Everything that happens if you stop shaving ‘down there’ as Dakota Johnson admits to doing it for role

Dakota Johnson has opened up about the lengths she went to for one of her most famous roles - and it involved ditching the razor altogether.

The 37-year-old actress admitted she grew out her pubic hair while filming the first Fifty Shades movie, which hit our screens back in 2015, where she appeared fully nude.

"I grew my pubic hair. From Adam Webb. For Fifty Shades, the first one, I was full frontal, and she was supposed to have never had a wax," Johnson explained on the latest episode of First We Feast.

And when asked if she considered using a merkin instead, Johnson had a very clear answer.

"No," she replied without hesitation.

While growing out your body hair might not be something you need to do for a movie role, there are actually a few things that can happen when you stop shaving down there.

Here’s what you need to know...

Dakota Johnson recently revealed she stopped shaving 'down there' for her 50 Shades of Grey role (Universal Pictures)

You could say goodbye to razor burn

Anyone who's ever shaved their bikini line will know the struggle of razor burn, bumps and the occasional extremely annoying ingrown hair.

Stopping shaving means you're less likely to experience irritation caused directly by the razor scraping across your skin.

Ingrown hairs can happen when shaved or removed hairs grow back into the skin, potentially causing redness, itching, inflammation and sometimes painful bumps.

So, putting the razor down could give your skin a much-needed break.

You’ll save yourself some time

Let's be honest, shaving takes time.

Whether you're doing a quick tidy-up or embarking on a full DIY Brazilian mission, it's one more thing to squeeze into an already busy routine.

Letting your pubic hair grow naturally means you can skip the shaving step altogether - which could save you plenty of time over the course of a month.

You could save yourself hours every year if you decide to stop shaving (Getty Stock Images)

Your skin may get less irritated

Pubic skin can be particularly sensitive, and repeated shaving can cause irritation, especially if you're using a blunt razor, shaving without enough lubrication or going over the same area repeatedly.

Giving your skin a break from hair removal may therefore help reduce some of that irritation.

Of course, everyone's skin is different, and stopping shaving isn't guaranteed to solve every irritation issue.

You might experience fewer ingrown hairs

Ingrown hairs are one of the less glamorous side effects of hair removal.

They happen when a hair curls back or grows sideways into the skin rather than growing normally out of the follicle.

Because shaving cuts the hair at the surface, allowing your pubic hair to grow can mean fewer shaving-related ingrown hairs for some people.

If you regularly get painful or recurring ingrown hairs, however, it's worth speaking to a healthcare professional.

You may also experience fewer ingrown hairs (Getty Stock Images)

Your pubic hair can provide a natural barrier

Now, in case you're not in the know, pubic hair isn't dirty or inherently unhygienic at all.

Like hair elsewhere on the body, it can provide a physical barrier between the skin and the outside world.

That doesn't mean pubic hair prevents infections or STIs - it doesn't - but there's also no medical requirement to remove it in order to be clean.

Good hygiene comes from washing the external genital area appropriately, rather than whether or not you have hair.

You may notice less pigmentation from repeated shaving

Repeated irritation and inflammation can sometimes contribute to changes in skin pigmentation, particularly in people prone to post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.

If shaving frequently leaves your skin irritated, stopping could reduce one potential source of that inflammation.

However, skin colour variation around the vulva and bikini area is completely normal, and going natural won't necessarily change existing pigmentation.

You won't have to worry about the dreaded shaving itch (Getty Stock Images)

There may be less friction from shaving

A freshly shaved bikini area can sometimes feel particularly sensitive, especially when your skin is rubbing against clothing.

For some people, allowing the hair to grow back can make the area feel less irritated.

Pubic hair itself can also reduce some skin-on-skin friction, although there's no guarantee that keeping it will make sex more comfortable.

Ultimately, what feels best is going to be different for everyone.

You don't have to worry about the dreaded shaving itch

The regrowth stage can be seriously uncomfortable.

As freshly shaved hair grows back, those short hairs can feel prickly or itchy against your skin and underwear.

Letting your hair grow naturally means you can avoid that particular post-shave phase altogether.

Whether you prefer completely bare, neatly trimmed or completely natural is a personal choice! (Getty Stock Images)

It won't automatically make you smell worse

One of the biggest myths surrounding pubic hair is that keeping it is somehow unhygienic.

It isn't.

Pubic hair doesn't inherently cause bad odour, and having it doesn't mean you're less clean.

Sweat and bacteria can contribute to body odour whether you have pubic hair or not, so regular washing of the external genital area is still important.

And if you notice a sudden or unusual change in genital odour, particularly alongside itching, pain or unusual discharge, that's something to get checked rather than blaming your pubic hair.

You might simply feel more comfortable

Perhaps the biggest benefit is also the simplest: you don't have to remove your body hair if you don't want to.

Whether you prefer completely bare, neatly trimmed or completely natural is a personal choice.

There's no one 'correct' way for pubic hair to look, and you certainly don't need to grow it out for a movie role like Dakota Johnson did.

Sometimes, the best grooming routine is simply the one that makes you feel most comfortable in your own skin!