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What works for your facial hair isn’t always appropriate for manscaping (the tending to, or removal of, hair from a man’s body). “Guys who shave their chest belt, “because that’s very sensitive skin down there. It doesn’t see the sun or wind, which hardens the skin on the rest of our bodies,” says Friend of a Barber’s Mark Miguez.
So I set out to find which tools are the best for manscaping any (and every) area of the body. To compile my list, asked barbers, grooming professionals, and Strategist staff about the tools they recommend (and use themselves). And while the items they recommended are a little different to the ones you’d use on your face, stylist shaving cream just the same.
It’s worth noting that all of my experts recommended an electric trimmer. These trimmers often come with a variety of length guards that are handy for trimming different parts of your body from chest to beard to the groin area. But depending on the level of hairlessness you’re looking to achieve, and how precise or detailed you are in your removal or trimming efforts, you might want to invest in a few extra tools specifically designed to target areas like your back, neck, and the inside of your nostrils. And if you’re interested in more grooming recommendations, you can also read my stories on the best electric razors.
Updated on August 6, 2025
Named Mansscaped Lawn Mower 4.0 my favorite multi-functional trimmer. Checked prices and stock for all products.
What we’re looking for
Corded, cordless, or manual
While it may seem strange to buy a corded electric trimmer when so many are cordless and rechargeable, both Miguez and professional groomer Linh Nguyen say a corded model is going to be more powerful and will last longer; Nguyen has had his corded electric trimmer (which you can read more about below) for ten years. With that said, cordless trimmers are more convenient for travel, feel less cumbersome, and can often be used with water or shaving cream. But the lowest-maintenance tools are those that don’t require electricity at all. Not only are scissors, tweezers, and edge razors very precise, they won’t die on you and never need to be charged.
Ergonomic design
The tools you use to groom your body hair should work with, not against, the angles, curves, and folds of your body and skin. They should also be easy to grip and maneuver, giving you the best shot at a close shave without any nicks or cuts. The tools below have been recommended to me in large part for their carefully considered design, whether it’s a handle that fits perfectly into your palm, a small size that fits into tight spaces, or a pivoting head that follows your body’s topography.
Can be used wet or dry
As I mentioned when I wrote about electric razors, the ability to use a grooming tool in both wet and dry conditions is a major plus. According to barber Craig Whitely, “When your hair is wet, it softens, which allows the blade to move much better — preventing any irritation.” Dermatologist and author Dr. Sandy Skotnicki also advises that a shave in hot water can prevent ingrown hairs. And there’s the added ease of cleaning up any tiny hairs if you do your manscaping in the shower. But not everyone has time to take a shower whenever they want to clean up their hairline or shave their chest, so it’s nice to have the option to groom yourself dry too.
Best overall body-hair trimmer
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Corded | Ergonomic design: Small in size, comes with four guards | Dry use only
Simply put: I love Wahl. Its palm-size Peanut is also beloved by two of my experts as both a chest- and pubic-hair trimmer. Nguyen uses the Peanut to trim his pubic hair because its small size lets him get to hard-to-reach places with greater control. (For those hard-to-reach places, he has a very important tip: “When you’re doing certain wrinkly areas, you have to stretch the skin out” so it’s taut and smooth.) Miguez, who uses the Peanut for his “really crazy” chest hair and around his shoulders, says it is “easy to maneuver and get right up against the shoulder blade and around the neck.”
The Peanut comes with four guards that range from an eighth-inch to a half-inch. Dr. Hartman says that the variety of guards are truly great, not just at making the product versatile, but because they really do help to prevent nicks and cuts. Nguyen uses the shorter guards for trimming around his groin area; without one, he says the skin can “get caught in between the little trimming teeth and that’s how you end up cutting yourself in places you really don’t want to cut.” And Miguez uses the longer guards on his chest, which prevent him from “going too short, where suddenly your sharp hairs are sticking out and poking through your T-shirts.”
Best multifunction body-hair trimmer
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Type of tool: Electric trimmer | Cordless | Ergonomic design: Small size with a built-in light and two length guards | Wet or dry
The Manscaped lawn mower is truly multifunctional. Experts have recommended it to me for pubic-hair trimming, facial trimming, and everywhere in between. Most recently, I spotted it in the hands of Jason Momoa as he shaved his facial hair off for the first time in six years (which, as you can imagine, was quite a lot of hair).
So it’s both powerful and gentle — a great endorsement for a facial razor, but also a great endorsement for a pubic-hair trimmer, say Nguyen and Gilman. Unlike the blade of the Wahl Peanut (which Nguyen won’t use down there without a guard), the blades on the Manscaped Lawn Mower “are so thin and close together it doesn’t grab or yank,” Gilman assures. But because it’s similar in size to the Peanut, he promises it’s “really easy to maneuver and can get wherever you need to get.” It’s also waterproof, so you can use it in the shower; it has 90 minutes of battery life at full charge. Miguez says he’s made it a part of his regular grooming routine, telling me that “the power is just gentle enough, it cuts really smoothly, and it even has a light — it’s just really well thought out.”
Best shaver for a close shave
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Cordless | Ergonomic design: Small and lightweight, with staggered head and hypoallergenic foil | Dry use only
If you’re interested in being completely stubble-free, this profoil lithium shaver will leave you with a truly close shave. Valcin told me it’s the tool that he reaches for when his clients want a “very, very close shave.” “The best way to use it is to shave the area down to zero with a trimmer, then finish with the profoil Lithium for a smooth finish,” he says. With titanium foils and a staggered head, the Lithium provides the close shave of a razor without causing the same irritation or bumps. It’s also ultraprecise and easy to handle, so Peace often recommends it to those who’re shaving areas a little more sensitive than the face where you’ll want to exercise greater caution.
Best pubic-hair trimmer
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Cordless | Ergonomic design: Two double-sided length guards and a built-in anti-nick shaving guard | Wet or dry
Meridian’s Trimmer is cordless, waterproof, ergonomically designed, and small enough for easy maneuvering. Its blade is also designed to prevent nicks and cuts on extra-sensitive skin, even when used without one of the two included guard combs. It even has the same 90-minute battery life of the Manscaped Lawn Mower — at a less-expensive price. With or without the included guards, the gadget delivers a quick, neat trim. The guards are very convenient, though: with different lengths on either end (one spans 3-mm. to 6-mm., the other 9-mm. to 12-mm.), they give you four different lengths to choose from and fewer pieces of plastic cluttering your medicine cabinet.
Best razor for neck hair
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Manual | Ergonomic design: Ergonomic handle and blade guard | Wet or dry
Hair grows really fast behind the neck and can quickly start to look messy between haircuts. To keep everything looking neat, Nguyen says he’ll trim a client (often for a photo shoot) with the Feather Styling razor, he says it’s the perfect tool for cleaning up this often-overlooked spot. As for how to shave the back of your neck: “Put your hand flat against the nape of your neck and make a straight line across with your finger,” he says, then just gradually edge the razor over everything beneath that line.
Best back shaver
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Manual | Ergonomic design: Extra long grippy handle | Wet recommended
I’ll admit that this strange contraption, designed for shaving hard-to-reach back hairs, has a goofy “As Seen on TV” quality, but Gilman’s customers love it. “We get guys who say, ‘I’ve been trying to shave my back for 30 years,’ and after ten minutes with this they’re done, with no cuts.” Gilman describes the blade as being more like a comb that’s designed to ensure you don’t cut your back. The comically large cartridge blades do need to be replaced, but you can simply buy more as you would with any other cartridge razor. As for when to use it, Gilman recommends in the shower so that your skin and hair are soft — just lather up your back with some soap first.
Best nose-hair trimmer
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Manual | Ergonomic design: Extra small size with textured handle | Dry recommended
While a good electric trimmer will take care of most manscaping needs, certain areas, such as the nose, require specific tools. Gilman says he searched for the perfect nose-hair trimmer for a long time, describing it as his white whale. He discovered this manual Groom Mate trimmer a few years ago, and he’s been selling it in his shop ever since, telling me it’s the first nose-hair trimmer he’s carried “where people aren’t coming back and complaining that it broke.” Between the stainless-steel construction and lack of an intricate power system — to operate it, you simply put it into a nostril and twist the base back and forth — it is way more durable than the electric options on the market, he says, adding that the only maintenance required is an occasional water rinse. “It lasts forever,” Gilman says.
Best scissors for body hair
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Manual | Ergonomic design: Extra small with curved and pointed or round-end blades | Dry recommended
Miguez prefers to use these scissors to trim his nose hairs. “They’re curved and really small, so you can get into your nostril”, he explains. He uses scissors rather than a manual tool like the Groom Mate because the latter tends to leave cut hairs stuck in the machine or in his nostril. He likes that with scissors, you can see the hair falling into your sink — so you know they’re working — and you can clean and sanitize the blades really simply between uses.
Best tweezers for body hair
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Manual | Ergonomic design: Angled tips | Dry recommended
For tackling unibrows or occasional stray hairs anywhere on your body, Gilman says a good set of tweezers comes in handy, too. “Slanted tweezers make it easier to grab the hair,” and Tweezerman’s are slanted at a 25-degree angle, which the brand claims is the best for guaranteeing a neat look on your first attempt. The company also has a lifetime sharpening guarantee, so if they get dull, you can send them back to Tweezerman for free sharpening.
Some more Strategist-approved men’s grooming products
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Our experts
•Linh Nguyen, professional groomer
• Yvey Valcin, Master stylist and founder of Yvey Salon
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