Something’s telling me not to post this one, but I’m going for it anyway…
As is often the case, I was just about 90% finished with a particular post that I’d been thinking of writing for a few weeks when another idea suddenly popped into my head. And as I generally welcome random changes in plan, I’ve naturally put the original post on hold and am moving forward with this new idea.
I think the initial problem was that the post I had almost finished was somewhat on the serious side, and today, my mood is far from being serious. From the moment I woke up this morning, I’ve been a bit more goofy than normal, evident by the number of times I pretended to do the backstroke while singing my new (but old) favorite song, The Swimming Song, by Loudon Wainwright.
It goes something like this…
“This summer I went swimming, this summer I might’ve drowned, but I held my breathe, kicked my feet and moved my arms around.”
Catchy, I know.
Perhaps this odd behavior is due to spending one hour yesterday evening getting battered around by what were the largest waves I’ve ever seen in this part of Mexico. It was fun stuff of course, but one can only take getting smashed in the side of the face by a brick of water so many times before it starts to have an affect on your brain.
Or perhaps I’m feeling so jolly because it appears that tomorrow I’ll be taking off for a two-day trip to La Isla Holbox, a tiny island about four hours from Playa del Carmen, where I plan to go swimming with the whale-sharks. I don’t even know what that involves really, but I can’t wait to go and find out!
However, truth be told, while the two factors above may have contributed to my increased silliness and joyous mood today, deep down, I know the real reason.
WHAT IS TODAY?
Today, my friends, is armpit shaving day!
Ever since I was convinced to start shaving my underarms about seven years ago, my bi-weekly dates with a Gillette 3-blade razor have been permanently etched onto my mental calendar. In short, these are not dates that I’m willing to miss.
I’ll never forget my first time, which occurred so suddenly while I was working on board a cruise ship in Hawaii. One day, upon returning to the ship after a few hours of hiking around the active Kilauea Volcano, I ran into a fellow crew member on the pier, who was also a good friend of mine. After swapping stories of how we had each spent our free time that day, I happened to mention how much I stunk because of all my sweating. My friend then looked at me with what appeared to be a look of compassion, and asked, “You don’t shave your pits?”
Twenty minutes later I was back in my one-porthole cabin, standing in front of the mirror in my goldfish tank-sized bathroom, shaving away, without any hesitation whatsoever.
Just like that, my sweating problem practically disappeared, and away went my odor problem along with it. Now this might not seem like such a big deal at all, but when you spend a significant amount of your time traveling, sweat and stench play a somewhat important role. Before I started shaving my armpits, the underarms areas of my shirts were always drenched and stained with sweat within a minute of walking outside into almost any climate. Now, it takes hours for that to happen, if it even happens at all.
And while nobody has ever come up and told me directly, I can’t help but assume that the locals I meet, as well as my fellow travelers, prefer to spend time in the company of someone whose presence can not be nasally-detected from two kilometers away.
TO SUM IT ALL UP
I now spend about one minute every two weeks in order to help ensure that I….
- Smell somewhat pleasant. (Shaving doesn’t necessarily reduce underarm odor, and I’m still using deodorant, but I’m quite certain that the shaving has helped. If anyone can vouch for me, I’d appreciate it!)
- Feel cleaner and for longer periods of time.
- Feel more confident no matter where I am.
- Don’t have to replace shirts as often as I used to.
- Can pack less shirts overall.
Clearly, you can now understand what caused me to go a little nutty with excitement today. And honestly, up until a few minutes ago, I never before realized just how excited I get. You would’ve thought I had just booked a flight to some place such as Kazakhstan!
ENJOYING THE RESULTS
As soon as I finished shaving this morning, I walked out onto the balcony of my apartment, raised my arms up high into the sky, glanced to the right, glanced to the left…
Well, I then noticed that I missed a big patch of hair on the left armpit so I had to return to the shower in order to finish the job…but then….
I returned to the balcony and spent a few blissful minutes enjoying the fresh ocean breeze against the bare skin of my underarm, confident that the coming days would be sweat and odor free.
I know that this post offers little more than an unnecessary glimpse into my personal grooming habits, but this is what my wacky mood has produced. Although, I will stop short of apologizing as I’m fairly confident that this can technically be classified as a traveler’s tip!
Back in 1999, I left home for a 3 month trip to Asia that has still yet to end.
Appreciate for sharing your story Earl! It’s interesting read. And you know what? Sometimes I wonder about ‘very basic, but somehow kind of too intimate to ask’ things. Like what you wrote today. Not the exactly same one but anyway So I appreciate it
Good to know!
Hey Juno – Well, now you know this one little thing about me! It’s hard to know what is appropriate to ask these days, but I don’t mind sharing such things about myself. Glad you found it interesting and thanks so much for commenting!
Wow, lol, just wow Earl. It has just gone 7 in the morning this side of the world and I woke up to this post. What a great way to get set for the day…now where is my razor.
.-= Jonny | thelifething.com´s last blog ..The Beauty Of Data Visualisation the New Oil- From A Silky Voiced Englishman =-.
Hey Jonny – Feels pretty good, doesn’t it? I hope you followed through with it!
even better, get your armpits lasered and never need to shave them again, no more stubble either. Hope you got a swim with the whalesharks, i did it a couple of years ago at Ningaloo Reef, West Australia, and it was one of the best things I have ever done – mindblowing
Hey Kiwivic – My trip to go swimming with the whale sharks has been delayed by a day, so I’m now heading up there tomorrow. But ‘mind-blowing’ is pretty much the exact same term that everyone else I know who has done it has used to describe the experience.
And I’m not sure if I’m ready for some armpit laser treatment but I will certainly keep it mind!
Ha ha, this is one of the most bizzare travel articles I’ve read in a while
Which is good.
Sadly, I sweat everywhere! Yes, big wet bum patch to dripping forearms.
So underarm shaving is not for me I think! Made me laugh though!
Dave
Hey Dave – I’ll take ‘bizarre’ as a compliment any day! And you never know with the shaving, the breeze that you’ll feel on your underarms might help cool down the rest of your body. You can always let it grow back if it doesn’t work!
Hilarious man, this is an awesome article!
I’m half Chinese and lucked out with just a few underarm hairs…might just have to shave them off and see if it’s even better! You offer some of the finest tips!
.-= Migrationology´s last blog ..20 Detail Photos of Angkor Wat =-.
Hey Mark – You are lucky! You’ve been enjoying the benefits all along while I had to suffer for so many years! I say go for it and shave off the remaining few…there’s no doubt in my mind that it will get even better…
Love this post, so funny and honest
Yes, I do that. No surprise though, I think many of the members of my gender around my age do that! I recently did laser too, which was super awesome (but kinda expensive, but Ryan found a discount coupon). Yes, it does make different in the stink level. When I get stinky too fast, usually turn out I forget to… ehmm… shave… ehmmm..
.-= Dina´s last blog ..World’s Biggest Carrot and Gumboot are in New Zealand =-.
Hey Dina – So you took that next step and went with the laser! I’m going to hold off on that for a while and stick to old fashioned razors for now. But if I ever decide to go for it, hopefully Ryan can find me a discount coupon as well!
Either way, having no hair under there does take care of the stink problem…
The second to last paragraph had me laughing out loud in the cafe where I’ve been sitting all day in Kathmandu, Nepal.
As someone who has sworn to never shave his pits, you’ve now given me a compelling reason to reconsider!
.-= Raam Dev´s last blog ..Fear of Failure as a Barometer for Success =-.
That’s funny Raam! Just reading your comment had me laughing out loud as well as I tried to picture you laughing out loud in Kathmandu!
But swearing to never shave the pits is a little harsh, don’t you think? Where’s that open-mind???
Well, I like to think that nature must have had a good reason for armpit hair.
I don’t like following the crowd and doing things just because everybody else is doing them, so I guess that’s the biggest reason! I also hate the inconvenience of needing to carry around or buy stuff for shaving.
A quick search on Wikipedia (yes, there’s an “underarm hair” article) reveals that underarm hair is actually supposed to help wick moisture away from the skin to help prevent odor: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underarm_hair
.-= Raam Dev´s last blog ..Fear of Failure as a Barometer for Success =-.
Hey Raam – I actually did read that Wikipedia article, which in the end caused me to put the “Shaving doesn’t necessarily reduce odor…” line in the post. I’m still quite certain it has reduced odor in my case, although, nobody’s vouched for me yet! But, fair enough, keep your armpit hair. No hard feelings at all
And I love the fact that you checked this out on Wikipedia!
I can vouch, Earl! When I was young my mom put me into dance class, which turned into a serious hobby, competing in ballroom, hip-hop, breakdancing. At some age I was forced to shave my armpits for a production and as hard as I fought with my instructor it had to go down. The first time, I felt like I was shaving my manhood away, but shortly after I noticed that odor was gone and I sweat way less.
Nowadays, I keep a rough-n-scruff beard trimmed with an electric set of clippers, and since I lug the things around I end up trimming my chest and armpits as well. It helps with laundry as well as overall just looking tidy when I have my shirt off arond women. No one ever mentions it and I feel better about my appearance. Long live shaved ‘pits!
Good, unorthodox post! haha
.-= Chris Mewhort´s last blog ..Why I am politely declining your partnership proposition =-.
Hey Chris – I completely agree with you. For some inexplicable reason, even when I’m wearing a shirt, I just feel better and more confident overall when my armpits are shaved. And for the short amount of time it takes to shave them, it’s well-worth it, especially if you’re already carrying around clippers! It’s just too easy.
Thanks for the comment!
Hahaha, OMG, I LOVE that you just told the world this. You kick ass!!! Nothing better than a nice smelling man…
Enjoy your mini-vacay, how fun!
.-= Andi´s last blog ..Brasil- Day 2 Part 2 =-.
Hey Andi – I definitely thought twice before hitting the “publish post” button, but in the end I figured ‘why not?’!
Heh, this is funny Earl. I just never understood why it’s okay for guys to leave their armpit hair but not girls? I mean, it’s armpit hair for God’s sake, freakin’ shave it, whether you’re a male or a female.
I’m glad you can walk outside now and enjoy the cool breeze against…. your armpit. Rock on.
.-= Moon Hussain´s last blog ..Random Ramblings- Confronting Fear & Doubt =-.
Hey Moon – I personally don’t mind what anyone chooses to do with their underarm hair, but with the benefits of shaving that I’ve experienced, I have no problem in pulling out the razor! Shave away, I say.
HAHA awesome. Maybe this is something I should consider on my walk because showers could become quite scarce?
.-= Nate´s last blog ..reasons =-.
I highly recommend shaving for your upcoming walk Nate! You might find that people along the way will be a lot friendlier if you at least try and reduce odor a little. Haha…
Seriously, though, it’s not a bad idea!
I’m going to tell my boyfriend to shave his armpits too! We’re traveling all over Asia at the moment and in all this heat, my English boyfriend is literally melting and turning into nothing more than a sweat bag walking around stinking up the place. Maybe this will help him! =) Thanks for the tip!
Hey Connie – Asia is the perfect place to test the armpit shaving idea and I’m willing to bet your boyfriend will be happy with the results! You’ll probably be happier as well since you spend so much time with him
Earl, guess what?!?!? My boyfriend started shaving his armpits and swears it’s been keeping him drier! I’m slightly happier but the only problem is that now that he’s shaving his armpits, I’m actually the one doing it for him because he “can’t” reach the deep part without using an extra hand! Thanks for the tip, but no thanks for giving me extra work! =)
Hey Connie – That’s hilarious and now my goal is to get someone to shave my armpits for me as well! I can imagine that it’s not the best experience for you but your boyfriend sure benefits, although I’d question his claim that he can’t reach certain parts as that does seem a bit doubtful to me
I have shaved them in the past, but they always got incredibly itchy and uncomfortable regardless of what I did.
Ozzy
Hey Osborne – I haven’t run into that problem yet, but I could see how that would stop you from shaving. I read something that said if it is itchy, you should just leave a little bit of hair instead of shaving all the way….
On a side note, am I really giving armpit hair shaving advice on my blog?? Haha…
Hilarious. I shaved my legs, arms and pits for swimming in high school, and I keep my armpit hair trimmed (not fully shaved) every couple of weeks, for the exact same reasons you wrote about. I’m laughing so hard reading through everyone’s comments.
.-= Alan´s last blog ..Gaborone- Botswana- Lost Luggage- Developmental Success and Idle Travel =-.
Hey Alan – Apparently the trimmed method is the best way to go based upon my ‘research’. I guess it gives you the best of both options. And I’m having a wonderful time reading and replying to these comments. It’s keeps getting better with each one!
You are definitely rocking the hairless look there.
Sure, I shave my armpits and … other things. No laser for me because my hair is too light. I’m sure your fellow travelers appreciate the shaving!
.-= Jennifer Barry´s last blog ..Live Richly Round Up 4 =-.
Hey Jennifer – Without them telling me, I’ll definitely assume that my fellow travelers appreciate the shaving. I certainly would appreciate it on them!
And thanks for sharing your shaving habits as well, glad to have another shaving enthusiast as a reader!
Earl, I’m with you. Most definitely a traveler’s tip. Ever since I met a veteran traveler in Turkmenistan who showed me the light, I’ve been shaving my pits…for all the reasons you listed.
And I wondered whether I was crazy. But now I see I’m not alone.
.-= Daniel Noll´s last blog ..Panorama of the Week- Bolivia and the Banana Millionaire =-.
Hey Daniel – You are definitely not alone my friend! And thanks for the confirmation that this is a traveler’s tip. It’s a tough call I guess but I just don’t think that such benefits can be ignored, especially as travelers tend to interact with so many new people on a daily basis!
TMI! TMI!
I expect a follow up post on how to pack the least amount of underwear.
.-= Kyle´s last blog ..Our Website Redesign- A Labor of Love =-.
Packing the least amount of underwear? I already do that (2 pair). How about a post on keeping that small number of underwear clean?
.-= Raam Dev´s last blog ..Fear of Failure as a Barometer for Success =-.
Raam – If you’re traveling around with only 2 pair, you’re clearly the authority on this topic!
Hey Kyle – I travel with 6 pairs of underwear so I’m not in a position to write that post!
Funny post Earl. Love it!
Thanks Dave and Deb! And welcome back from St. Kitts!
He he he…All I can do it kinda giggle at this one. I like the freshly shaven days too
Glad you are feeling so on top of the world and enjoy your trip!
Hey Shannon – I agree that the first day, just moments after the shave, is by far the best! Perhaps I should be shaving every day just to experience that feeling over and over again…
You totally should! Once every two weeks is not very often…I’m a habitual daily shaver but maybe that’s a girl thing? Or perhaps I’m just addicted to that “first day feel!”
Haha…ok, I’m going to shave again today! Let’s see how that goes
I had no idea that a shaven armpit smells less than an unshaven one…
I hope you have a great time with the whale sharkes!
.-= Maria Staal´s last blog ..A New Title For My Book! =-.
Hey Maria – Well, I think the odor issue is up for debate. I definitely notice a different, as do endless numbers of people, but as Raam pointed out, apparently it is the armpit hair that is supposed to help eliminate odor. Oh well, I’m going to keep on shaving as it seems to work for me!
I don’t do it myself, but anecdotally I can say that I believe hair tends to hold onto odors much more than bare skin. Dancer friends of mine all swear by it.
Hey James – I saw on Twitter that you mentioned you were sweating less, so I assumed you must have tested out the shaving method! But I guess that hasn’t happened yet
Thanks for helping me back up my claim of less odor!
Nope, just felt a little like autumn around here. I went outside and it didn’t feel like I was breathing in hot fog, so the humidity must have gone down a bit.
Golf clapping here. I keep it trimmed and tidy – need to with my partial Italian heritage. But now I’m thinking about going bare as you’ve so helpfully laid out here. Loved it.
.-= Keith´s last blog ..Tourism’s Slow Death =-.
Hey Keith – It’s funny how heritage plays a role. I guess you have the opposite problem of @migrationology Mark! Well, you already know my vote, I say go bare, especially during the months you’re out there traveling!
LOL OMG!!! what a hilarious post!
But seriously Earl, I know someone who has shaved armpits and still sweat like crazy.. so I guess this might not work for everyone
Hey vewe – That’s indeed true. I don’t think the method works for everyone, although I have yet to hear of the sweating getting any worse with shaving! So even if it stays the same, at least one can enjoy the cool breeze on the skin every now and then
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I just found this post today and had a good laugh over it
I wonder if you have a post somewhere about changing shower habits once you’re in hot and humid Asia…
Hey Mimi – I don’t have one about changing shower habits….yet! But just thinking about that made me smile as I thought about all the odd ways in which I’ve been forced to shower over the years…
Good for you for sharing this! I thought it was only over here in Sweden that men shave their underarms. A lot of them do here. I was quite shocked when I found that out, coming straight from Australian mining camps with some of the least groomed men on the planet.
You are right. It definitely makes a difference. There have been a few times when travelling I’ve ended up with a more bohemian look and found that my t-shirts were getting more stinky. I don’t usually sweat very much and I can tell you it does make a difference for us ladies too.
Hej Verity! Thanks so much for the comment and glad to know you are in agreement about the underarm shaving situation
Although, I’d imagine that after Australian mining camps, most men you come across anywhere probably seem a lot more groomed!
Yes that’s true… they were a rather ungroomed bunch out there. I feel like I have gone between extremes though… now I am in the most groomed place in the world. They don’t need the word metrosexual here because all men are metro by default
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i have been thinking of shaving my armpits for some time, but i never got round to it because i thought that more hair would grow in those areas.I have the same problem as yourself, that is, sweating profusely and really stinking as a result.i intend to start shaving my armpits.Thank you for sharing your experiences
Hey Joseph – I hope it works for you as well as it worked for me! Good luck
Seems like that 1 or 2 minutes every two weeks saves you a lot of sweat and smells!
@Bluegreen Kirk: You have no idea. A non-shaved underarms is no longer an option
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This is a great post.
I just wanted to let you know that you inspired me to go for gold and shave my pits. I also wrote a post about it and why: http://bit.ly/qBeMcs
Thanks for the inspiration Wandering Earl!
~Chais
Hey Chais – I just read your post and I’m happy to hear it turned out so well! And as I mentioned on your site, my apologies for not mentioning that one should wait a few hours after shaving before applying deodorant
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Just wondering what all the ladies think out there! I’ve heard nothing but praise regarding the shaved pits but just curious. I see more and more men shaving. Esp if they’re going sleeveless. The ladies LOVE it; can’t stand the armpit hair at all.
Hey Earl, I started shaving my armpits a few weeks ago and I can definitely say I don’t smell at all anymore. I no longer use antiperspirant, just a bit of deodorant, if at all. I’m definitely saving big on buying deodorant bars. I used to use a lot of deodorant and antiperspirant. Now a bar lasts for so long. Awesome post.
Hey Eddie – It is amazing what one shave can do! Glad to hear you’re another convert
You’re wonderfully mad and delightfully honest, Earl. Always a delight to read. Can’t wait to hear all about your incredible trip to Eastern Europe
Hey Colleen – Glad this post didn’t turn you away! I wasn’t sure at the time if readers wanted to know such information about me
Very interesting! After the ridiculous armpit sweat from the heat in India and now SE Asia my solution has been to carry an extra deodorant around and roll it on as needed. It’s functioned to a large extent but surely not as effective shaving which I’d never thought of.
Hey Mike – I don’t even know if armpit shaving is effective in the intense Indian heat! But even if you are still drenched in sweat, chances are that you’ll still smell quite nice without all that hair to soak up odor
I love how honest you are. So refreshing! You’re halarious!
Hey Lori – Well, I just figure that if I’m going to have this blog, I might as well share as much as possible so that people know more about the person behind the posts!
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What do you use for shaving cream, don’t they confiscate it at the airport if you take it carry-on?
Hey Michael – I usually check my luggage even though my backpack can fit on board as I just don’t like carrying it around through airports. But I’ve also recently switched to using a, and I know this sounds odd, LUSH shampoo bar which lasts forever and also acts as shaving cream