Many women have an ongoing insecurity with their underarm hair. Actually, nearly every woman I know does! I am asked the same question quite often,

        “Even though I shave, why does my underarm still look dark?”

First off, this can be caused by a few different reasons:

1) the deodorant you use, or 

2) dead skin cells.

Sometimes chemicals in deodorant react adversely to your skin creating a pigmentation problem. If this is the case, simply switching your deodorant should fix this problem in 4-6 weeks. Also, dead skin cells may build up in your underarm pores causing a shadow. Regular exfoliation of your underarm can lighten this problem by cleaning out follicles that contain dead skin cells.

However, most commonly, this underarm discoloration can be caused by your method of hair removal. When underarm hair is removed by shaving, the hairs are cut flush with your skin. Because your skin is a bit translucent, these cut strands of hair that lie just at the surface of the skin can leave behind the illusion of a dark shadow, especially if you have very light skin and dark hairs. Waxing removes the entire hair follicle, therefore, there are no longer dark hairs that can be seen through the top layers of skin. Your skin is left lighter and not to mention smooth for weeks!