Male swimmer wanting to shave (help LOL)

[mlktwins]

So...one of my boys (almost 17) wants to shave his body for a swim meet this weekend.  Pros and cons to this?  He hardly has any arm, check, or back hair, but he wants to shave that anyway.  I do not want him to be hairier after it grows back.  My dad is extremely hairy and I don't want DS1 to end up with the same problem.

At this point, he is not planning to swim in college.  Unless he changes his mind, and he would need to do that very soon, he has the rest of this year and next year left for year round swimming.

I cannot believe I am even asking this question.

[Katy]

He will not grow more hair from shaving. The hair that grows back will be bluntly cut so it will feel itchy for several days, but the idea it will grow back thicker is a lie mothers tell daughters to delay shaving legs. 

[theelfqueen]

Shaving does not make hair grow back thicker - that's a myth.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/expert-answers/hair-removal/faq-20058427

 

[sassenach]

It's a right of passage for teen guy swimmers. If he does it, it won't be a big deal.

That said, I swam in high school and one of my most distinct memories was of a guy friend on the way to a big meet. We were in the bus and he looked like crap. He had shaved the night before and the sheets felt so strange on his skin that he couldn't sleep 😂. But he was super hairy.

[mlktwins]

11 minutes ago, Katy said:

He will not grow more hair from shaving. The hair that grows back will be bluntly cut so it will feel itchy for several days, but the idea it will grow back thicker is a lie mothers tell daughters to delay shaving legs. 

This is what my mom told me when I wanted to shave my upper legs -- LOL.

Maybe that is why I'm concerned -- LOL!

 

[mlktwins]

7 minutes ago, sassenach said:

It's a right of passage for teen guy swimmers. If he does it, it won't be a big deal.

That said, I swam in high school and one of my most distinct memories was of a guy friend on the way to a big meet. We were in the bus and he looked like crap. He had shaved the night before and the sheets felt so strange on his skin that he couldn't sleep 😂. But he was super hairy.

His legs are -- LOL.  He is wanting to do it between the prelims and finals on Saturday.  I'm like no, let's do it tomorrow (Friday)!  He is insisting on a regular razor instead of an electric one?

[MEmama]

It’s nbd, lots of boys shave their bodies for lots of reasons.

There are YouTube videos if he doesn’t know how to do it without cutting himself. 

[mlktwins]

5 minutes ago, MEmama said:

It’s nbd, lots of boys shave their bodies for lots of reasons.

There are YouTube videos if he doesn’t know how to do it without cutting himself. 

Well, he is looking to mom to help -- LOL.  Most parts anyway.

I'm ok with it - I just don't want him to end up like my dad :-).  He just kind of sprung it on me though and the meet is this weekend.

[wintermom]

Shaving for guys can be a useful thing appart from swimming. Anytime they need to have tape applied to the skin for medical or other purposes, shaving the hair in the area can help avoid the pain of removing tape.

 

[MEmama]

Most serious male cyclists shave too, really cuts down on infection when they crash so gravel and dirt don’t get stuck in their gross hair. 
 

[wintermom]

10 minutes ago, mlktwins said:

Well, he is looking to mom to help -- LOL.  Most parts anyway.

I'm ok with it - I just don't want him to end up like my dad :-).  He just kind of sprung it on me though and the meet is this weekend.

I think the male hair growth just happens. Shaving or not shaving isn't going to have any impact at all. It's in the genes.

[maize]

Agreeing with others that shaving won't make hair grow in thicker, that is an old wives' tale.

A common one around the world actually--mothers in China often shave their babies' heads because they believe it makes the hair grow in thick.

[Carrie12345]

I wouldn’t recommend a first timer try it out too close to jumping into chlorine. If he’s bad at it, it’s gonna sting!!!

But yeah, hair follicles don’t know anything about what you’re doing to the ends of your hair, nor do they care.

[wintermom]

1 hour ago, mlktwins said:

So...one of my boys (almost 17) wants to shave his body for a swim meet this weekend. 

Why his entire body? Focus on the non-covered bits and go with the normal swim cap and jammers. Is he going to wear an old-school Speedo? Wouldn't that just be weird these days?

[Elizabeth86]

29 minutes ago, mlktwins said:

Well, he is looking to mom to help -- LOL.  Most parts anyway.

I'm ok with it - I just don't want him to end up like my dad :-).  He just kind of sprung it on me though and the meet is this weekend.

Well he may end up like your dad, but only because of genetics!

[mlktwins]

1 minute ago, Elizabeth86 said:

Well he may end up like your dad, but only because of genetics!

I hope not, but possible.  Hopefully DH's genetics are dominant in this area.

[kbutton]

He’ll either have more hair or he won’t—some people get more and more as they age. 

Not everyone minds remarkable amounts of body hair on themselves or their spouse. I would avoid framing excess hair as a problem. ***ETA: I understand swimming involves shaving. I am talking about being negative about body hair in everyday life.

Edited March 31, 2022 by kbutton

[prairiewindmomma]

Regular razors will create a smoother shave of really hair legs than electric. My teen boys played around with that last summer. 
 

I also agree general bodily hairiness comes down to genes. I have one super hairy teen and one who barely has any leg hair. Same parents, different genetic expression 🤷‍♀️

[mlktwins]

18 minutes ago, kbutton said:

He’ll either have more hair or he won’t—some people get more and more as they age. 

Not everyone minds remarkable amounts of body hair on themselves or their spouse. I would avoid framing excess hair as a problem. ***ETA: I understand swimming involves shaving. I am talking about being negative about body hair in everyday life.

I hear you.  They have seen my dad over the years.  They don't mind some, but they are hoping not to have that much - especially on their backs.  It truly is a lot.  It was not fun getting the electrodes and IV tape off dad 2 weeks ago when he was released from the hospital (he actually punched my DH in the face when they were taking off the IV tape).

DS1 also plans to do more bodybuilding in college.  I'm guessing he will want to continue to be on the hairless side however that happens.

ETA:  I'm sorry if I have offended anyone.  I have pretty hairy arms - my mom and my dad did/do.  I hated it in high school, but I got over it.  We will see what happens with the boys.  

 

Edited March 31, 2022 by mlktwins

[wintermom]

There are also other options to shaving body hair, apparently. Canadian comedian, Russell Peters, has some great bits around body hair.

 

[vonfirmath]

2 hours ago, theelfqueen said:

Shaving does not make hair grow back thicker - that's a myth.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/expert-answers/hair-removal/faq-20058427

 

...I just told my daughter this.  (Well, darker. Not thicker) YUikes

[zimom]

1 hour ago, wintermom said:

Why his entire body? Focus on the non-covered bits and go with the normal swim cap and jammers. Is he going to wear an old-school Speedo? Wouldn't that just be weird these days?

No.  Many top swimmers wear old-school Speedos.  Generally for top meets they will wear a tech suit jammer, but I have seen more than my share of teen young men walking around in Speedos at practice and meets.  

[wintermom]

I guess I've only seen swimming competitions on TV (Olympics) recently. 😅 Hey, it's their body and sometimes you just gotta try shaving something and find out whether it was worth it or not. 

Edited March 31, 2022 by wintermom

[mlktwins]

14 minutes ago, zimom said:

No.  Many top swimmers wear old-school Speedos.  Generally for top meets they will wear a tech suit jammer, but I have seen more than my share of teen young men walking around in Speedos at practice and meets.  

My guys wear tech suit jammers.  DS1 doesn't want the hair poking through the jammers.

[PaxEtLux]

Around here, when the boys shave down before a big swim meet, they make a party out of it, and all do it together, and turn it into a "male bonding" experience.  I suspect that usually there's at least one boy in the group who has the wisdom to quietly ask a sister for advice, and passes that on.

[kbutton]

1 hour ago, mlktwins said:

I hear you.  They have seen my dad over the years.  They don't mind some, but they are hoping not to have that much - especially on their backs.  It truly is a lot.  It was not fun getting the electrodes and IV tape off dad 2 weeks ago when he was released from the hospital (he actually punched my DH in the face when they were taking off the IV tape).

DS1 also plans to do more bodybuilding in college.  I'm guessing he will want to continue to be on the hairless side however that happens.

ETA:  I'm sorry if I have offended anyone.  I have pretty hairy arms - my mom and my dad did/do.  I hated it in high school, but I got over it.  We will see what happens with the boys.  

 

Not offended—I just know that some people can be really negative about it in the larger culture. I don’t think people need to be pressured into being discontent with a range of features that are common.

I can imagine taping for medical stuff would be a pain—I guess offering to shave or clip in the affected areas would be useful. 

[mlktwins]

12 minutes ago, kbutton said:

Not offended—I just know that some people can be really negative about it in the larger culture. I don’t think people need to be pressured into being discontent with a range of features that are common.

I can imagine taping for medical stuff would be a pain—I guess offering to shave or clip in the affected areas would be useful. 

That wasn't the priority when the ambulance picked him up 😋.  I will remember to do that if I have something planned where it will be beneficial.

[wintermom]

1 hour ago, PaxEtLux said:

Around here, when the boys shave down before a big swim meet, they make a party out of it, and all do it together, and turn it into a "male bonding" experience.  I suspect that usually there's at least one boy in the group who has the wisdom to quietly ask a sister for advice, and passes that on.

That's pretty funny. I cannot imagine the same thing among a group of girls. It's more of a private thing for us, and the fact that we might have hair in places we don't want is not discussed and should not be mentioned. 🤪

[katilac]

5 hours ago, wintermom said:

Why his entire body? 

It's perhaps best to not question that 😁

1 hour ago, wintermom said:

That's pretty funny. I cannot imagine the same thing among a group of girls. It's more of a private thing for us, and the fact that we might have hair in places we don't want is not discussed and should not be mentioned. 🤪

I'm going to say that different groups of girls discuss different things for sure, and leave it at that, lol 

[PaxEtLux]

7 hours ago, mlktwins said:

At this point, he is not planning to swim in college. 

 

Most NCAA/NAIA intercollegiate swim programs (even D III) require an enormous time investment, and I can't recommend them for most students.

However, are you familiar with college club swimming?  I have seen so many great experiences with students in college club swimming.  Club requires much less time investment, usually a couple of practices a week, all voluntary.  The students run the practices, and they usually get a couple of meets a year against college clubs at different schools, often with one travel meet.  For kids who like the pool, and have spent years in USA club or high school swimming, it is a great way to get exercise, have a friend group with similar interests, and gain some leadership experiences; all while still being able to prioritize classwork and being a student.

[theelfqueen]

6 hours ago, mlktwins said:

I hope not, but possible.  Hopefully DH's genetics are dominant in this area.

In general - men get hair genes from their mothers (or so I've been told - especially related to hair loss). 

[Longtime Lurker]

All the swimmers shave before big meets and it does help some with dropping time. No reason not to. It's just hair.

[J-rap]

Definitely a thing!  My ds swam and many of his teammates did this.  (Not their heads though, since they wore caps.)  It really is very common, and is fine.  Even if it just drops a fraction of a second, sometimes that makes a difference.  Apparently it does make a difference!