CANCEL that painful waxing appointment and throw out your razors, ladies – the bush is back.
Opting for full pubic hair has been growing in popularity since 2013, when Gwyneth Paltrow said she favoured the “70s vibe” of the natural look.
Emma Watson has since confessed to using oil to soften her ‘down there’ fur, while Amber Rose posed nude on Instagram with a blooming lady garden.
Over the years there have been Brazilians (waxed but leaving a “landing strip”), Hollywoods (all hair waxed off) and the Towie-approved vajazzle (decorated with stick-on gems).
But New York gynaecologist Dr Eden Fromberg told Vogue she’s seen lots more patients wanting fuller hair downstairs.
And, London hair transplant clinic DHI Global has reported more women wanting their pubic hair restored after having it removed with laser treatments.
At the age of 22, I’ve been religiously waxing off my pubic hair since I was a young teen – and paying my beautician £50 a pop for the privilege.
But, in the name of fashion, I decided to grow a Gwyneth-approved bush to see what the fuss is about. Here’s my hair-raising diary…
Monday: My hair's curlier than a packet of Quavers
I decided to indulge in a bit of self-love at home in Herts before work to see if the bush made any difference to my orgasms.
At first, every time my eyes caught sight of my new black-haired friend, I got a little turned off.
And, thanks to my fake nails I had no option but to use toys – I didn’t fancy the hairs getting all tangled up in my manicure.
I'd grown my hair for four weeks until the hairs were so curly they resembled a packet of Quavers.
The bush has faced cruel taunts for being “dirty”, but it’s actually completely the opposite according to Dr Shirin Lakhani of Elite Aesthetics.
She explained how pubic hair can stop infections and can even help with body confidence, saying: "Intimate grooming is a matter of personal choice, however, it should be remembered that the hair has a protective function.
I quickly became used to the mane in the knickers. The bush had started to grow on me. Literally
"The issue with the trend of removing pubic hair is that the vulva and labia are much more visible and therefore the subject of scrutiny, which in turn may lead to some amount of pressure to change it.
"If there is no problem with a vagina or vulva's function, with hair or without, it is best to leave it alone."
While it took longer than usual to orgasm, I quickly became used to the mane in the knickers. The bush had started to grow on me. Literally.
Tuesday: I spent all day poking stray hairs back into my bikini bottoms
A wave of anxiety crept through me as I headed to the local lido to sunbathe and swim with the girls.
While getting undressed I couldn’t help but feel self-conscious about the pubes poking out of my pretty lace knickers.
Much to my friend's amusement, I spent the entire day tucking in and rearranging my pubes in my bikini bottoms.
It was a massive inconvenience and I didn’t feel confident enough to let it all hang out a' la Amber Rose.
I spent 90 per cent of my time sunbathing on my stomach or dipping in the pool in an attempt to hide my bush.
Wednesday: My 'friend with benefits' wasn't scared of my 'down there' wig
I arranged to meet up with my 'friend with benefits' but became fearful he’d be repulsed by my overgrown lady garden.
I had a few glasses of wine at the pub with mates beforehand, who were shocked I had “the balls” to get frisky with a wig’s worth of hair ‘down there’. It suddenly hit me just how nervous I was.
I shouldn’t have been worried though as in my s*** pal’s words, “men don’t care, they just want to get laid” – and thank goodness because women do, too.
The sex didn’t feel even slightly different aside from the fact that I didn’t want him to give me oral sex – I feared he’d end up flossing his teeth at the same time.
Thursday: My bush is empowering – just mind the sweat
I headed to the doctors to get my contraceptive implant changed and also booked in for a full-on VOT (vagina of testing, an annual test of vagina safety).
So far this week I have showed my bush to everyone who will listen but for some odd reason, the thought of a woman judging my pubic hair while doing my STI tests is unnerving.
I drop my knickers and eye her face to see how she reacts to the maze she is about to endeavour. She's expressionless and at first I’m a little disappointed.
Then it hits me how empowering it is to have a full-on bush. Women are finally able to have a fluff ball between their legs without being judged by other women.
After being poked and prodded, I headed to the gym in the tightest leggings possible.
Butt crack sweat was not something I had mentally prepared myself for
It’s already my least favourite place, but with a bush it’s even worse.
I'm used to a sweaty upper lip but butt crack sweat was not something I had mentally prepared myself for. I've never been so thankful that I was wearing black.
Friday: My Tinder match jokes, 'lost your hedge cutters?'
I met a pal for coffee and, as always, the topic of sex quickly gets underway.
After explaining my bush mission we're in the toilets playing 'I'll show you mine if you show me yours' like we're back in 1999.
She comes up with the idea that I should find a guy on Tinder, sext and send him a nude to see a 'real' reaction from a bloke.
Twenty minutes of swiping and a short conversation later and I'm sending a discreet shot of me slightly pulling down the front of my thong so my bush can leap out and breathe.
He opened the Snapchat immediately and, to my horror, replied "lost your hedge cutters?"
What most confused me was the fact his own pubes were not tamed or trimmed… hypocrite.
I send a shot of me pulling down the front of my thong so my bush can leap out and breath
While the bush may be back, Kiaya Woodward, beauty therapist and owner of Bleu Hair Beauty, says most women aren’t brave enough to go full mane yet.
Kiaya explained: "We have found that most of the younger generation like to grow it but they are still coming in for a tidy up.
"We neaten up the sides and trim down the length. I think it’s something that might just be a phase like eyebrow shapes change every year. We shall see."
So, am I a converted bush baby?
I pondered whether I could live with a bush if I kept it neat or if I should revert back to my naked Barbie vagina.
Surprisingly I still felt sexy while having sex with pubic hair, as the guy treated me no different and his body language didn't hint at all that he was even slightly put off by it.
According to a study conducted by hair removal specialists Centros Unico, the average woman who goes to a professional to get her bits done will spend around £23,000 in their lifetime.
Whereas a woman who shaves will cough up around £6,500 and eight weeks of her life. That’s a lot of cash.
But money aside, there were some downsides. I didn't feel comfortable enough to have oral sex, which was a massive con.
Another con for me personally was it poking through my lacy thongs, causing me to look like I'd weed myself in the gym due to the sweat, still feeling scared to flash it to the world at the pool and it causing me to get screamed at by a very hot lifeguard as I grabbed hold of my vagina to hide my downstairs afro.
For now, I will be returning to my bald but sweatless vagina. But I will miss how empowered I felt rocking a full-on 70s bush.
I'll miss being shaver bump rash-free, the extra £50 in my bank account each month and even having a peek at it, laughing to myself about how ridiculous it is that we still let society determine what we do with our vaginas.
In more waxing news, Britain’s most popular pubic hair style is the Brazilian – but blokes actually love the ‘natural’ look, a bikini waxer has claimed.
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