Of all the places on your body that can be extremely hirsute, your hands are among the most noticeable. Other than your face, they’re the most exposed skin you have, which means they’re extremely visible to others, and since very long knuckle hair is relatively uncommon, they can potentially draw unwanted attention. If you’re embarrassed by your bushy hands this is a problem, but one easily corrected. (And if you’re not, cool! You be you.)
First, you should be aware that the hair on your knuckles can get quite long — shockingly long. “I’ve seen [knuckle] hair that is as long as my thumbnail, or even longer than my pinky finger,” reveals Melanie Mari, owner and trained manscaper at Bare Skin Studio.
Mari recommends grooming them with a trimmer first to get the hairs short enough to be shaved. Then apply your Shave Butter, Shave Gel, or Shave Cream, and use your razor in multiple directions, moving around the peak of the knuckle — even if it’s seemingly against the grain, since knuckle hair doesn’t grow in any single direction. Plus, since the skin there is so thin, it has fewer nerve endings. “Knuckles aren’t like those sensitive parts of your skin,” Mari says. “You’re not going to irritate them [by shaving].” Of course, like every other part you shave, you’re still going to need to apply moisturizer afterwards, because otherwise they will get irritated, and begin to dry out, too.
Follow these simple rules, and you’ll successfully give that unwanted hair a knuckle sandwich.