Why do we need hair in our armpits?

Last updated on August 11, 2020

Question:

Why do we even need hair in our armpits? And why do most men not shave their armpit hair off?

Answer:

While everything about our bodies appears to have some purpose, we haven’t always discovered what the purpose might be. There are three things known about underarm hair:

  • It helps to keep the skin under your arms from rubbing against each other. Skin rubbing against skin can be irritating.
  • We have very productive sweat glands under our arms, but the location would normally trap the sweat against the skin. This would prevent the cooling effect that sweat is supposed to produce. The hairs keep a slight separation under the arms, allowing some airflow, but they also wick the moisture away from the skin to where air can carry the moisture away, instead of just running down your sides all the time.
  • 3) Some theorize, and have some small evidence, that sweat glands under our arms and on our groins produce pheromones (scents that are sexually arousing). Like the second answer, the hairs make sure the scents are carried into the air. On the downside, bacteria love these moist areas, so if the underarms and groins are not kept clean, the smell of unwashed bodies overpowers the light scent of pheromones and causes the opposite reaction: “Ewh! You stink!”

Most men are pragmatic. Why do something unless it serves a purpose? That often gets us in trouble because a lot of men would neglect “minor” things like bathing or shaving if it wasn’t for the fact that the women in our lives remind us (which then gives us “reason” to be clean). (Smile) Since clothing styles for men don’t often give our underarms exposure, why bother cutting the hairs, especially since underarm hairs are some of the fastest growing hair on the body?