Unless you live in France or some other foreign country, where it's accepted that females aren't shaving their armpits, it's kind of an unspoken rule that once you have hair in your armpits, you need to start shaving it.

At least in western societies, females are considered uncouth or even unkempt/unclean if they're not shaving their armpits.

Just consider the type of negative press any female well known in the media gets if/when it's revealed she's not shaving her armpits. Remember that shot of Julia Roberts with her arm raised exposing a tuft of dark hair? No matter how much we adore Julia - On some level, this tarnished her "clean" image.

You may disagree with this and you may even be justified to take exception to society dictating how you look, but the truth remains that if you aren't shaving your armpits, you're a bit of an outcast.

I don't know about you, but I believe there are much more important issues to deal with, like stopping the use of animals for testing cosmetic products, protecting children from abuse, preventing domestic violence of all types, caring better for our elderly citizens, right down to cleaning up and preserving our planet, to name a few ... That are much more important than whether or not I have to be shaving my armpits.

I have a good friend who often reminds me, "Choose your battles wisely". Which means we all need to decide what issues are really important enough to fight for. Frankly, not shaving my armpits is not one of them.

Politics aside - It remains that shaving our armpits is a "necessary evil", if you will, of living in this privileged society.

So - The issue becomes, what's the best way of removing hair from our armpits?

I haven't heard it recommended that females use a depilatory to remove under arm hair. Probably because the chemicals are too harsh for this sensitive skin and there's a rumor that these chemicals can be easily absorbed in this area.

Nor have I heard about females having their armpit hair waxed. And honestly, I have to plead ignorance as to why not. There are probably a host of females who are having it done, I just haven't come across any information about it in my research.

That brings us back to shaving our armpits.

And while that sounds simple enough, as with most things, there's a catch.

It's called a wet razor. The shaving tool introduced to me when it came my time to start shaving my armpits.

Unfortunately, no one instructed me about the proper ways to start shaving my armpits with a wet razor, so the majority of my life I just suffered the fire under my arms for the first couple of days after shaving.

One thing I don't understand - In my research, I've seen it suggested, repeatedly, that you can use a white stick deodorant to limit skin abrasions after shaving. Yeah right -

It's a well known fact, (and common sense should tell you), and if all else fails - Just read the back of any deodorant ... The last thing you want to do after, "scraping", your skin raw with a razor is apply a strong, chemical based substance.

Hello ...

Instead, just dust your armpits with a talc free powder, or maybe a little cornstarch. Both of these work great on a baby's bottom to prevent diaper rashes, so you know they'll work to put out the fire of shaving your armpits.

Better yet - You could do some research and find out about newer, safer shaving tools to help you stop setting a fire when shaving your armpits.

I haven't had a fire from shaving my armpits for years. And let me tell you - What a relief.

Bodworx International presents articles, tips, tricks and resources about hair removal for the entire body at http://www.hair-removal-shaver.com