Shaving your legs isn’t something complicated, but the following tips will help you get the maximum effect and to avoid unpleasant cuts and skin irritations. Here are few shaving hacks & tips – How to shave your legs properly:
Shaving hacks & tips: How to shave your legs properly
Leg shaving tip #1 – Shave after or during your shower
Warm water opens the follicles and softens the hair. Therefore, the ideal time to shave your legs is immediately after showering or during your shower or at least 5-10 minutes after you’ve entered the shower. Shaving your legs should be the last thing you do in the shower. In the past, in the barber shops people can often see men whose face is wrapped with a damp hot towel. So here is a simple trick: If you don’t plan to shower, at least wash your legs with warm water or wrap a damp and warm towel around your legs.
Leg shaving tip #2 – Start with exfoliation
Exfoliating your skin before shaving is very important because it will remove the dead skin cells, so you’ll be able to cut the hair as close to the skin as possible. If you don’t exfoliate you skin, the dead skin will clog your razor much faster and not only you won’t be able to remove as much hair as possible, but it’ll also quickly dull the razor’s sharpness. Additionally, if you use body scrub, you’ll reduce the appearance of ingrown hairs. The best part is that you can easily whip up a DIY homemade body sugar scrub in minutes.
Leg shaving tip #3 – Always use shaving foam or shaving gel
Shaving products are intended to let your razor glide easily and smoothly, to reduce the risk of cuts and irritation, and also to moisturize your skin. Many experts recommend to use shaving foam or shaving gel. Once you apply the shaving foam or gel, leave the hair to soften for a few minutes before you start shaving. If you don’t have shaving foam or shaving gel on hand, use hair conditioner – it’s nice substitute for shaving foam. Apply it your legs and leave it for at least 5 minutes before shaving.
Leg shaving tip #4 – If you have goose bumps, don’t shave
Having a goose bumps is the most common cause of redness and small irritated red dots. When you have goose bumps, your hair follicles are straightening right up, so when you glide your razor on your skin, your razor gets too close and cuts off a little bit of skin. To avoid this, take a shower with hot water and make sure you’re in a warm room. And if you notice that you’re getting goose bumps, wait until they’re gone.
Leg shaving tip #5 – Shave in the opposite direction
To get super smooth legs, move the razor from your ankles up to your knees. However, if you have sensitive skin, then stick to the rule which says to shave in the same direction as your hair grow. And make sure that you move your razor gently without squeezing. If you need to press it on your skin, it means that your razor isn’t sharp enough.
Leg shaving tip #6 – Don’t shave twice in a same place
Your razor should be sharp enough so it can remove almost all hair with one single pass. If for some reason your razor has left off a hair or two,pluck them with a tweezers but don’t go over the shaved area once more. Shaving the same area twice will only irritate your skin even more and cause more redness.
Leg shaving tip #7 – Rinse your razor often
Many women forget to rinse their razor while they shave. Try to shave your legs with long moves staring from your ankle and all the way up to your knee. After each move rinse your razor to remove the shaving product and shaved hair. If you don’t rinse your razor, the shaved hair and dead skin will start to clog the blade and you can irritate your skin.
Leg shaving tip #8 – Be slow and patient
We women are always in a hurry, but if you plan to shave your legs, it is better to be slow and be late 2-3 minutes, rather than to get cuts or red lines. Pay special attention to your ankles and knees, because they have a curvy shape you can easily get cuts there. When you shave the skin around your knees, bend your knees slightly that way the skin will be tighter and you’ll be able to shave them easily.
Leg shaving tip #9 – Rinse with warm and cold water
The warm water will remove completely the shaving product that you’ve used. After you’ve rinsed with warm water, switch the water to cool and rinse your legs again. Cold water is refreshing and closes the pores. Also make sure that you don’t use sponge or loofah while you rinse your skin because the skin is really sensitive and irritated after shaving and you’ll irritate it even more if you rub it unnecessarily.
Leg shaving tip #10 – Apply some oil
If you have more time, allow your skin to dry by itself. Otherwise, use a towel, but don’t rub your skin, just pat dry it. Using a natural oil like extra virgin olive oil is great to use on your skin after shaving. Some body lotions and body milks contain strong perfumes and chemicals and can further irritate the skin. The natural oil will soften your skin and give it smooth and velvety look.
Additional leg shaving hacks & tips
Don’t shave in the morning immediately after waking up. As you have probably noticed, the skin in the morning can be a little swollen, so you won’t be able to shave the hair as close to the root as possible. Shave your legs at night before going to bed, or wait at least half an hour after waking up to do the shaving.
Change your razors regularly. If you notice that your razor doesn’t shave the hair smoothly and your need to press it onto your skin for it to work, then you need a new razor. If the razor isn’t sharp enough, it can irritate the skin and cause uncomfortable redness and because you’ll press it harder, you might end up with cuts.
If your hairs are long, trim them with scissors first. If you shave your legs for the first time or for some reason you haven’t shaved your legs in a while, trim the hair with scissors first to have an easier shaving.
