Why do women remove body hair at all? Do I have to?

By Eve · Updated 11 June 2026

You don't have to. There's no health reason, no hygiene reason, and no rule, body hair removal is a preference with a marketing history, not a requirement. Women remove hair for personal reasons (feel, sport, chafing, sensory preference, just liking it) and keep it for equally personal ones (comfort, principle, time, just liking it). Both are normal. Anyone who tells you otherwise is selling something, and yeah, we notice the irony of a grooming brand saying that.

The history

Most women treating hair removal as the default is barely 100 years old. It tracks with ads. Dresses sold razors. Swimwear sold the bikini line. Women bring this up all the time, and we don't argue with it. "Bring back the bush!", "Why do you feel like you have to shave at all? There is no benefit to it."

They're right. You don't owe anyone a shave. The only thing we'd add, is that "you don't have to" goes the other way too. Being told to take it off and being told to keep it are both still someone else's rule. The hair on your body is yours.

Why women actually do it

Some like how it feels on them. That's preference, not hygiene. Trimmed is more comfortable in gym gear or swimwear. The feel of regrowth bothers them. Or they simply like how it looks.

Women who stopped say the upkeep was a slog, razors wrecked their skin, or they stopped caring what anyone thought. Some never wanted to in the first place, and finally acted like it.

Neither list is "because you're supposed to". That's not a reason. That's a 1920 ad still talking.

If you do want to groom, without the wreckage

Our whole company exists because the women who do choose this were paying in razor burn, ingrowns, and dread. If that's been you, the answer isn't more willpower. It's a tool that stays off the skin. A guarded body trimmer cuts hair above the skin, never touching it. Trim to any length (our combs run 2mm to 12mm, length guide how short to trim), or just a light trim, or nothing at all this month. Your terms include "not today".

FAQ

Is body hair coming back in style?

Styles come and go. Bodies are not a trend. Full, trimmed, razor-bare, and "only in summer" are all happening at once. Whatever you choose, we are with you.

Will people judge me for not removing hair?

Some people judge everything. That's their problem, not yours. Honestly, far fewer people notice or care than the voice in your head says they do.

My partner prefers X. Should that decide it?

They can have a preference. You still decide. A partner worth keeping treats the hair on your body as yours, in whatever direction.

Is there any downside to never removing body hair?

Hair on your body is normal. Pubic hair even does a bit of protecting, if anything. The only downside people actually mean is other people's opinions.

What does Boosh actually want me to do?

Whatever you want. We are here as an option, never an obligation. We make a gentle tool for the women who want one.