in the small of your back, try bending over to where your back kind of flattens out, then shave vertically. I find this helps in this area. I find bringing one or both shoulders forward when shaving helps with getting the middle of the back and upper back. A good rule of thumb is to get the area as flat as you can to better improve the shave.
Tip 5: Captain Obvious says, “Use a mirror.” Preferably a couple of them. This will help, especially in the beginning, if you have never shaved your back before. You are able to better see what the heck you’re doing back there and to see what areas you missed. Failure to use a mirror might result in you getting a new nickname, Patchy.
Tip 6: Another option some people don’t even think of after shaving their back is using an aftershave. Yeah, they use it on their face but never seem to realize they can use it on their backs too. The problem is applying it to your back evenly. They make applicators for backs that you can put shaving cream or aftershave on and apply to your back. For those who don’t know the purpose of aftershave, it serves as a disinfectant and provides a pleasant, manly smell. Using aftershave can often reduce the risk of skin irritation and skin infections from small cuts. Avoid alcohol aftershaves; they tend to dry skin out.
Tip 7: How do you reduce itchiness when the hair grows back? The first option is to shave with a sharp new razor. I like to get the most out of my razors, and sometimes, I use them a little too long. But shaving with a new razor will cut the hair better, thus potentially causing less itching when the hair grows back. Another option is to just shave again, thus alleviating the itch, keep in mind to let a couple of days pass in-between shavings to allow for the skin to heal and recover.
Tip Ocho: Take your time! Don’t be in a rush; being in a rush will increase the chance of cutting yourself, doing a shoddy job, and missing whole swaths of hair. Be methodical in your approach; try overlapping your shaving strokes and breaking your back into quadrants.
Tip 9: I know it is not always possible, but try to shave in the opposite direction of the hair growth. Just do your best, as the back grows in weird patterns on the back, plus it’s hard to tell at times.
Tip 10: Exfoliate your back with some type of loofah before shaving; this will remove dead skin and allow the razor to cut the hair closer. I have been using the Voda Reve Exfoliating Loofah Back Scrubber lately, and I just love it. You can find it on Amazon, and it gets your entire back easily.
Final Cut
I hope these tips help you maintain the removal of your back hair. You can definitely improve your shave, it just takes more preparation and time, but your results will be a lot better overall. Try all of these tips or just a few and come back here and let me know how it turns out for you.
Have a tip of your own? Want to share it? Please do so below; I would love to hear them. Thanks!!!
