First, this hack will definitely make you look like you have added 5 pounds to your physique.
Adding 5 pounds of real scale-tipping mass instantly is impossible but appearing to have added 5 pounds can easily be done.
How? Remove your body hair. Yes. Removing your chest, belly, and back hair will instantly make you look like you’ve added 5 pounds while also making you look like you’ve dropped your body fat % by a good 3-5 percentage points.
By simply removing body hair, getting tan, and hitting a solid pose under perfect lighting conditions, you can go from amateur to pro in a matter of minutes.
This is referred to as being “half natty” and is a joke coined by master of half-natty settings; Matt Ogus. To understand the importance of body hair removal as a bodybuilder you need to first understand what “half-natty” means and how you can use it to augment your physique.
Understanding Half-Natty Physiques
Welcome to the world of “half-natty” lighting. Matt Ogus is a master promoter of this mystical art wherein you pose shirtless under just the right lighting conditions to maximize the visual effect of your physique.
If you’ve been bodybuilding for any decent length of time, you know it’s all about the angles, the pose, and the lighting. Get any one of these “trifecta requirements” wrong, and you can literally look pounds smaller/weaker than you actually are.
So how do you maximize your half-natty potential?
Well, we’ve actually written a whole guide on how you can best maximize your natty genetics to look “enhanced” without really being enhanced.
While the less hair of you can jump right into the above guide, if you’re like us, you first have to deal with your Chewbacca ass before worrying about posing, tanning, and lighting.
Why You Should Consider Manscaping
Body hair. You spend so much of your time wanting it. From your first wispy little fu-manchu mustache to your tiny inner-pec chest hairs developing hair as a man is one of the manliest things you can do.
Skinny Yoked isn’t hating on body hair; we’d be dumb to do so as most of the world’s strongest men, literally called “strongmen”, who squat our total combined 1RM for reps, all rock the hairy barbarian body look.
Lot of women like running their hands through a forest of chest hair. Just like beards, body hair can be a great accessory when pursuing your ultimate inner Viking.
If you got yourself a gal who loves your bear-like texture, then forget the bodybuilder hair removal thing and just focus on being The Mountain from Game of Thrones.
For bodybuilding, though, having body hair comes with a cost; it dulls your physique. That is why looking to remove as much visible hair as possible should be a top priority. Why?
First, body hair, depending on how dark it is, greatly blurs the lines of your muscle bodies, making the “definition” many bodybuilders strive for harder to obtain. You might have a nice 12% body fat percentage, but because you’re covered in hair and pale as a vampire, nobody can tell.
Removing chest, stomach, and back hair can not only highlight the natural creases and lines of a well-built physique but also allow sunlight to reach your skin, resulting in a tan, which further highlights the shadows and peaks of your physique.
There is a reason all bodybuilding competitions have all the contestants covered in instant tanner; it makes you look more shredded than you really are!
Best Methods for Eliminating Excessive Hair
Over the years, men have been borrowing body hair removal techniques from women, who have been doing this much longer and much more regularly than we have.
Hair removal techniques vary greatly by the amount of pain involved, how permanent it is, and how much it costs.
Choosing a hair removal process requires you first to determine how much pain you can accept, if you want the hair gone forever or just temporarily, and of course, how much cash you have to spend.
No Pain No Gain: Full-Body Waxing
Waxing… you’ve seen it in the movies, you’ve heard your girlfriend talk about it during bikini season, but it’s something you’ve always avoided.
Removing your body hair, such as chest and back hair via waxing can be quite painful, but it can also be done relatively cheaply and, over time, will require fewer and fewer treatments.
If you continue waxing regularly for years, your hair will eventually just give up on life, and you will be successfully hair-free. You have to earn this, however, over the course of hundreds of painful treatments of literally tearing your hair, roots, and all, out of your flesh.
It might be a good idea to get your very first waxing done at a professional salon so you can observe a trained professional so you know exactly how to do it. Once you got the process down, you can buy your own materials off Amazon and get your girlfriend, wife, or very good friend to help you wax your own chest and back.
Here are a couple of things to make sure to look for when shopping around for self-waxing products:
- All natural materials make for less skin irritation
- Don’t accidentally buy facial waxing kits, as the strips are too small for large areas like your chest and back
- Look for out-of-the-box solutions that don’t require a stand-alone melting pot, as the ready-to-use ones can be used during travel
- Look for not only highly reviewed items but items that have sold a lot over time to ensure quality and reliability
Best At Home Waxing Kits
Below are some of the most highly reviewed, natural self-waxing kits that men can use on their chest, back, and legs.
If waxing is just too scary for you, then there are two more options you may want to consider to get that smooth, clean look that accentuates your physique.
Best Body Hair Trimmers
Shaving is definitely the least painful option of all the options here, and over time is also one of the cheapest as well since you only have to invest once in a quality body shaver as opposed to multiple orders of wax.
- The new ULTIMATE PRO Back Shaver's unique patented design will enable you to reach all areas of your back by yourself with ease and shave off all your back hair effortlessly, plus added Power Burst button to shave through extra thick and coarse hair....
When considering purchasing a body hair shaver, there are several key factors to consider. Here are the key features to look for as well as potential pitfalls to avoid:
- Blade Quality: Opt for a shaver with high-quality blades that are sharp and durable. Stainless steel or titanium blades are often preferred as they provide a smooth and precise cut.
- Versatility: Look for a shaver that is designed for body hair grooming specifically. It should be suitable for different areas of the body, including the chest, back, legs, underarms, and sensitive areas.
- Adjustable Length Settings: Ensure that the shaver offers adjustable length settings to cater to various hair lengths and personal preferences. This feature allows you to trim or shave hair to different lengths for a more customized grooming experience.
- Wet and Dry Capability: Consider a shaver that is suitable for both wet and dry use. This versatility allows you to use it in the shower or with shaving creams, gels, or lotions, providing a more comfortable and convenient grooming experience.
- Ergonomic Design: Look for a shaver with an ergonomic design that fits comfortably in your hand. This makes it easier to maneuver and control, especially when reaching difficult areas of the body.
- Battery Life and Charging Options: Check the battery life of the shaver and ensure it offers sufficient runtime for your grooming needs. Additionally, consider whether it is rechargeable and how long it takes to charge fully. Some shavers also offer quick-charge options for added convenience.
- Maintenance and Cleaning: Consider how easy it is to clean and maintain the shaver. Some models come with cleaning brushes or are waterproof, allowing for easy rinsing under running water. Look for shavers with detachable or washable heads for hassle-free cleaning.
- Additional Attachments and Accessories: Some shavers come with additional attachments, such as trimmer attachments for precision trimming or special guards for sensitive areas. Assess whether these extras align with your specific grooming requirements.
Still, in the long run, shaving is one of the quickest and simplest solutions for amateur bodybuilders. It is also the most temporary, so if you only want to look smooth for your summer cut and then go full Sasquatch come winter bulk season, you can do that.
Less Pain But With Compromises: Full-Body Shaving
The best option for the smoothest cut is to get a regular back shaver which is electric and which cuts longer hairs down to much shorter hairs, then to follow that up with a shaving blade, non-electric, to cut those short hairs completely off for a perfectly smooth touch.
In our opinion, the best electric body groomer for men in 2023 is the Mangroomer Ultimate Pro
Best Full-Body Shaver: The Mangroomer Ultimate Pro
Mangroomer is a shaving company that focuses on engineering the best personal shaving solutions for hairy men. They have been the most dedicated to the pain-free removal of body hair, including chest and, more importantly, back hair. Just look at how much they spend on podcast advertising!
The Ultimate Pro is Mangroomer’s best-selling, most highly reviewed trimmer, making it truly deserving of the “Ultimate” name. There’s no doubt this device was invented by a bodybuilder.
- The new ULTIMATE PRO Back Shaver's unique patented design will enable you to reach all areas of your back by yourself with ease and shave off all your back hair effortlessly, plus added Power Burst button to shave through extra thick and coarse hair....
While big companies like Norelco, Philips, Gillette, and Remington all make their own body shavers, they are often more like suped-up face shavers with body attachments.
This means they are great for face/chest/leg shaving, but because of their relatively short handles make back shaving all but impossible. That, however, is where the Mangroomer excels.
With a fully extendable and reticulated arm, the Ultimate Pro is able to reach around over your shoulder and shave the hardest-to-reach parts of your back. This is clutch if you don’t always have someone around to help you reach those hard-to-get places.
The shaving head flexes so it can maintain contact with your back as it is pulled over the natural curves and creases of your lats, rhomboid, and traps.
Once you’ve finished a full electric groom of your back, then you can come back with a non-electric razor to get a perfectly smooth back. How in the heck do you shave your back with a razor, you may ask?
Runner Up: The Bakblade 2.0
Well, just like Mangroomer, there is a company called Bakblade that makes a unique long-handled shaver designed specifically for men looking to shave their back.
Talk about a specialized tool! This thing is akin to the calf training machine: hyper-focused and hyper-effective at what it does.
- STEP UP YOUR GROOMING GAME: BAKBLADE 2.0 DIY back & body shaver is specifically designed to swiftly shave your back and body hair in just minutes. The waterproof mens back shaver gives you a quick and smooth shave without causing pain or discomfort.
The BakBlade 2.0 comes with an easy grip handle for sure use in the shower, a retractable handle to reach even the lowers parts of your back, and a dual-blade holder for unparalleled closeness in shaving.
Since the BakBlade isn’t electric, you can use it wet or try in or out of the shower. The simple design makes this an effective solution for creating a shave similar to waxing in how smooth it can be.
- STEP UP YOUR GROOMING GAME: BAKBLADE 2.0 DIY back & body shaver is specifically designed to swiftly shave your back and body hair in just minutes. The waterproof mens back shaver gives you a quick and smooth shave without causing pain or discomfort.
If you have a girlfriend or wife around to help, you can consider investing in one of the body trimmers from Norelco, Philips, Gilette, or Remington; however, if you live alone or are single, then the one-two knockout punch of the Mangroomer and Bakblade are unrivaled in their body shaving supremacy.
If you don’t like shaving, or if regular back acne makes shaving uncomfortable (see our guide to reducing bodybuilding-related acne outbreaks), then there is one final, high-tech option for removing your hair: lasers!
An Expensive But Long-Lasting Solution: Lasers!
Lasers… can sound scary, but women have been using these things for decades now without issue. Lasers work by zapping just far enough down to kill the hair follicle, which makes it fall out effortlessly without penetrating all the way down to your pain nerves.
Does this mean that you don’t feel laser hair removal at all? Not really, there is a light zapping sensation, but it’s no stronger than a weak electrical static zap you get if you walk on a bunch of carpets and then touch metal.
Also, when removing hair over a large area, you might feel a little heat, but nothing unpleasant.
Overall I would say laser hair removal is less painful than waxing, but obviously not as painless as shaving. It’s kind of in the middle.
The nice part about using lasers to remove your body hair is the hairs very quickly give up growing. Where in waxing, it may take a couple of years for the hair follicle to give up, with lasers, it can happen with as few as 4-5 treatments.
Thus, laser hair removal is ideal for those looking for a long-term, more permanent solution to hair removal. If you want your chest fuzzies growing back in winter, then you’d better stick with infrequent waxing or regular shaving, as outlined above.
Best At Home Laser Hair Removal
If you are particular hair, then we recommend using a professional-grade unit that actually plugs into your wall and can run for longer periods of time as the chest and back combined are two very large surface areas, and the smaller battery-powered handheld units will almost certainly die before completing the job.
Remington iLIGHT Pro VS. Ultra
The top professional-grade body laser hair removal device that consumers can buy is from a familiar and reliable hair removal brand: Remington.
The iLIGHT system can be found in both small business hair removal salons as well as homes across America because it is manufactured by one of the most reliable brands in the personal care electronics industry.
- Up to 94 percent of hair reduction in just 3 treatments
While you may want to skimp on money and buy something made in China from a brand you’ve never heard of, we would not recommend it when it comes to lasers. These can be dangerous tools so getting something from a reputable brand is more important here than elsewhere.
The IPL6000USB iLIGHT system comes with 4 laser units, each capable of 2,000 flashes. The technology is U.S. FDA-cleared and clinically tested. The iLIGHt system has a built-in skin tone sensor to ensure the device is safe for your specific skin type. This kind of sensor is exactly the kind of thing that separates crappy laser units from quality ones.
The iLIGHT comes in various models, the IPL6000USB, the IPL6000Q, and the IPL6000QFB. The differences are simply color, lamp material (glass vs. quartz vs. quartz), and the number of flashes each bulb can emit in a lifetime. The USB is good for 1,500 flashes, the Q is good for 30,000 flashes, and the QFB is good for a whopping 65,000 flashes.
With a solid brand reputation, thousands of positive reviews, and a 2-year warranty, the Remington iLIGHT line is the king of the hill when it comes to professional-grade body hair removal.
There are a few other smaller portable units on the market, like the MLAY IPL laser gun, which is also FDA-approved and safe but operates off battery power, which limits how long it can be used and, thus, the surface area it can cover.
- 【Permanent Ipl Hair Removal】 The mildst effective ipl hair removal technology. suitable for daily use, even on sensitive skin.
Still, the MLAY IPL gun is good for at least 120,000 flashes, has a skin tone sensor, and because of its cord-free design, is optimal for getting into hard-to-reach places like armpits, lower backs, or inner thighs.
Skinny Yoked Conclusion
There you have it, three completely different ways to go about removing your body hair so you can let all your hard-earned gains be noticed by both the sun and the people around you.
The goal of this article isn’t to say body hair is bad, it isn’t at all.
Combine a smooth muscular physique with some nice form-fitting activewear clothes that are cut in a way to accentuate an athletic physique, and you’ll be on a whole new level.
The goal of this article isn’t to say body hair is bad; it isn’t at all. As we’ve already pointed out, many of the world’s strongest men, literally speaking, rock a very hairy look. So do some porn stars and most of the movie stars from the ’70s and ’80s. Seriously, Sean Connery, anyone?
Going old-school and super manly is perfectly fine. We do it ourselves between the months of August and March.
Still, if you are into the art of aesthetics and want to make every last ounce of muscle shine, then getting hairless and getting a tan are two of the quickest wins for upping the overall visual impact of your physique.
So consider dipping your toes into the world of “manscaping” (or just common sense grooming, whatever you want to call it); come this spring/summer and see how you like it!
Last update on 2025-03-22 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Jane Robb
You forgot sugaring. It’s an ancient method of hair removal that is way more gentle than waxing. The sugar only sticks to the hairs and not the skin. You only need 1/8 of an inch of hair. It will gently remove the whole hair bulb. It is not applied hot but slightly warm. Does not cause the irritation that waxing causes. Try it!!
Erik Bowitz
Thanks for the tip!