It has become fashionable these days for men to remove chest hair – every male model, film or sports star seems to show off a six pack and a smooth hair-free chest.

But if you want to get into chest hair removal how exactly should you go about it? The thing is there are more male chest hair removal methods and products than you can shake a stick at and any one of them might suit you depending on your budget and pain threshold!

Waxing Your Chest

male chest before and after waxing

This is a fast and relatively inexpensive method for removing hair from a large area of your body and therefore is pretty good for chests. The process involves smearing (usually hot) wax onto your chest, applying a strip of cloth to the wax then pulling off the strip once the wax has hardened around the hair (after a few seconds). Chest waxing can be pretty painful however and leave you with a glowing red chest (until it calms down – usually a few hours later). Regrowth is slow and it may be that you can go 4 to 6 weeks between treatments to maintain a smooth look. It’s best to go for a professional waxing treatment the first time you do this to get an idea of the process and to see if it suits you. After that you may want to think about purchasing a waxing kit which will save money and allow you to deal with your chest hair at home. Just make sure you have the courage to peel off those strips!

Laser Chest Hair Removal

If you have the budget (a few hundred dollars per session) having laser hair removal treatment is a great way of permanently reducing the hair on your chest. It is a quick process, less painful than waxing although you will still feel some discomfort (like being pinged by little elastic bands). You will need about six laser treatment sessions however to get rid of your chest hair and may need top ups to deal with any regrowth after the course of sessions is complete. Do remember that fashions change however. The current fashion is for smooth chests. When (and if) hairy chests are in again you will no longer have that option. If this worries you, use a temporary hair removal method such as waxing instead.

Shaving Chest Hair

This is the least expensive chest hair removal method although you will have to shell out for a quality razor to do the job well and take time and care in avoiding nicks and cuts. The disadvantages you will most likely know from shaving your face. Your skin can end up irritated by the shaving process itself – although not half so irritated and itchy as you will feel when the stubble grows back!

Chest Hair Trimming

Norelco Bodygroom CLICK image for details

As an alternative to complete chest hair removal, you could trim your chest hair to give a cleaner more defined look to your chest. Trimming chest hair by hand can be laborious if you have a lot but you can easily do this with a tool such as the Norelco BodyGrooming System which is designed to do the job perfectly and give you an even well groomed look using one of three attachment combs.

If you are planning to shave your chest then trim the hair first before shaving to make shaving easier and cut down irritation. You will find it easier to trim dry hair (before your shower) and the to shave afterwards.

Removing Chest Hair with Depilatory Cream

There are creams and lotions which are specially designed to remove male body hair. You apply the product over your skin, leave it for a few minutes and then remove it along with the hair. Result – smooth chest but only for a few days as hair grows back quite quickly. However you will not find the regrowth so troublesome as with shaving. If you would like to give this pain-free method a try take a look at products such as Veet or Nair hair removal cream for men. Just be sure to read the instructions and do a skin test before proceeding to use the product for a whole chest hair removal session!