I’ve been covering men’s grooming for well over a decade, and in that time, I’ve seen body razors go from a fringe category to a bathroom staple. And it tracks. Most guys do some form of body grooming these days, whether that’s cleaning up the pits in summer, trimming back hair, or, of course, keeping things tidy down there. As Caitlin Orszulak, product researcher at Procter & Gamble, tells me, men taking care of their body hair is “no longer a niche behavior.” In fact, “Our research shows that 50% of men’s first shaves happen on the body, not the face, and 60% of men under 35 remove hair from their bodies regularly.” This is all well and good, but there’s just one problem: “They’re doing it with tools that aren’t designed for the job.”
A razor designed for your jawline has no business moonlighting south of the border, and it’s not just a question of good hygiene. “Body shaving is very different from face shaving,” says Orszulak. For starters, “many men shave their bodies in the shower rather than at the sink, which means they’re often working in poor lighting with wet, slippery hands,” conditions where grip and trust in the blade matter even more. There’s also a significant difference between the type of hair on your body and on your face. “Because men typically shave their bodies less frequently, the hair is often longer, curlier, can grow in multiple directions, and may lie flat against the skin,” she explains. “Add in larger surface areas, varying skin thicknesses, and harder-to-reach spots, and body shaving becomes a very different challenge than shaving your face.” Use the wrong razor or trimmer, and you’re more likely to deal with razor burn, ingrown hairs, and nicks in places you’d really rather not nick.
The good news is, you don’t need a dozen gadgets taking up bathroom real estate — just two, in my view: a manual razor for close, skin-level shaving and an electric trimmer for maintenance and touch-ups. After trying just about everything under the bathroom lights, the two sabres I always reach for are Gillette Lab’s new Body + Intimate Razor and the tried-and-true, modern classic Philips Norelco OneBlade. The Gillette is what I use for a close shave in the shower; the OneBlade handles just about everything else, wet or dry. Summer may be peak manscaping season, but these are tools you’ll reach for all year long. Let’s get into them.
For Close Shaves: Gillette Labs Body + Intimate Razor
Gillette Labs
Body + Intimate Razor For Men
I’ve used Gillette as my primary face razor since I first started shaving, and while I’ve had plenty of other favorites on deck, the Fusion5 has always been my trusty standby. So, when I heard the brand was launching an all-over body razor, I had some faith it was going to be good. Turns out, it’s great. After grilling Gillette’s R&D team at the launch event, it became apparent that this wasn’t some half-baked answer to the body grooming boom. Instead, it’s a thoroughly researched response to a market gap that surprisingly few brands have addressed: a manual razor designed specifically for men’s body shaving.
A ton of engineering is packed into what looks like a simple razor. The biggest difference comes down to the two-blade cartridge. Body hair is longer and curlier, so Gillette essentially started from scratch, rather than repurposing one of its face razors. The distance between the guard bar and the first blade is almost twice that on Gillette’s face razors, allowing longer hairs to enter more easily, and reducing the strokes required. The cartridge also features an Anti-Irritation Bar, and an Anti-Ingrown Bar that absorbs pressure and maintains consistent blade spacing. This matters because, per Orszulak, “one of the ways ingrown hairs form is when hair is cut below the skin’s surface.” By keeping the blades farther apart, the cartridge cuts hair at skin level, helping reduce irritation, razor burn, and those ingrowns.
Using the razor, I immediately recognized that the handle is very lightweight, in a textured rubber, and noticeably wider, making it easy to control even with wet hands. I expected these safer tweaks. I didn’t expect it to cover so much ground with so few passes, or give me the confidence to move quickly without constantly worrying about nicks. Underarms were a breeze, and awkward contours were easy to navigate thanks to the flexing head. (The magnetic wall holder is a nice touch for shower storage, too.)
