Shaving tips for the legs

[Guest Luna_Luv2942]

Hi everyone, I've been shaving my legs (and the rest of my body for that matter) for about 4 months now. I got my own system down but I am having a problem that I think is because of how I shave. I get lots of red bumps along my skin that feel kinda like a pimple but dont have a head, and after I shave it still feels like my legs dont feel smooth. What am I doing wrong that has my legs not smooth and getting red bumps? If it is any help my shaving regiment is that I shower first then shave my legs against the grain starting from the theighs and working my way down (I dont use shaving cream either). Thanks for the help!

[Guest ~Phoebe~]

Hi everyone, I've been shaving my legs (and the rest of my body for that matter) for about 4 months now. I got my own system down but I am having a problem that I think is because of how I shave. I get lots of red bumps along my skin that feel kinda like a pimple but dont have a head, and after I shave it still feels like my legs dont feel smooth. What am I doing wrong that has my legs not smooth and getting red bumps? If it is any help my shaving regiment is that I shower first then shave my legs against the grain starting from the theighs and working my way down (I dont use shaving cream either). Thanks for the help!

Luna,

Might try using hair conditioner in place of shave cream. I am using a woman's product called Noxzema Hair Minimizing Shave Gel. Have not found the product in retail stores yet so ordered from Drugstore.com. The gel seems to help shaving last longer. Using the gel on my face every morning and underarms and chest too once a week. Also I use a skin moisturizer after shaving.

[Guest Luuceee]

Im sure i read somewhere that when shaving to go with the grain rather than against to reduce ingrown hairs, I might be wrong though.

[Guest Luuceee]

I just found this article which may interest you.

http://www.taaz.com/trends/skincare/how-to-get-smooth-legs/fMJcCumb0CjiJeYCyGyL67UpoFT_dy0T.html

[Guest Luna_Luv2942]

Thank you for the tips and the link! Sorry I replied so late, haven't been as active on here as I could have been. Thanks again (:

[Guest otter-girl]

I just started shaving legs and find due to stiffer male hairs they jag my legs when sit or whatever. Hope this isnt a permanent thing and I adjust. Ow.

Rachel

[Guest avamae]

Hi, I get the same problem but on the back of my thighs and nothing would work, no lotion no matter what i used to shave they would always appear. But i finally figured out something to prevent myself from getting them. What you are getting is called razor bumps/ razor rash, they cause ingrown hairs and be caused by a few things. If they are a constant problem for you and dont go away with lotion, what i do is after i shave my legs in the shower i dry them and put female deodorant on my legs where i usually get the bumps and since then i have stopped getting the red bumps in those areas. I hope this helped.

~Ava~

[Guest shortnsweet]

Hi, I get the same problem but on the back of my thighs and nothing would work, no lotion no matter what i used to shave they would always appear. But i finally figured out something to prevent myself from getting them. What you are getting is called razor bumps/ razor rash, they cause ingrown hairs and be caused by a few things. If they are a constant problem for you and dont go away with lotion, what i do is after i shave my legs in the shower i dry them and put female deodorant on my legs where i usually get the bumps and since then i have stopped getting the red bumps in those areas. I hope this helped.

~Ava~

I have the same problem and not really anything has worked so far. What deodorant do you use? Mine sometimes irritates my underarms so I'm reluctant to put it on my upper legs.

[Guest Alicia Rose]

"...after i shave my legs in the shower i dry them and put female deodorant on my legs where i usually get the bumps and since then i have stopped getting the red bumps in those areas..."

I'd also like to know which brand of deodorant you use, never thought about that. Doesn't that leave them dry though?

I usually take a hot bath and shave (shaving gel), then I finish off by showering in cooler water. I notice when the water is cooler I will get goosebumps which will make my missed hairs stick out and then I shave those areas. When I get out of the shower I use lotion which seems to help but I need lotion that keeps my legs smooth - not dry. However, I often see red bumps around my shins (I'm skinny). I need a better routine---advice anyone?

[Guest ValerieD]

I also need a better routine. Currently I shave everything in the shower, which results in showers that take two hours to complete every other day. Needless to say, I ALWAYS run out of hot water well before I'm done, plus it makes it very hard to be ready for anything on time. I don't know anything about using shaving creme either - aside from the fact that I'm in the shower, I just shave dry, so shaving outside of the shower isn't an option unless I learn something better.

I also go through razors like there's no tomorrow and always miss a ton of spots; and even when I'm smooth, my legs don't look nearly as good as a cisgendered girl's do.

[Guest otter-girl]

Ava. Thanks for the tip. I have found out that the moisturiser I used after shaving was irritating my legs. Ive stopped moisturising and just use cold water brrrr. Things seem much better.

Hugs

Rachel.

[Guest Melissa~]

I have to put down what I have done since no one else has mentioned it. First I get folliculitis (the standard name for the bumps), I'm not lily white I have some native blood and other ancestry. Moving on. I get occasional ingrowns on my face, sides, belt line, inner thighs, groin, back of thighs, butt, and occasionally even around my chest. These cannot be "prevented" in the case of close shaves. They can be mitigated almost entirely however. An aggressive exfoliation scrub with loofah sponge/ body scrub about eight hours after the shaves resolves 90% of the bumps. A second scrub after another 16 hours does the trick to solve 99.9% of remaining bumps. Lastly even so there are usually 1 or 2 remaining bumps that need concentrated effort after a couple days. I literally can get hundreds of bumps from a full close shave, something I look forward to loosing as I get hair permanently removed.

As part of electrolysis long distance consultation with a group, they wanted a set of high quality pictures at 72 hours growth( in order to estimate treatment time required etc.) I obliged what I didn't realize was that I have around 80% of hairs or certain areas of the face showing folliculitis, it's visible in my high quality photos, something I didn't even realise I was getting from normal facial shaving. Almost every hair shaft was weeping or has a tiny bump of discharge built up subcutaneously. This isn't visible to the naked eye, apparently in my routine daily shave these buildups get cut open every day, so they aren't as visible as when allowed to stay for a few days.

[Guest SherriB]

I have found that using Aprocot Scrub on my legs just prior to shaving, has helped me out a lot. My routine is the scrub, then sensitive skin shaving cream, with a fresh rasor has worked the best. A good cold rinse to close up those pores is very helpful. Then, thanks to the advice from a stripper friend of mine, I make sure that nothing but cotton touches my legs for 24 hours. No nylons, no slik undies, nothing but cotton. A skirt and no underwear is the best bet. Other materials tend to not "breathe" so it causes sweating more. That leads to infected pores.

In the days between shaves, I use aprocot srub in the areas that tend to get the red bumps, inner thighs etc, as preventive care, If I get bumps, I try to pluck any hair I can find in it with a pair of quality tweezers (I recomend Tweezerman brand), then a little hydrogen peroxide on the bump/ingorwn. I continue to use the scrub, and any bumps are gone within 24-48 hours. Other products that have worked for me are diaper rash cream, and oxy pads.

Hope that helps someone else out there.

[Guest avamae]

I use Dove Ultimate gofresh . I personal.love the burst one because of the smell, but its soft and doesn't leave legs dry in fact it leaves my legs looking healthy and glowing!

[Guest Prettypolly1389]

I use depilatory cream twice a week with Skin Doctors No more Hair which really seems to check the hair growth. It does not stop growth but does seem to slow it down. Any hair after is slightly less dense. xxx

[Guest MrMxyzptlk]

I decided today to try shaving up to the knee. I think it went ok. Better than my face! No bleeding or other issues. I just started at the ankle and shaved upwards while in the shower. We shall see what happens with stubble but overall I think it went well.

[Guest Kendra K]

For quite some time I've been shaving the ankle down (socks can cover), the bikini area, the chest area, and occasionally the arm pits. The only one that hasn't gone great has been the bikini area; I get the dreaded red bumps, which even girls who grew up as girls get.

[Guest Sarah1967]

When I am in the shower I will use my body wash an then rub on some baby oil on my legs an go over them with a pumice stone an rinse off an rub some more baby oil on my legs an shave them while in the shower. When I am in the tub I will add some baby oil to the bath water an soak for a few mins an shave my legs an when I get don shaving I will rinse off with the shower an my skin is nice an smooth an soft. I been shaving my legs etc for several years an never have the red bumps ot the itching. the more you shave your legs the easier the shaving gets and becomes a natural thing to do.

[Guest Sarah E]

I do my legs twice a week now and always straight after getting out of the shower. That ensures I don't get shaving rash or red razor burn streaks and less chance of cutting myself too. As Sarah says above, it does get easier with time because your skin gets used to it.