How to shave your legs: Tips for shaving legs
How to shave your legs? Shaving your legs is not a fast procedure for the first few times. This post discusses how to shave your legs properly and tips to avoid nasty bumps, cuts or ingrown hair. Whether you are a high school girl looking for tips to shave your legs for the first time or a young woman looking for better ways to get rid of hair on your legs – read this and learn how you can get sexy, smooth and silky legs.
Shaving your legs: Things you will need
- Manual shaving razor
- Shaving cream with moisturizer
- Exfoliating scrub
- Moisturizing lotion or aftershave gel with moisturizer
- Towel
Shaving your legs with a manual razor
1) Gather all your shaving tools and accessories
Prepare to shave your legs by gathering your razor, shaving cream, exfoliating scrub and the moisturizing lotion at one place. Having them all together is better than having to step out of the shower in the middle of the shaving process.
2) Rinse your legs in the shower or the water in the bath
Rinse your legs in the shower or bath so you get rid of any dirt or perspiration. Quickly rub your hands over your legs as you rinse them.
3) Exfoliate the skin on your legs
Exfoliating the skin on your legs before shaving is not mandatory but it is known to help in preventing ingrown hair and bumps after shaving. Use a good quality exfoliating scrub to make the skin on your legs feel soft and smooth.
The scrub will reach down into the pores of your skin and help you remove the dead skin before you start shaving.
4) Rinse your legs after exfoliation and soak them in lukewarm water
Rinse your legs after exfoliating them with lukewarm water. You can do this in the shower or you can use the nozzle in the bathtub if you want the rest of your body to remain dry.
Allow your legs to soak in lukewarm water to soften the hair on your legs. This will make shaving easier.
5) Find a nice position where you can spend at least 15 minutes easily
Shaving your legs is not an instant process that you can finish in a minute. You will need to be calm and shave your legs patiently if you want to do a good job.
The most ideal position is to sit on the larger part of the edge of a bathtub near the tap and allow your legs to fall into the tub. This way you can relax and not worry about aching muscles or tiring yourself out.
You can also shave your legs while standing in the shower but you will have to bend, twist and turn which can be strenuous.
Another popular position to use while shaving is to lie down in the bath tub and rest your legs on the edges. Shaving your thighs will be easy but it can be difficult to reaching out to the portion of your legs below the knees.
6) Use your moisturizing shaving cream and apply it part by part
Apply shaving cream only to the area where you are going to shave and then move on as you progress. You can apply shaving cream to both your legs from top to bottom but that can make everything stickier and more slippery.
7) Start shaving from the ankle upwards: Shave against the direction of hair growth
Start shaving your legs from your ankles with medium upward strokes against the hair. Shaving against hair growth on the legs is commonly known to be a good way to avoid ingrown hair and bumps.
Start from your ankles and shave the part of your leg between your ankle and knee. Then move upwards and shave your thighs up to the point where your legs are going to be visible in your shorts or a skirt. Repeat this for both legs.
8) Don't apply too much pressure, don't hold the razor loosely
Don't press the razor too hard against the skin else you risk the chance of irritating it. Holding it too lightly can cause cuts because you don't have control over the direction of the blade. A slant stroke of the razor over a curved part of your leg can also cause a cut.
Use your judgment to apply medium pressure so that the blade can press lightly against the skin and remove hair completely.
9) Take medium strokes
Shaving your legs with very short strokes of the razor can cause excessive irritation to the skin because you will have to take more number of strokes to shave.
On the other hand, hair accumulating on the razor in long strokes can leave hairy patches if the blades get clogged. Strike a balance by using medium strokes of the razor.
10) Rinse your razor after each stroke
Rinsing your razor after every stroke will give your skin slight respite from having cut hair rubbing against it together with the blade. Rinsing the razor will remove the hair, dead skin and shaving cream clogged in-between the blades.
11) Don't hurry: Shave slowly
Hurrying while shaving your legs can make you miss patches, give you cuts or leave bumps on your otherwise silky and smooth legs. Imagine the look on your boyfriend's or husband's face if he moves his hands over your legs and is greeted by a tiny patch of hair that you missed because you were hurrying.
Spending five minutes more and taking your time while shaving your legs is better than frantically looking for patches of hair that you have missed or trying to soothe a nasty cut.
12) Shave your feet at last (optional)
Use your judgment to decide whether you want to shave your feet or not. This will depend on the amount of hair growth and whether you want to shave, wax or pluck the hair from your feet. If you do decide to shave your feet, do it at last.
13) Rinse your legs and check for missed patches of hair
Rinse your legs gently with lukewarm water once you have shaved both your legs. Check for any hair that you may have missed to make sure that your legs are completely smooth.
14) Pat your legs dry
The skin on your legs is likely to be slightly agitated after you have shaved it. Don't rub the towel harshly to dry your skin. Treat your legs gently and pat them dry.
15) Apply moisturizer or an aftershave gel for women
Complete the routine by applying a moisturizer or an aftershave gel for women. A moisturizer packed with the goodness of aloe vera should soothe your skin. Similar products with honey or shea butter extracts should also work well in pampering your skin after the constant irritation from the razor's blades.
Benefits of shaving your legs with a manual razor
- Inexpensive as compared to a trip to the salon
- You can do it at home
- You can do it by yourself
- It doesn't take a very long time once you get used to it
- Gives you smooth legs
- Most shaving accessories are easily available at supermarkets and even gas stations
Note: Please consult your doctor if you have any allergies, extra sensitive skin, other conditions or particular questions regarding shaving your legs.
