Learn To Shave Properly:

How to avoid nicks, ingrown hairs & irritation

Nothing makes a pair of legs look better in pantyhose than a fresh shave! Everyone needs to know the best way to achieve this, so here are my 10 tips.

Today, more & more people are turning to waxing & some are trying laser hair removal. However, shaving remains the least expensive form of hair removal. Here are 10 tips & tricks to ensure you're doing it the right way & cutting down on the nicks & irritation so common to shaved skin.

1. The trick to shaving is to get your legs wet, and let your hair and skin soften from the heat & moisture. You don't want to shave dry skin. Shaving is a natural exfoliator & you'll clog up the razor with dead skin while putting yourself at risk for nicks. (see exfoliating below)
2. There's no need to waste your money on shaving creams formulated especially for women. They are virtually the same as the creams sold for men.
3. You are going to have to experiment with razors until you find the perfect one for you. I've sampled many different ones and was amazed at how different each feels. My favorite? Schick Quattro for Women, which has 4 super-thin blades & a pivoting head, and some wires that help keep you from slicing your legs like a potatoe pealer!
4. Be sure to change razors or cartridges on a regular basis, a dull blade can lead to nicks. Also, it's best not to borrow your guy's razor. His hair is coarser & will dull a blade. (Plus, don't men typically hate it when women borrow razors?)
5. Be sure to exfoliate your skin before shaving. It gets rid of all the dead skin cells that could clog up your razor, preventing a close shave. You can do this with a body poof and some light scrubbing of your legs (with soap of course!)
6. Your hair on your legs grows down, and you'll want to start at your ankles & shave up your legs. For your underarms, you'll need to shave in every direction since the hair there in all directions.
7. When finished, put moisturizer on your skin!. The skin on your legs has few oil glands & has a tendency for dryness, especially when you shave, and strip the oils in the process.
8. Ingrown hairs are caused when the hairs curl back under the skin. Avoid ingrowns by exfoliating daily & using a glycolic acid body lotion.
9. If you have a chronic case of ingrown hairs, try Tend Skin, an over-the-counter lotion for ingrown hairs, applying Twice Daily. The redness and bumps should go away within a couple days.
10. Consider opting for waxing or eppilation, at least on your legs. You'll be suprised at how much slower your hair will grow back!