One of the things that sucks about aging is you seem to lose the hair on your head while other parts of your body find it. What’s up with that? If you’re dealing with excessive body hair on your chest, neck, back or arms, there are plenty of ways for guys to get rid of hair. Let’s take a look at some of your options.
Waxing for Back Hair and Arm Hair
Men who have excessive back hair, arm hair, or chest hair may consider waxing as an effective method of treatment. If you’re waxing for back hair or have never removed hair this way before, it’s best to have this procedure done by a professional. A professional waxing will cost you anywhere from $10-$70 depending on how much surface area there is.
During the treatment, a thin waxy substance will be smoothed over your skin where you want to get rid of hair. Long strips of muslin cloth will be placed over the wax. The mixture will dry in about 10-15 minutes and the specialist will pull the muslin strips, which will pull at the wax, and remove the hair by the follicle. Since skin infection can develop after a waxing, you’ll need to use an antibacterial skin lotion for a couple of days.
Results from waxing will last anywhere from four to six weeks.
Sugaring to Get Rid of Hair
Sugaring is very similar to waxing except that it uses natural ingredients instead of chemicals to remove excessive body hair. Sugaring can be done at home with a few simple, inexpensive ingredients. If the hair is on your back, you’ll need someone to help you remove it.
For your hair removal recipe, you’ll need 2 cups of white cane sugar, ¼ cup of lemon juice, and ¼ cup of water. In a heavy saucepan, heat the mixture on a medium-high heat and stir it often to avoid scorching. Once it comes to a boil, turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer for 25 minutes. The mixture will darken into an amber color. Remove the mixture from the heat and allow it to cool for ten minutes. Put the mixture in an airtight container and place in the fridge. Once it has cooled, it is ready to use.
Before using the mixture, you’ll need to clean all dirt and oil off of your skin. This means washing the area thoroughly or just taking a shower. Next, apply a light coating of baby powder or cornstarch to the area you plan to sugar. When using the mixture, it should be cool enough not to burn your skin but not cold. Room temperature is best. For large body areas, you might want to get a glove as you’ll need a lot of the stuff.
Grab the gooey mixture up and roll it around in a ball. The heat of your hands will warm up the sugary wax and make it more pliable. Using some pressure, apply the mix to the hair in the opposite direction of its growth. Leave it on for a minute or two then pull it the wax off in the same direction the hair is growing.
This technique can get tricky and might not be the best way for some men to get rid of unwanted hair. However, it’s completely natural and less painful than some other hair removal methods. The effects of sugaring last similar to those of waxing, approximately 4-6 weeks.
Depilatory Creams for Excessive Body Hair
Depilatory creams use chemicals to attack the proteins in hairs and dissolve them. They can be picked up at nearly any pharmacy and cost approximately $5 to $10 dollars, depending on the product. Before using the cream, clean and dry the area thoroughly. Then, apply the cream and allow to sit on your skin for 3-5 minutes. Using a washcloth and warm water, wipe the cream and hair from your skin.
Before using a depilatory cream, test a small, inconspicuous area of your skin first. Some men may have an allergic reaction to the chemicals. Also, don’t use the cream on sensitive areas like your genitals. With depilatory creams, you won’t get the same results as waxing or sugaring. Your skin will only be hair-free for a week or two.
Trimming Your Chest Hair
If you have excessive chest hair, your first thought might be to wax or shave it off completely. But hold on. There’s nothing wrong with having a little bit of chest hair. Instead, try trimming it up a little. The well-groomed man shouldn’t have chest hair that’s longer than half an inch. You can use small scissors to keep your chest hair neat and groomed or electric clippers for a neater, more even look.
Tweezing for Smaller Areas

If you’ve got kind of a unibrow thing going on or just want to remove a few irritating stray hairs, tweezing can be you best option. Some men don’t know how to tweeze properly since they’re just not used to it. No problem. It’s actually easier than you think.
First, tweezing can be a bit uncomfortable so it’s best to do it right when your follicles are relaxed from a hot shower. For best results, use a good pair of tweezers with a firm grip. With eyebrow tweezing, start in the middle and remove dark, stray hairs.
When you get to the eyebrows, stick to just removing a few hairs from the main shape. To avoid tweezing more hair than you should, put a pencil to either side of your nose. Where the tip stops is where you should stop tweezing. Taking too much off will make your brows look too feminine. Here’s a visual example.
More Permanent Hair Removal Options
For men with excessive body hair who are looking for more permanent hair removal options, there’s laser hair removal and electrolysis. Both can get a bit costly but they will provide months, years or even permanent excessive body hair removal.

1. Laser Hair Removal

Men who want their chest hair, back hair or arm hair to be significantly thinned can turn to laser hair removal. The average man will need 4-5 treatments for successful hair thinning. After that, you’ll only need to get repeat procedures once a year. Laser hair removal works best on men with light skin with dark hair. If you’re a man of color, there is a special type of laser designed for your skin tone. Laser removal works by penetrating the hair shaft and killing the hair root. The cost can be anywhere between $200-$500 per treatment and will vary depending on how much hair you need removed.

2. Electrolysis

For a permanent solution to excessive body hair, there’s electrolysis. Electrolysis uses an ultra-slim needle to penetrate the individual hair shaft and kill the cells that make the hair. The only drawback to this type of hair removal procedure is it can take up to one year of treatment for permanent results. At $40 per treatment, this can get costly for some guys.
Excessive hair, whether on your eyebrows, back, chest or arms can be unsightly and unappealing. These techniques can smooth your skin and make you look more well-groomed and attractive to women. Try a few different hair removal methods and you’ll find the right one for you.