Why are women oiling their pubic hair? I tried it to find out
WORDS BY SARAH ROWE
“I do think there is something really beautiful in celebrating a part of the female body we are so often told to apologise for.”
As a female, I’ve been taught there are numerous features of my body I should feel ashamed of, and attempt to redeem or apologise for. These include the bags under my eyes, the paleness of my complexion and the shortness of my nail beds (yes, really).
I’m sure most of the femme population reading this could name numerous aspects of their looks that they wish they could change. Maybe these are features you’ve always felt a little insecure about, or maybe they were pointed out to you by a tactless family member or friend.
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There’s one particular feature of the female body we’ve been taught to feel ashamed of – pubic hair. The first time I realised pubic hair was shameful was in my late teens. I was on a school trip to Japan, and my friends and I were giggling at the prospect of seeing each other naked on our trip to the onsen, a Japanese hot spring.
The night before, my friends started talking about their pubic hair regimes. Before this point, I’d never touched my pubic hair, let alone had a regime. And from the way my friends were talking, it seemed a grooming routine was necessary. It was also becoming clear that a ‘full bush’ was not something to be proud of.
I had somehow missed the memo that we were meant to be tending to that area (my mum didn’t let me buy Dolly magazine as a teen… maybe that’s why I wasn’t clued into this sophisticated practice?). Since then, I’ve experimented with various methods of hair removal. I went through a period of Brazilian waxing from about age 18, then moved on to laser (which I didn’t stick with) before deciding I didn’t like being bare and went to standard bikini waxing.
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Recently, I stumbled across Emma Watson’s The Top Shelf feature in Into the Gloss. Aside from learning Emma has a daily bath, and sometimes even two or three baths a day (How does she have the time? Is she existing in an alternative universe where there are more than 24 hours in the day?), I also learnt Emma uses a product called Fur Oil on her pubic hair.
I found it refreshing that Emma actually spoke about her pubic hair. Not only that, but she actually celebrates her pubic hair by treating it with its very own product. Ever enticed by the recommendations of celebs, I decided to try out the Fur Oil. One of my favourite things about the product is the packaging – it comes in an elegant, spherical bottle that could easily be mistaken for a bottle of perfume or a bougie face oil.
The oil is said to be specifically designed for pubic hair and skin, claiming to gently soften and clear pores for fewer ingrown hairs. It contains grape seed and jojoba oil, as well as clary sage and tea tree. The oil is super light, and while it appears to be a yellowy-golden colour in the bottle, it goes on clear.
The tea tree scent was a tad strong for my taste but inoffensive. I was pleased the oil seems to absorb quickly, and the tea tree seems to dissipate into a sort of light, almost minty fragrance. Regardless of whether the oil works in the ingrown hair sense, I do think there is something really beautiful in celebrating a part of the female body we are so often told to apologise for.
Plus, I think for many of us, the joy of skincare is in the ritual of it, rather than the product itself. And unlike other skincare products, which appear to be targeted at fixing problems – removing acne, reducing scars, smoothing wrinkles – Fur Oil seems to do the opposite.
It encourages us to pamper, rather than ‘fix’ an area we have been told for so long is a problem. So regardless of whether I continue to use Fur Oil or opt to just keep the fancy bottle, I think the ritual of pampering pubic hair is both subversive and beautiful.
For more on pubic hair and beauty standards, head here.
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