Have I been shaving wrong my whole life??

[WashingMatilda]

I am having an existential crisis.
I have just seen a Dove advert and she is shaving her armpits DOWNWARDS.
I have always shaved them upwards, as in from the bottom of the armpit towards my shoulder.
Google has been no help at all.
I'm just staring at the ceiling wondering what else I could have been doing wrong MY WHOLE LIFE.
TELL ME I'M GOING TO BE OKAY.

[Mari50]

I do mine up and down- direction of hair growth is variable.

[Snap8TheCat]

I do mine downwards. Not sure it makes a difference tbh.

[UserThenLotsOfNumbers]

I shave my armpits starting from the top, as that's against the direction the hair grows in.
Does it remove the hair doing it your way? If so then it doesn't matter.

[Myfanwyprice]

I do mine up, then down, then side to side - obviously some weird hair growth going on for me

[SpuriouserAndSpuriouser]

If you're doing it wrong, so am I

[WashingMatilda]

Why do bad things happen to good people.

[Binglesplodge]

Ok but what about legs?!

[ButchyRestingFace]

If we're wrong OP, then I don't want to be right.

and

[ijustwannadance]

Upwards for the last 30 years!

[WashingMatilda]

UserThen it removes it, but I have always seemed to have a darker 'shadow' of hair there than I've noticed on other people IYKWIM.

[dementedpixie]

I do my pits in all directions as there are different patterns of hair growth. I shave up towards my knees for my legs

[WashingMatilda]

I do legs from the my ankle upwards. That's definitely right.

RIGHT??

[Niamhisnotarealname]

You should shave WITH the direction of hair growth, not against. Wether that's up or down doesn't matter. Shaving against is how you get on growing hairs and nicked skin.

[Niamhisnotarealname]

*in growing hairs. obviously. Waxing is superior however to shaving and removes the underarm shadow.

[KweenOfFarts]

Downwards then sometimes side to side.

But then sometimes upwards, it depends if I have kids shouting mum outside the bathroom door, one thing for sure is I can shave in record time!

[The80sweregreat]

I shave upwards on pits and legs.

[WashingMatilda]

But how do you know what direction the hair is growing in??

[ThinkOfAWittyNameLater]

Up. Down. Side to side (both ways). It's the only way I can effectively get rid of all the hair - it grows in a sort of crop circle pattern!

[FannyWisdom]

Just me that does the Union flag then?

[RhodaBorrocks]

Don't worry Myfanwy I shave sideways too.

And to get the best possible shave on my legs I go up then down. Gets it really close and no ingrown hairs.

And I always use conditioner or oil. Much better than any shaving foam.

[WashingMatilda]

Well colour me educated.

Fanny I'm going to start doing that now.

[UserThenLotsOfNumbers]

Up
Down
Shave it all around

[ILostItInTheEarlyNineties]

You're going to have to stop shaving your arm pits for a month to assess the direction of growth I'm afraid Matilda.

[plantsitter]

DH shaves my legs for me and he does it downwards. They are much smoother and less chicken-skinny since he started doing it. Partly because he can be arsed to do a good job, I suspect.

[HidingBehindTheWallpaper]

You're going to have to stop shaving your arm pits for a month to assess the direction of growth I'm afraid Matilda. grin

It’s autumn now. I won’t trouble a razor again until April.