Not sure what to do with the hair down there? Fortunately, you have a variety of styles and options to choose from. Here’s a list of possibilities and how to pull them off.

Part 1: Before You Trim

Trim dry, shave wet. If you’ll only be cutting hair, not shaving it, do it while the hair is completely dry — it’ll be easier to manage. If you’re shaving, though, soaking in a warm bath or shower for 10 to 15 minutes can reduce the irritation to your skin.

Find a good set of clippers. The tools you use to trim your pubic hair can make or break the experience. Avoid regular-sized scissors at all costs, and try these options instead. Remember, whatever you choose, try to set that tool aside for only pubic hair maintenance to cut down on potential infections.

• Nail scissors, which are small and ideal for sensitive maneuvering. If you can, buy a set with blunted ends. These can be found in the nail care section of most drug stores.
• A small goatee, ear or nose hair trimmer, which should have a guard you can place over the blades to achieve uniform length. You can find these at most drugstores. Don’t use an electric razor with rotating heads, which would be quite painful.
• Embroidery scissors will work in a pinch. They’ll be small like nail scissors, but be wary of the sharp points at the end.

Use a sharp razor. A dull razor will encourage itchy red bumps. If the hair is long, trim beforehand. Consider shaving with the direction of the hair instead of against it; though it takes longer, it also causes less irritation. Use a gentle, unscented shaving cream or gel.

Trim in a place that’s easy to clean. Stand in the shower, or sit over the toilet. That way, clean-up simply consists of running the faucet or flushing.

Get a handmirror or a compact to check your undercarriage. It’s hard to gauge progress you can’t see, so take a small mirror with you to check up on how things are going.

Part 2: Styles

Go faux-natural. You can do some minimal maintenance on the area without making it look too manicured. Simply trim the hair evenly, leaving it in its current shape. The length is somewhat up to you, but you will be limited by how close to the skin you can get. Trim with scissors or an electric trimmer. To produce an even trim with scissors, consider running a comb through the hair and cutting against it (the way hairdressers do).

Try bikini-style. This is a low-intensity but beach-appropriate style. Trim the hair evenly, but shave anything along the creases of your legs (so that no hair sticks out of your bikini bottom, Speedo, boy briefs, etc.)

• Give the hair an overall trim with scissors or an electric razor to keep the area sleek and swimsuit-friendly.
• Remove the hair from the edges by shaving it, or using a depilatory chemical such as Nair or Magic Powder.

Try a shaped patch. This is a playful, sexy style leaves your entire pubic area bare except for a shaped patch directly above your genitals. Popular shapes include a small, downward-pointing triangle or a heart.

• Give the hair an overall trim so that the shape can come through more clearly.
• Shape the hair above the labia with a razor or wax.
• Remove the hair around the labia with a razor, wax, or an epilator.

Do a landing strip. This is a provocative, hybrid style. Remove all the hair on the outskirts of your labia, leaving a thin rectangle along the slit.

• Give the hair an overall trim so that the rectangle can come through more clearly.
• Remove the hair on the outskirts of the pubic area with a razor, electric razor, wax, epilator, or, provided that you are careful about getting too close to your delicate membranes, depilatory chemicals.
• Trim the hair on the landing strip to a uniform length.

Bare all with a brazilian. This is the classic movie-star style that leaves the entire pubic area bare.

• Trim the hair to make it more manageable.
• Remove everything by shaving, waxing or using an epilator.

Part 3: Upkeep

Apply an after-shave or moisturizer if necessary. Good skin care is a must and will reduce discomfort later on. Make sure to choose a product that is perfume-free; the last thing you want is to scorch your most intimate areas with harsh chemicals. Something containing vitamin E and/or aloe will go a long way to making you more comfortable and may improve healing time and appearance. Note that shaving and depilation leave your skin vulnerable to infection. Though applying rubbing alcohol will help prevent these infections, it will also burn, especially for women. Use at your own discretion.

Maintain your new style. Getting started is the hardest part — after you wrangle your hair into the style you want, though, upkeep is fairly easy.

• Re-do shaved areas every two or three days.
• Re-trim hairy areas every one or two weeks.
• Re-wax every four to six weeks.