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Bikini waxing is the removal of pubic hair using a special wax, which can be hot or cold, that adheres to hairs and pulls them out when the wax is removed quickly from the skin, usually with a cloth strip. While the practice is mainly associated with women, male waxing to remove men's pubic hair has become a more common practice.<ref>Template:Citation</ref>
A bikini line is the area of the upper leg and inner thigh in which pubic hair grows that is normally not covered by the bottom part of a swimsuit.<ref name="Embod1" /> In some cultures, visible pubic hair in this region is disliked and/or considered embarrassing and so it is sometimes removed.<ref name="Embod1">Template:Citation</ref> However, some people remove pubic hair that will not be exposed for aesthetics, personal grooming, hygiene, culture, religion, fashion and for sexual intercourse.
TechniqueEdit
Pubic hair can be removed in a number of ways, such as waxing, shaving, sugaring, electrolysis, laser hair removal or with chemical depilatory creams. Waxing involves applying melted, usually hot, wax to the pubic hair that an individual would like to remove. The wax, which adheres to the hair as it hardens, is then covered with small strips of cloth. When the wax hardens sufficiently, the cloth is pulled off quickly, removing the hair from its roots as the wax is pulled away. Waxing can be performed on oneself privately using a home kit or by a cosmetologist at a salon or spa.<ref name=Cosmo/>
If a person has never been waxed before, or has not been waxed for a long time, it may be necessary to trim the pubic hair using scissors or an electric razor prior to waxing.<ref name="milady">Helen Bickmore; Milady's Hair Removal Techniques: A Comprehensive Manual; Thomson Delmar Learning; 2003; Template:ISBN</ref><ref name="Ovat">Lia Schorr, Shari Miller Sims & Shari Sims, SalonOvations' Advanced Skin Care Handbook, pages 94–95, 117-118, Cengage Learning, 1994, Template:ISBN</ref> A patch test is recommended, usually on the upper thigh, to test for allergies or skin sensitivities to the ingredients in the wax. Sometimes a hair growth inhibitor is applied after waxing, which slows the regrowth of hair if applied daily for an extended period of time.<ref name=Cosmo>Template:Citation</ref>
It is common to apply an antiseptic cleaner and powder to the area prior to waxing. Wax is applied with a spatula in the direction of hair growth the size of a strip about Template:Convert wide and Template:Convert long. When the wax is set but still pliable, the wax strips are pulled away against the direction of hair growth while keeping the skin taut. The strip is ideally pulled off as swiftly as possible.<ref name=milady />
The pubic area is one of the most sensitive areas in the body and during the procedure special attention must be paid to avoid irritation.Template:Citation needed Pain directly resulting from the procedure can be slight or severe and can continue from several seconds to several minutes. Some people experience less pain during subsequent treatments. It can be helpful to take a mild anti-inflammatory medication (such as ibuprofen) an hour or so before waxing to reduce potential pain from the waxing.<ref>Michael J. Klag, Johns Hopkins Family Health Book, page 769, HarperCollins, 1999, Template:ISBN</ref> Products such as topical anesthetics are available to lessen the pain involved.<ref name=Cosmo/> A bikini wax during pregnancy is generally more painful, due to increased sensitivity.<ref>Linda Murray, Leah Hennen & Jim Scott, The Babycenter Essential Guide to Pregnancy and Birth, page 576, Rodale, 2005, Template:ISBN</ref> The type of wax used for bikini lines is often made from a mixture of beeswax and tall oil rather than the more common synthetic waxes used for waxing regular leg hair. Beeswax is considered stronger and more effective at removing the thicker and coarser pubic hair.<ref>Susan Cressy & Margaret Rennie, Beauty Therapy Fact File, page 293, Heinemann, 2004, Template:ISBN</ref>
Sometimes bumps or in-grown hair can result from waxing. Isolated hairs can be removed with tweezers or electrolysis.<ref name="Ovat" /> Discomfort following the procedure generally lasts two to five days or less.<ref>Hilda Hutcherson, Pleasure, page 190, Perigee, 2006, Template:ISBN</ref> Application of egg oil for a few days post-waxing can help moisturize the skin and reduce inflammation, pain or growth of bacteria.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> With repeated removal over time, pubic hair becomes weaker and grows more slowly, leading to easier removal with less pain and less frequent waxing.<ref name=WomansDay>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
StylesEdit
Some people modify their pubic hair either to fit in with societal trends or simply as an expression of their own style or lifestyle, while others object to any styling or do not practice it because of cost considerations.<ref name=telegraph>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=thedailybeast>Template:Cite news</ref>
"Natural" (also known as "au natural" or "bush") refers to pubic hair that has not been removed, trimmed or styled at all.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> "Trimmed" or "cut" refers to pubic hair that has been shortened, but not completely removed other than shaving the inner thighs. Some women trim, but keep hair on their labia, while removing the pubic hair on the mons pubis. Pubic hair may be styled into several basic styles<ref name=milady />Template:Rp<ref name=essort>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=BrBi>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> which are often referred to by different names.<ref name=SalE>Template:Cite book</ref> Salons often use their own unique names for common types of waxing, for example referring to a Brazilian with a "landing strip" as a "Mohican" or a "Hollywood" as "Full Monty".<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
The three major types are described below:
American waxingEdit
American waxing is the removal of only the pubic hair that would not be covered by a swimsuit. For a bikini, it would be hair at the top of the thighs and under the navel. It is also known as a "basic bikini wax",<ref name=milady /><ref name=essort /><ref name=BrBi /> "triangle", or "bikini line", as it involves waxing hair from the sides to form a triangle so that pubic hair cannot be seen while wearing a swimsuit.<ref name=landingstrip>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Bikini bottoms or underwear are usually worn while getting an American wax. A normal American waxing job takes about 20 to 30 minutes to complete.<ref name=milady />
Template:Anchor French waxingEdit
French waxing (sometimes called a landing strip or a partial Brazilian wax) leaves a vertical strip of pubic hair about Template:Convert wide and Template:Convert long just above the vulva.<ref name=milady /><ref name=essort /><ref name=SalE /> Hair around the anus area and labia may be removed. The landing strip wax has become popular with models wearing garments that are very narrow in the crotch region.Template:Citation needed To create the "landing strip" (a line of hair) practitioners and clients prefer either lying face up or lying face down. Sometimes hard wax is used, though strip wax works as effectively.<ref name=milady />
Brazilian waxingEdit
Brazilian waxing (or the sphinx wax<ref name="weigle">Weigle, Elizabeth Anne. The American trend of female pubic hair removal. Diss. uga, 2009.</ref>) is the removal of all pubic hair from the pelvic region, labia, perineum,<ref name=salon>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=BVio>Template:Cite book</ref> and anus, while sometimes leaving a thin strip of hair on the mons pubis.<ref name=milady /><ref name=essort /><ref name=BrBi /><ref name=SalE /><ref name=Boston>Template:Cite book</ref> It can be used by those who wear thong bikinis.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Brazilian waxing is also known as a full Brazilian wax, full bikini wax, or the Hollywood wax.<ref name=milady /><ref name=BrBi /><ref name=SalE /> This style was first called the Brazilian wax by the J. Sisters salon in Manhattan, founded in 1987 by seven sisters named Padilha from Brazil.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Brazilian waxing is more controversial than other types of waxing.<ref name=KirM>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="Joannides (2006)">Template:Cite book</ref> Like all waxing, it can be a physically painful experience during and after waxing.<ref name=salon /><ref name="Joannides (2006)" /><ref name=BVio/><ref name=GodS>Template:Cite book</ref> Some believe it is more unpleasant to receive cunnilingus from a bearded partner after getting a Brazilian wax.<ref name="Joannides (2006)" /><ref name=GodS /> Some critics of the procedure believe that Brazilian waxing can contribute to making an adult woman look underage, claiming that this may be one reason for its popularity in the sex industry.<ref name=Boston /><ref name=KirM /><ref name=GodS /> There is also a health risk involved if it is not done properly, as well as a risk of infection if done on a person with a weakened immune system.<ref name=Tweed>Template:Cite news</ref>
HealthEdit
In 2016, the Journal of the American Medical Association published a study in which it was found that out of 3,316 American women surveyed, 84% reported a history of lifetime pubic hair grooming, with 59% reporting that the primary motivations for grooming were for hygienic purposes.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name=":1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Bikini waxing has been credited with a significant global reduction in cases of pubic lice.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> However, the medical community has also seen a recent increase in folliculitis, or infection around the hair follicle, in women who wax or shave their bikini areas.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Social attitudesEdit
In Islam, the removal of unwanted body hair is known as an act of fitra.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> In India, ethnologist F. Fawcett writing in 1901, had observed the removal of body hair, including pubic hair about the vulva, as a custom of women from the Hindu caste group known as Nair.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> In Western societies, removal of female body hair (except for head hair, eyelashes and eyebrows) has traditionally been considered appropriate when it was visible.<ref name=Embod1 />
The styling of pubic hair has become more fashionable as the coverage of swimwear has decreased, following innovations such as the introduction of the bikini in 1946 and the removal of skirts from swimsuits.<ref name=Embod1 /> The popularity of even briefer swimwear, such as the thong which exposes the buttocks, has led to the removal of more pubic hair.
Changes in lingerie styles also encouraged the removal of pubic hair,<ref name=milady />Template:Rp and the nude crotchTemplate:Nsmdnsi.e., the total removal of pubic hair, such as in a full Brazilian or the Sphinx styleTemplate:Nsmdnsbecame considered by many to be erotic and glamorous. A nude crotch is considered by some to be more youthful looking.<ref name=Embod1 />Template:Rp According to Tschachler, Devine and Draxlbauer, removal of all visible body hair has come to be seen as an important aspect of femininity.<ref name=Embod1 />Template:Rp