This Might Make You Want To Grow Out Your Armpit Hair

This Might Make You Want To Grow Out Your Armpit Hair

Photo courtesy of Atiya Siddiqi

A few months ago, a customer reached out and told me how excited she was that she found Curie because she had struggled to find a natural deodorant that worked on her hairy armpits.

I'm not going to lie, I did a double take.

HAIRY ARMPITS?!

Her and I started chatting, and I quickly learned there is a growing movement of women ditching their razors and embracing their hairy pits. I decided to let Atiya Siddiqi tell you herself why it can be so empowering to embrace the hair. The following is a guest blog post by Atiya. 

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When people ask me why I don’t shave my armpits, I always tell them the truth: because I don’t want to.

I was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area and have been an athlete since before I put on my first bra. Ok, so I was a bit of a late bloomer and was still wearing the embarrassing “under-shirt” when I started high school. Needless to say, self-confidence and body awareness didn’t come easy to me.

Travel has shaped the woman I am today, and I have had the tremendous opportunity to travel to and live in many places around the world. Each trip has brought out a little part of myself that I never knew existed. Most of the time, these revelations and changes are silent and internal. However, one of my most outward-facing changes happened the very first time I left the U.S. Eight years ago, I was living in Ghana, and I stopped shaving my armpits. I just didn’t want to do it. My showers were always cold and running water was never guaranteed. How was I supposed to keep up with this? I just decided that I wouldn’t.

When I returned to the U.S. and back to my normal routine, I realized that I hate shaving. I mean, I really hate it. It stresses me out if I miss a spot and when the stubble starts growing back. I hate how it feels and how it looks. The entire point of shaving is to not have hair, right? For me, shaving is analogous to trying to use a lint roller to get all the cat hair off of a pair of black jeans and never succeeding. Ever. I just can’t spend my time (read: my life) doing it. I barely have enough time to do the things I do like. So that was it, I ditched my razor eight years ago, and I’m never going back. I do wax my armpits a few times a year, but only when I want to. I’ve rocked my hair at black tie events, during presentations for work, and while meeting my boyfriend’s family for the first time. 

The au naturel armpit does come with one draw-back: women’s deodorant does not work well for me. As an athlete who often needs to fit in a workout before, during, or after work hours, I need to be able to quickly freshen up before going back to work or to a social event. Unfortunately, women’s deodorant hasn’t been accommodating to my lifestyle and armpit preference, and I have been resigned to using men’s deodorant. Honestly, having to wear men’s deodorant has been the only embarrassing part of having hairy armpits. Just because I have decided to embrace the hair that grows naturally on my body doesn’t mean I can’t or don’t want to be and smell pretty. In fact, once I decided to stop shaving my armpits, I was hit with the biggest confidence boost of my life. Seriously, like even more than when I finally ditched the “under-shirt”. I have never felt sexier or more empowered knowing that I am making a choice about how my body looks. It takes confidence for a woman (or anyone, really) to be herself in a world where gender defined beauty standards plague our culture. It makes me feel strong and confident knowing that I am not spending my time doing something I don’t like doing, even though I was taught that it was expected of me. Honestly, it makes me feel beautiful.

But…WHY CAN’T I SMELL PRETTY?

Enter: Curie Deodorant. I met Sarah in San Francisco through a workout group, and when she launched Curie, I immediately placed an order. I was a bit skeptical it would even work for me, but I wanted to support her and her new business. At the very least, I figured I would be able to recommend it to others. I was both shocked and amazed when I discovered that Curie works for me, too! With Curie, I can start the day smelling fresh and sweet, and also easily transition from workout to work or social event even when I don’t have time for a full shower. I can finally smell pretty and feminine while rockin’ the look I want. I am so proud of Curie for developing a natural deodorant that ALL women can use, regardless of their armpit preferences. It is a true boss babe brand, and I am 100% behind it.

I am not advocating for you all to ditch your razors, wax, or epilators. If using any or all of those tools is what makes you feel beautiful, sexy, confident, and strong then keep doing it! I do, however, recommend that you add Curie Deodorant to your routine. It is a must-have for any woman with armpits.


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If you enjoyed reading this blog, you might enjoy some of Atiya's other writing. During one of her most recent trips - 3 months in South Africa - she learned that she liked to write poetry, and she's pretty damn good at it. You can find her recently published book, Loving You, on Amazon or Barnes & Noble.


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