There’s a right way to use a bikini trimmer. Here’s how

Let’s start with the obvious: you can’t begin a trim until you’ve made sure that the area is properly cleaned. This is important for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, in the event that you do nick a follicle out and have an open pore, you want some peace of mind that it’s not going to get infected. Then, you want the hairs to be slightly damp so that trimming becomes easier. Lastly, you want to rid the dead skin cells pre-trim for a smoother time.

Because your bikini area is a bit more sensitive, using a gentler body wash – much like Cetaphil’s Gentle Skin Cleanser ($23.95 from Watsons) – will work wonders. Gently work up a sud, and rinse with warm water to soften the hairs.

You don’t perform heart surgery with a butter knife, so why attempt to trim with the wrong type of tool?

Firstly, we don’t recommend a manual shaver. It requires a steady hand to sweep it across the hairs in swift motions, and misjudging the pressure can leave you with a nasty cut.

Instead, use an electric shaver or epilator. Most electric shavers come with a razor guard, so make sure you keep it on. You’re trimming, not shaving, and the guard will certainly leave behind a field of short and neatly-trimmed hairs.

Epilators, on the other hand, remove the hair from the root. It’s about as close to waxing as it gets, sans the actual wax. That being said, it’s still pulling out hair so the pain is something that requires regular use to get acquainted with, and it takes much more time to complete the job than an electric shaver.

Ignore conventional wisdom that says you should go against the grain. Instead, run your trimming tool with the grain. This minimizes the chances of razor bumps or ingrown hairs, which cause a whole lot of discomfort later on.

Also, follow one direction throughout the entire trim. Switching it up as you go along only leaves you with a messy shave.

Needless to say, what you do post-trim counts just as much as the trim itself. It’s so important to follow your trim with a nourishing balm or moisturiser after. Doing so will soothe any irritation or redness that may have shown up as a result of the abrasion that the tool makes against your skin.

Ideally, you’d want something non-comedogenic so that it doesn’t clog your pores. Clarin’s Hydra-Essentiel Cooling Gel ($88) is one fabulous option. Sure, it’s made for your face, but you can make an exception in this case because this gel has a cool-to-touch effect to instantly calm sensitised skin.

After all the trimming is done, here comes the one step we all conveniently (and perhaps lazily) skip: cleaning the tools.

It’s highly likely that you’re going to be trimming again in the future, so the last thing you want is to reach for your trimmer only to have minuscule strands of hair stuck between the razors.

Most electric shavers come with their own brushes for maintenance, but you can also use a clean toothbrush to thoroughly remove any hairs that may have gotten caught in the razors. Gently tap your shaver on the back of your hand to dislodge dust-sized hair specks, and give your shaver a wipe-down with a towel soaked in warm soapy water.

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