# stubble vs. never shaved hair **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 2, 2011, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stubble-vs-never-shaved-hair/584062 "2011-06-02T06:36:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stubble-vs-never-shaved-hair/584062/1 "2011-06-02T06:36:45Z")
How would hair that was never shaved look/feel vs. hair that was shaved semi-regularly? For example: a woman who decided at some point to stop shaving her armpits or nether regions vs. a woman who never shaved those places to begin with. ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stubble-vs-never-shaved-hair/584062/2 "2011-06-02T07:44:38Z")
There’s no difference, once the hair has grown back to its normal state. It’s a myth that shaved hair grows back heavier. ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stubble-vs-never-shaved-hair/584062/3 "2011-06-02T08:33:40Z")
I guess the post-shaved hair would have a blunter end than never-shaved hair? ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 8:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stubble-vs-never-shaved-hair/584062/4 "2011-06-02T08:38:13Z")
> [@sandra\_nz](#): > > I guess the post-shaved hair would have a blunter end than never-shaved hair? Only as it grows out. The cut end gets smoothed over time. ---
**Author:** ![beartato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9d8465/32.png) [@beartato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beartato)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stubble-vs-never-shaved-hair/584062/5 "2011-06-02T09:02:10Z")
I never understand how people can believe this myth, when they say shaving hair makes it “grow back darker and thicker”. Shaving the hair only trims it down; how could it change the colour or thickness of the hair? ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stubble-vs-never-shaved-hair/584062/6 "2011-06-02T09:15:33Z")
> [@Shakester](#): > > It’s a myth that shaved hair grows back heavier. …given sufficient time for an entire cycle of all hair that was shaved dropping out and being replaced by a soft-ended hair. That can be quite a while. Ask anyone who’s ever shaved their balls. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stubble-vs-never-shaved-hair/584062/7 "2011-06-02T10:27:26Z")
> [@beartato](#): > > I never understand how people can believe this myth, when they say shaving hair makes it “grow back darker and thicker”. Shaving the hair only trims it down; how could it change the colour or thickness of the hair? Exactly. Eventually hair would be so thick we’d be growing [horns](http://mindsprints.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/rhinoceros.jpg) out of our faces if it were true. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stubble-vs-never-shaved-hair/584062/8 "2011-06-02T10:34:44Z")
> [@etv78](#): > > How would hair that was never shaved look/feel vs. hair that was shaved semi-regularly? For example: a woman who decided at some point to stop shaving her armpits or nether regions vs. a woman who never shaved those places to begin with. Do you want pictures? ---
**Author:** ![beartato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9d8465/32.png) [@beartato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beartato)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stubble-vs-never-shaved-hair/584062/9 "2011-06-02T11:28:00Z")
I can lend something anecdotal to the thread. First, my body hair is quite light in colour. I’ve been shaving and waxing my leg hair between knee and ankle from about the age of 13 or so. On occasions of wearing a shorter skirt, I might shave another two or three inches above my knee. The hair on my legs above that has never been shaved or waxed. In the winter, or when hiking for a few weeks, I’ll often skip shaving/waxing altogether. The hair that grows in on my lower legs (regularly cut or removed), mid legs (rarely cut or removed), and upper legs (never cut or removed) looks and feel exactly the same to my touch (save the stubbly few days when the blunter ends feel a little prickly). ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stubble-vs-never-shaved-hair/584062/10 "2011-06-02T12:19:52Z")
Moved Cafe Society --\> GQ. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stubble-vs-never-shaved-hair/584062/11 "2011-06-02T15:59:16Z")
Speaking as someone who shaved for many years, and a little less than a year ago went full-body-hair, the hair is as soft and fluffy as it would be if I’d never shaved. At first when it grows back it’s blunter, but new hair gets pushed out and it regrows to its “natural state” over time. I actually rather like my leg hair. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stubble-vs-never-shaved-hair/584062/12 "2011-06-02T20:31:24Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > Moved Cafe Society –\> GQ. Thought it’d get moved, just not to here. (not questioning) ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stubble-vs-never-shaved-hair/584062/13 "2011-06-02T20:48:31Z")
> [@AClockworkMelon](#): > > Do you want pictures? Sure! I’m home so they can be NSFW. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stubble-vs-never-shaved-hair/584062/14 "2011-06-02T20:49:33Z")
LOL ---
**Author:** ![Unpronounceable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9de0a6/32.png) [@Unpronounceable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unpronounceable)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stubble-vs-never-shaved-hair/584062/15 "2011-06-02T21:30:20Z")
> [@beartato](#): > > I never understand how people can believe this myth, when they say shaving hair makes it “grow back darker and thicker”. Shaving the hair only trims it down; how could it change the colour or thickness of the hair? Well, the obvious answer is that it’s “true” (for a given value of truth.) When a teenager first shaves his face, his beard/mustache hair is going to be pretty downy…but much less so after a few shaves…because he’s still going through puberty. You don’t go from bare-faced to having to shave twice a day overnight. ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2011, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stubble-vs-never-shaved-hair/584062/16 "2011-06-03T04:29:37Z")
It’s hair. It gets softer as new hairs grow out or the older ends get dulled. I need to do my first leg shave of the spring Saturday as I will be (gasp!) wearing a skirt. The stubble is worse looking and feeling than my legs now, but I am nowhere near hippieish enough to skip it. It also saves me some money over the winter in razors, the ones that work well are ridiculously expensive. ---
**Author:** ![Generally\_Giap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85f322/32.png) [@Generally\_Giap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Generally_Giap)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2011, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stubble-vs-never-shaved-hair/584062/17 "2011-06-03T17:02:08Z")
Discovered this on Tuesday, after a mention of Amanda Palmer in the Questionable Content web comic: [http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcoreV10hI8](http://http//www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcoreV10hI8) On point, but skirting NSFW. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2011, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stubble-vs-never-shaved-hair/584062/18 "2011-06-03T17:42:02Z")
> [@Unpronounceable](#): > > Well, the obvious answer is that it’s “true” (for a given value of truth.) > > When a teenager first shaves his face, his beard/mustache hair is going to be pretty downy…but much less so after a few shaves…because he’s still going through puberty. > > You don’t go from bare-faced to having to shave twice a day overnight. That’s right. An almost perfect example of how correlation does not necessarily indicate causation.