As the days get warmer and sleeveless tops and miniskirts reveal more skin, women are naturally concerned about unwanted hair. AnAn Research Institute conducted a survey on hair removal methods and related anecdotes. The results were candid responses that revealed women's true feelings.

First, in response to the question, "Do you mind your own unwanted hair?", 95% of respondents answered yes. The most common situations cited were "summer, when wearing light clothing," "when wearing a swimsuit," "when having sex," and "when wearing thin-denier stockings" (19-year-old student). As for specific areas that bother them, below the knees, underarms, and around the mouth were by far the most common, followed by arms and back. Other minorities mentioned facial hair, the backs of the hands and fingers, eyebrows, nose hair, and other small areas.

Next, in response to the question, "Do you mind other people's unwanted hair?", 63% answered yes. At work, people are also critical of others, with some noting "armpit hair when I raise my hand" (32, apparel), "arm hair that I notice during meetings" (27, office worker), "when I'm on the train and I notice someone's arm hair, I can't help but look at their face" (29, actor), "in the elevator, the hair on the back of the person standing in front of me" (27, office worker), and at other times, "leg hair that I can see when I'm going up the stairs" (32, housewife), "hair around their mouth when I get close, and leg hair that shows through their stockings" (28, office worker), and "it's always a shame when people with beautiful skin have a lot of hair" (27, nurse). Next, when asked "Does your hair removal habits change depending on whether you have a boyfriend or not?" 60% of people answered yes. Some respondents said, "He pointed out unwanted hair in places I didn't notice, and it made me pay more attention to it" (27, office worker), and "When I have a boyfriend, I shave regularly, but when he's not, I just leave it alone!" As expected, women tend to shave more frequently when they have a boyfriend. Also, as one 28-year-old housewife said, "When I don't have a boyfriend in the winter, my leg hair gets really thick because it's hidden by clothes and tights," suggesting that people tend to shave less frequently during the colder months. Furthermore, many married women commented, "I've neglected shaving since I got married" (26-year-old office worker). We then investigated actual hair removal methods and the cost of salon hair removal. Prices ranged from "600 yen for just one underarm area" (21-year-old student) to "about 40,000 yen for the face, legs, etc." (26-year-old coordinator). For full-body hair removal, prices ranged from "about 300,000 yen" to "about 700,000 yen total." Meanwhile, methods cited for home shaves included razors, electric shavers, tweezers, hair removal creams, and bleaching. However, there are many potential mistakes when shave at home. "I tried to shave my back but failed and ended up bleeding" (27-year-old housewife), "I couldn't shave the back of my upper arms properly and a guy told me I looked like a barcode" (21-year-old student), "After shaving, when it starts to grow back it looks like a pin holder and is embarrassing, and it prickles and hurts" (29-year-old PR), and the images of women struggling to remove unwanted hair are easy to imagine.

This survey was conducted in "AnAn Research Institute Research Vol. 11". The AnAn Research Institute website also features a report on the contents of this research, as well as a research report on the V-sensitive zone as part of its unwanted hair removal series.