Does estrogen make shaving easier (ingrown hairs)?

[Terracotta]

Whenever I shave my legs I get awful ingrown hairs/red bumps alongside the upper half and female friends of mine have said that females don't get it in that area.

When I'm on hormones and my skin distribution changes from collegan to fat based will this problem go away, anyone else experienced this?

[kelly_aus]

Exfoliate.. Exfoliate.. Exfoliate..

Oh, dear, I sound a little like a Dalek.. lol

I get them if I neglect to exfoliate the following day..

[Carrie Liz]

For me, yes, HRT did indeed make shaving a hundred times easier. I shaved my legs all the time pre-HRT, and my upper thighs were always a minefield of razor bumps afterward. After about 2 months on HRT, the bumps started disappearing, and now a year in I never get razor bumps anywhere anymore. The lack of T pretty much completely obliterated my body hair. All that's left is little thin wispy hairs that are shaved off with pretty much no resistance whatsoever.

[Hikari]

I find that if I wax my legs I almost never have ingrown hairs, and if I use that little sandpaper like device (I forget what it is called) I don't really get them either. Because of that I hadn't shaved my legs since starting HRT....

I took a few months off HRT but I am back on now and my skin has smoothed out again so perhaps I should give shaving them a chance again to see the difference. I have to let the hair grow out a bit to wax and with my microwave the wax is never liquid all the way

[Mary81]

For me, HRT made a huge difference. Prior to starting HRT, I would get ingrown hairs just thinking about shaving my legs. I am not sure when things changed, maybe sometime at the beginning of my third month, but yes they did change. Thank god!

[Natalia]

For me it is easier now to shave my legs...the first time I have shaved them they ended looking like red chicken skin...awfull!

But on the other hand...

It's been horrible to shave my face...I always had a sensitive skin and I always got all red and burning after shaving, but now things are on the other level. The only way I can shave and get out alive is while I am on the shower!

I can't wait to get rid of my facial hair!

[MadeleineG]

Shaving my face has become substantially easier. My beard used to be a thick, brambly underbrush. One laser session + 2.5m of E later and I'm clear in two minutes without collateral damage.

And I love it

[Ltl89]

Shaving didn't get too much easier in my case.  I lotion everyday and use a bunch of good shaving products, but I struggle to get rid of any appearance of all the stubble as I have darker hair.  It really sucks.  So my legs usually end up a little scatched if I try really hard to get a flawless shave.  Eventually I'll either have to get laser on my body hair or maybe just wait a little longer for hrt to diminish body hair.  As of now, there is a lot less hair on my body and it's growing in much slower, but it's not entirely gone which is my goal. I absolutely hate body hair. 

[Jess42]

The more you shave the more used to it the skin gets. As for ingrown hairs, like someone else said exfoliate an then exfoliate again. I use a loofah and have no problems. Use conditioner and then a good shaving cream. The conditioner adds a higher level of lubrication and softens the hair even more. Next is a little trick of my own, use a good solid deodorant preferably with corn starch and use that on your inner thighs and or where you have the problems with razor bumps or ingrown hairs. I find with the ingrown hairs and I shave everyday, I don't get them. Its just that if I skip a day and the hair gets enough length to curl back into the follicle that I have problems.

[Harlow]

YES! I actually had pretty much the same post a few months back in my earliest HRT days. I too had awful ingrowns and finally gave in and used an electric trimmer (small clipper used for haircuts) for awhile. Now I shave even against the grain and no problems at all. Like the girls said though exfoliate exfoliate exfoliate It does help!

I'm only 5 1/2 months in and have no problems with ingrowns now

[KittyKat]

I used to not be able to shave against the grain on my face with out getting a line of ingrown hairs. Now after 2 laser sessions and a month of E I can shave any direction I want without getting more then 1-2 nicks. Probably could avoid the nicks being more careful. Its also taking a lot longer for hair to grown back every time.