Woman takes Januhairy movement to the next level by colouring her armpit hair with neon dye

Emerald Jade said her psychedelic pits make her feel confident and empowered.

A woman is taking the Januhairy movement one step further by dyeing her armpit hair all the colours of the rainbow.

When Emerald Jade, 24, first began to sprout body hair as an adolescent, she removed it by shaving, which would irritate her sensitive skin.

Eventually, tired of the bothersome reactions, she vowed to ditch razors for good when she was around 20. Then, last year, she took things even further and started to dye her armpit fuzz.

Hair stylist Emerald, of Arkansas, USA, said: “The only colours I haven’t been are red and orange, just as I don’t like them all that much. But everything else – pink, purple, green – you name it, I’ve done it.

“I started out dyeing my pit hair as a bit of fun, but now I feel much more confident and empowered.”

Emerald is speaking out as student Laura Jackson, of Warwickshire, has launched the Januhairy movement, which aims to normalise body hair and encourage women to grow out their own.

Though supporters have got behind the body positivity campaign in their thousands, and strong celebrity women like Miley Cyrus and Madonna have also happily displayed their body hair,  the idea has been met with some resistance.

Last week, Piers Morgan sparked outrage for comments made whilst debating the topic on Good Morning Britain.

When asked by his co-presenter Susanna Reid if the reason he does not shave his own pits was laziness, he replied: “No, because women don’t have a problem with that, but men don’t fancy women that let it all out in January. Trust me.”

But Emerald, who is currently single, is not deterred by opinions such as Piers’ and said:  “In my experience, men don’t mind it. It’s something a little different. I’ve never had any negative comments.

“It also makes me feel much more confident and empowered, which helps with dating.”

Strangers on the street also notice her vivid armpit hair when she shows it off in warmer months but no-one has reacted too badly, she said.

“Luckily, I have never had anyone say anything negative to my face – but because I don’t attempt to hide my body hair, I do get people staring,” she continued. “I think people feel awkward because it isn’t the norm for women to have body hair – let alone bright pink body hair.

“Other people’s opinions don’t bother me, though. It is ridiculous that, in 2019, women are still pressured to shave or wax.

“Body hair is a personal choice, and what I do with my armpits is up to me, and no different to what someone chooses to do with their head hair or eyebrows.”

Growing up, Emerald told how she initially removed her armpit hair with a razor, or by waxing, when it first appeared, but it made her sensitive skin break out in a rash and feel sore.

“Eventually, I thought, ‘Why am I doing this?’” she said. “I realised I would rather be comfortable and odd, than make myself uncomfortable trying to blend in.”

From there, Emerald decided to grow out all of her body hair, including her legs, which she once dyed bright purple as an “experiment” when she was 20.

“It didn’t really show up much,” she laughed. “It was more of a purple glow – not worth the bother really.”

At first, she would occasionally trim her armpit fuzz with scissors when it grew too long – but, as of 2018, she no longer does even that.

One of the biggest misconceptions around growing out underarm hair, she said, is that it is somehow unhygienic.

In reality, some theories suggest that it actually aids ventilation, by naturally absorbing sweat and trapping its odour.

And a 2007 study published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine suggested that armpit hair, which grows on top of sweat glands, acts as a diffuser for pheromones – the chemical substance that help us attract mates.

“If it’s so unhygienic, why do men have armpit hair as the norm? Nobody ever mentions hygiene to them, so that argument doesn’t stand up,” said Emerald. “I personally haven’t found body odour to be an issue – I just use deodorant, like everybody else. Body hair is supposed to be there, that’s why it grows. It has a function and letting it grow out is just allowing it to do that function.”

Last year, around the same time Emerald decided to stop even trimming her hair, she also opted to dye it at home one day, purely as a “bit of fun.”

The process taking around an hour, she started by applying bleach to remove the hair’s natural colour, ensuring more dramatic results.

Next, she coated on a layer of fuchsia pink colourant from an at-home kit.

Pleased with the results, she then uploaded a snap of her psychedelic pits to Instagram.

“I wasn’t sure what reaction I’d get, but people loved it,” she said. “My immediate family thought it was a little odd, but my friends thought it was great.

“Stopping shaving myself has even inspired some of them to do the same – not completely, but just cutting down to whatever they are comfortable with.”

Since then, Emerald has continued to experiment with dye, which she said has made her more confident, as it has helped her realise body hair is not something to feel insecure about.

She posts a lot of snaps to Instagram, under the hashtag ‘pony pits.’

Now, she hopes to reduce the stigma that she believes comes with women embracing their body hair.

She continued: “To each their own, is my motto. There is nothing wrong with growing or removing your body hair – it’s up to you.

“But I think those that believe it’s strange to see a woman embracing her hair need to ask themselves why that is. Why should it matter what somebody else does with their body?

“Dyeing my own hair has helped me express myself, and have a bit of fun. If someone wants to do the same, I’d recommend asking a professional to do it, as, at the end of the day, you are still applying chemicals to your hair, but other than that – more power to you.”