Shaving is seen as part of one's everyday hygiene process. Through the years, shaving used to have a particular meaning, besides just to look good.

Egypt

In the Egyptian culture, bathing several times a day was considered "normal". Hygiene was extremely important, and the upper class usually went bare when it came to body hair, both men and women. It makes sense, Egypt is the desert, and it gets extremely hot. Having long hair would mean that bugs or dirt would always be in it, and back then soap and shampoo was not readily available like it is today. Going bald, everywhere, was seen as being more hygienic. To get rid of the hair, the Egyptians would apply creams and rub with a pumice stone to get rid of the hair. As seen in the movies, Egyptians would wear wigs to mainly protect their scalp from the sun's rays. Going bald in public was frowned upon.

Rome

By the fourth century B.C., the act of shaving had made its way from Egypt up to Greece and Rome. It is believed that Alexander the Great would tell his troops to shave off their hair so the enemy would have nothing to grab hold of during combat. Shaving became socially acceptable, as well as an emerging fashion statement. Razor blades were becoming popular, and the design was constantly changing. The Romans would shave the hair with the razor blade, then they would rub off the stubble with a pumice stone, and finish off the smooth look with massage oils and perfumes. Shaving quickly became part of Roman society. The higher up in class you were, the less body hair you had (and that meant absolutely no body hair anywhere, even the pelvic region).

America

Eventually, shaving made its way across Europe and to the New World. But, it wasn't until 1915 when American women were expected to keep their legs and arms silky smooth. In May of 1915, Harper's Bazaar had an advertisement that showed a young women in a sleeveless dress with her arms above her head, absolutely no hair seen under them. If you look back at American fashion, up until then women wore clothing that covered to their wrists down to their ankles. The under arms were always covered, so the idea of shaving them was never an issue. Since that advertisement, there were other marketing strategies to try and get women to begin shaving. Slowly that thought also became popular with the middle class as well, and since sleeveless and sheer dresses were becoming more popular, so was the idea to shave. Leg shaving took a little longer to become popular in society. It wasn't until World War II when an advertisement Betty Grable became popular due to her beautifully smooth legs. Stockings were used to help achieve that look, and there is nothing more annoying than trying to put on pantie-hose with prickly legs (am I right ladies?).

Is shaving actually hygienic?

It depends on what area of the body is being discussed. When it comes to the legs, arms, or face, shaving is not an issue. One just needs to be sure they do not have any reactions to the shaving cream they are using, and they also need to be careful about nicking their skin since open wounds can lead to bacteria which causes infections. Yet, if one is asking about the pubic region, that topic is debatable. There are a lot of different things that make shaving "down there" not good for your health, but I'll sum it up in one sentence: pubic hair is there to help prevent friction and infection. So, be cautious when it comes to shaving in your most sensitive spots.

No Shave November

In reality, November isn't just for guys to prove they can grow a beard, or for women to have an excuse not to shave. No Shave November actually began to draw attention to cancer patients. The idea of this event is to embrace the hair that most cancer patient's lose, and the money that would usually be spent on shaving products for the month should be donated to cancer prevention and cancer education. If you want more info on how to donate for this cause, visit no-shave.org.