Removing back hair is actually one of the more tricky parts of men's grooming that can be more time consuming then one might imagine, but is certainly one of the parts of hair removal that can be very important to you and your own self image. This is another one where genes and climate can come into play more often than one might assume. For example, people with more Mediterranean genes may be predisposed to having more back hair. By all standards, back hair is more of a distraction in grooming than a hassle or a problem. After all, you don't have eyes in the back of your head. Back hair removal can only help the ones you love, but it also shows that you care a little bit extra about your grooming to take the hair off the back and shoulders. Nothing says 'good grooming' like a good set of hairless shoulders.
To get a good idea of where to start with your own back hair removal, get an idea of how hairy your shoulders are. By and large, if you have hairy shoulders, then it's safe to say that you probably have a good bit of hair that you can't see or even feel on your back. Because of this, removing back hair can be more difficult than you might anticipate. The best way to get an idea of what you are working with is to get a simple second bathroom vanity mirror that is on an arm, preferably one with a normal side, and a second magnetized side. Stand with your back facing the mirror over your sink, and look in the smaller vanity mirror, or have a loved one (read: girlfriend or confidant) help you by taking a look at your back. Remember, be objective in this form of grooming! Removal of back hair is probably the most superficial of all personal grooming, and thankfully is often only a once a month ordeal that you will have to deal with.
Once you establish whether you have enough hair on your shoulders and back, you can then decide the best way of removal of back or shoulder hair. I would recommend tweezing if you only have light to moderate hair on your shoulders, and this is because it will not grow back fast enough to constitute needing to do this more than once in a while. You run less of a risk of dreaded 'backne' than you would as opposed to other methods, such as depilatories, which you should never, ever use on your back. In fact, more often than not, you can do this without needing to use a second mirror, and will only take a few minutes. Back hair is usually something that most men don't normally have to deal with until they get to be in their mid to late 30's, and more often than not by that age, they have given up on grooming altogether, but I'm getting a little bit ahead of myself here and I will have to save my editorial on this for another article. Most men develop hair in a 'V' pattern, starting at the shoulders towards the center of the back. If you can see the hair, then you are probably in the 'a little hairy' bracket of men, and this brings us to what I believe is the second best option of back hair removal for men.
Using an electric razor for removing back hair may be the easiest method next to waxing, which I can't recommend due to the potential for allergic or other reactions in all people. If waxing is a good 'shotgun method' for hair removal, an electric razor is the next best alternative due to the speed and availability. Using a razor allows you the option of doing regular upkeep once you 'chop down the bushes' so to speak, and in my experience, does not grow back as fast as you would imagine after from repeated shaving. It's definitely a better idea to use an electric razor than an analog razor, and I would not suggest using a regular razor, because you could accidentally cut your back, or things like moles that you might not normally see, even with two razors.
Waxing is an option you should explore only if you have fairly disposable income, and should probably not be attempted at home, and certainly not by one's self. You run the risk of straining yourself, leaving the wax on for too long, or like with a straight analog razor, going over a mole and pulling it off, and who knows what happens if you remove a mole. As I stated before, by no means should you use depilatories like Nair or Veet on your back. Doing so is a great way to not remove the hair, as well as give yourself a nasty rash on your back. I learned this the hard way, and while it did not burn as you might expect, it also did not remove the hair, and gave me a slight rash. The skin on your back can be sensitive, and through the more favorable techniques listed such as tweezing or using a standard Norelco or other brand electric razor, you give yourself a bit more of a upper hand of removing pesky back hair on the long term, and without problems. Back hair removal should be done once every 3 to 4 weeks for best results.