What can I use for body hair while pregnant or breastfeeding?

By Eve · Updated 11 June 2026

A trimmer is the safest option for managing body hair during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Laser clinics pause treatment as a precaution, waxing hurts more on pregnancy-sensitised skin, and shaving an area you increasingly can't see is how nicks happen. A guarded trimmer sidesteps all three: the blade never touches your skin, so there's nothing to react, nick, or regret.

This question comes up constantly. One woman put it exactly:

"I had to stop laser when I got pregnant and I can't start again until I'm done breastfeeding... I'm stuck with shaving for now."

You're not stuck with shaving.

Why each method gets harder during pregnancy

Laser: gets paused by clinics as a standard precaution, there's no proven harm, but nobody runs trials on pregnant women, so the industry defaults to no. If you're mid-treatment-plan, that can mean a year or more off.

Waxing: is technically allowed but pregnancy hormones increase blood flow to the skin, which makes it more sensitive and more reactive. Women who waxed comfortably for years often find it suddenly hurts a lot more.

Shaving: has a practical problem from somewhere in the second trimester, you can't see what you're doing. A razor used blind on the most sensitive skin on your body, while pregnancy hormones make that skin extra reactive, is a recipe for nicks, razor burn, and ingrowns.

Why a trimmer works

A guarded trimmer cuts hair just above the skin, so working partly by feel is fine, the worst case is an uneven trim, not a cut. There's no hot wax and no blade-on-skin friction for sensitised skin to react to.

Same trade-off: not as close as a razor. But no pain, less bumps, no 3 day aftermath. Late in pregnancy, "safe and done by feel in a few minutes" tends to beat "close" by a wide margin.

If you're a new mum on the other side of it, you already know the time maths:

"I'm a mum of two, self care is in the bottom of my list." - Jamee, verified review

A trim is a 3 min job you can do in the shower. That's the right limit for this special time of life.

And to be clear..

You can also just... not. Body hair in pregnancy is normal, often thicker than usual (hormones again), and there's no health reason to remove any of it. If grooming is one thing you'd rather drop for a year, drop it guilt-free. We make the tool for women who want the option, never the obligation.

FAQ

Is it safe to trim pubic hair during pregnancy?

Yes. A guarded trimmer doesn't touch the skin, so the usual pregnancy worries (broken skin, infection risk, reactions) don't apply. If you've been told to avoid grooming for a medical reason, your midwife or GP outranks any blog, including this one.

Should I remove hair before giving birth?

No, there's no medical need. Hospitals stopped routine shaving decades ago because it increases infection risk rather than lowering it. If you want to trim for your own comfort, a trimmer is what midwives usually suggest, no broken skin.

When can I restart laser after breastfeeding?

That's your laser clinic's call, most want you fully finished breastfeeding. A trimmer keeps things manageable in the gap without affecting the follicles laser needs to target.

My body hair got darker and thicker during pregnancy. Is that normal?

Very. Pregnancy hormones do it, and it usually settles back within months of birth. We've got a separate page on postpartum hair changes.

Can I trim when I can't see the area?

Yes, that's the one method that's genuinely fine done partly by feel. Guard on, go slow.