OK, so for multiple reasons, I want to get into a habit of shaving my legs. But somehow I can't seem to do it properly.

Basically whenever I start trying to do it, the razor obviously gets clogged up with really long hair very quickly indeed, and even after doing this for an extended period of time I never seem to get anywhere and I end up with a rather ineffectual razor blade which needs to be replaced thereafter.

Would I be better off going for waxing of the legs initially, to get a completely smooth feel, and then shaving every couple of days to maintain that, or is there some trick to shaving full-grown leg hair which I've missed?

Help would be much appreciated.

Waxing good be a good place to start.  Or use a trimmer to knock the long ones down to a smaller manageable length.

I'm ftm and recently grew my leg hair out because it felt more comfortable. It was about 8 months worth of growth so there was a fair bit of it. My mum made me shave it all off recently and I had the same problem as you. My only advice is to pull the razor up half of your shin once, rinse the hair out of the razor, do one more glide up the top half and then do this all around your leg. Make sure you rinse the razor after every half glide so that the hair doesn't clog up. Once you have done that once round, depending on how long it was to begin with, go round once again but glide the leg in one go rather than halves. This will provide less hair in the razor as most of it is gone so its just to get the leftovers. After every glide give the razor a quick rinse. Once you've got rid of the initial hair aim to shave at least once a week and there will be less build up in the razor and it will make the process easier. The first time is a long process but once you get into the swing of things it'll become easier because there's less hair to deal with. I hope this made sense. Good luck

I went through the initial "First shave" as well...and wow did that suck/take a long time, but it was soo worth it.

My advice is that you use a three blade razor since 1) they are less irritating 2) they are 100x cheaper and 3) they don't clog as much as a four or five blade razor. Don't get the disposable ones, get the ones with the replaceable heads. I personally use the schick hydro, and I haven't had any problems with it.

As for the actual shaving, go very slow and only take about a couple inches of hair at a time, and then rinse out your razor. Just make sure you get each section free of hair before continuing, then you won't have to worry about not having lubrication for the second pass over the area.

Good luck

You may have to change the blades out at least once...when you notice the blade "seems" dull, even after rinsing...change it! Don't be cheap and try to use one blade for both legs!

[ /voice of experience]

Waxing is much more effective, btw. And on the legs it's not so painful as, say, the chest.

For the initial wave, I used a disposable razor in the shower. It took about a week overall to get through it all because I did it every other day to let the skin heal up a bit. I think I went through 2 or 3 razors for that wave and it took about 30-60 minutes each time. Once that was done, I was able to do it once every 3 days, the razor lasted a lot longer, and it took a lot less time. Waxing sounds painful with that much hair and I'm not a fan of pain.

For a major deforestation of the long hair variety, I find it best to go in short strokes back and forth keeping the razor on the skin, about an inch each for each stroke,  Go gentle though, By reversing the stroke you pull the hairs out of the razor and un clog it somewhat, for lubrication the best thing I have found is hair conditioner, Its very slick, softens the hair and has always resulted in less nicks and irritation, But for a first go make the most of the first day, as after that the bumps will come and as hard as it is, letting them recover before shaving again really is the best thing in the long run.

I started with clippers (the head kind). Then I moved on to an electric razor - with a foldout clipping blade. It may not be as good at close shaves as the standard bladed variety, but as I'm not eager to touch my anything with a bunch of sharp blades, I think 'somewhat close' is good enough.

Always use something like a beard trimmer first or you will go nowhere fast and burn through razors. Always use a good razor, I gave up on the disposables long ago. Make sure the blades are sharp, I only get three shaves and then they are done with and I am not extremely hairy. Expect some irratation in the beginning until the skin gets used to it. You will undoubtedly experience razorbumps in some more sensitive areas, upper thighs and bikini line especially, and a good thing to prevent them is a solid deodorant that contains cornstarch but not alcohol. Always use shaving cream prefferably men's shaving cream, this is straight from a Glamour magazine that I read quite a few years ago. Right before the shaving cream I apply the same conditioner I use for my hair and don't rinse it off but apply the shaving cream on top of it. This allows more lubrication and and much smoother results. Always use a moisturizing lotion afterward. I also, and especially when I first started, use baby powder over the top portion of my legs when I wear pants. This allows a sort of barrier between the jeans and the skin instead of just fabric on skin. Not so much the lower because hardly any hair grows on my calves and patchy on my shins.

And last but not least, slow down and take your time. You'll have far better results.

Funny, I actually wanted to start the same thread.

I had my first leg-shaving adventure two weeks ago. It started off ok. I used a beard trimmer first, then a razor with lots of shaving cream. The first day was nice, the first morning, however, was scary. I don't think I did it correctly as I was covered completely in itchy razor bumps. I tried again a few days later with the same result. So, I waited for my hair to grow out a bit and tried waxing. Not as painful as TV makes it seem, though not fun by any means. In any respect, the bumps are back.

Clearly I am not doing something right. I am moisturizing extensively and using a turmeric-based exfoliating lotion, but is there some trick to this I'm missing?

Take care,
Mary 

Quote from: Mary81 on June 14, 2013, 11:06:48 AM
Funny, I actually wanted to start the same thread.

I had my first leg-shaving adventure two weeks ago. It started off ok. I used a beard trimmer first, then a razor with lots of shaving cream. The first day was nice, the first morning, however, was scary. I don't think I did it correctly as I was covered completely in itchy razor bumps. I tried again a few days later with the same result. So, I waited for my hair to grow out a bit and tried waxing. Not as painful as TV makes it seem, though not fun by any means. In any respect, the bumps are back.

Clearly I am not doing something right. I am moisturizing extensively and using a turmeric-based exfoliating lotion, but is there some trick to this I'm missing?

Take care,
Mary

I can't wax. The same thing happens no matter how much I exfoliate. Try using the conditioner under the shaving cream. And whatever you do don't apply too much pressure with the razor. going ove the same spot, especially with the conditioner added into the mix, is far better than applying to much pressure.

As for the bumps, with me it was normal until the skin got used to the shaving. Especially my underarms. In the beginning it was really bad in the summertime wearing pants and sweating. Talk about stinging, holy crap, but now there is no irratation at all. The razor bumps should eventually go away depending on how sensitve your skin is. Now I don't even get them but every now and then in the bikini area. For the most part the solid deodorant trick takes care of that for me.

I shouldn't even have to say to always use a clean sharp blade, everyone I hope knows this. Also make sure you rinse the blade often. The conditioner deal helps with extra lubrication but it will clog up the blade fairly quickly. Depending on how thick the hair is, the more frequently you have to change blades. I can get four or five uses from one blade but I'm not overly hairy. Once the skin gets use to it it's nice not to have the extra insulation, especially in the summertime.

Can anyone offer effective tips for exfoliating and avoiding ingrowns?  I actually use an electric shaver most of the time because it causes the least irritation and ingrowns for me and zero cuts.  I've been using Baléa cooling lotion in the most problematic areas, particularly on the lower stomach and bikini zones.  I also use an exfoliating body wash with the little scrubbing beads in it.  To my great relief I've actually had no trouble at all with my armpits.  It's mostly in areas with thicker/stiffer hair that I have issues.

If you can bear it, let it grow out completely and rest for a couple of weeks. When I first started shaving I had a similar thing, and it carried on with very little relief, then as I am still rather closeted I let it grow out for vacation, so about 8 weeks it was left to fallow, the next shave resulted in far less irritation, not completely free but better, but again the situation remained constant with the same areas being irritated until the next vacation, and again this time when the forest was cleared there was very little irritation, I still get it sometimes around the waistband or if I trim the bikini line closer, but at the end of the last vacation I shaved on the last day and hopped on a 14 hour flight with no problems.

Of course everyone is different so your mileage may vary, but for me hopefully when I finish my current vacation I'll be free of the bumps, and really starting to think sod it who's going to notice my legs anyway for the next one.

Quote from: Violet Bloom on June 14, 2013, 12:02:56 PM
Can anyone offer effective tips for exfoliating and avoiding ingrowns?  I actually use an electric shaver most of the time because it causes the least irritation and ingrowns for me and zero cuts.  I've been using Baléa cooling lotion in the most problematic areas, particularly on the lower stomach and bikini zones.  I also use an exfoliating body wash with the little scrubbing beads in it.  To my great relief I've actually had no trouble at all with my armpits.  It's mostly in areas with thicker/stiffer hair that I have issues.

I use a loofah or at least the fake loofahs. When using a soap to wash, don't use one that is real heavy on the scent or preferably no scent. Always 100% remember to pat dry after a shower or bath, don't rub. And the more you do it, the less irratation you'll have.

Quote from: Joey. on June 11, 2013, 06:34:27 PM
I'm ftm and recently grew my leg hair out because it felt more comfortable. It was about 8 months worth of growth so there was a fair bit of it. My mum made me shave it all off recently and I had the same problem as you. My only advice is to pull the razor up half of your shin once, rinse the hair out of the razor, do one more glide up the top half and then do this all around your leg. Make sure you rinse the razor after every half glide so that the hair doesn't clog up. Once you have done that once round, depending on how long it was to begin with, go round once again but glide the leg in one go rather than halves. This will provide less hair in the razor as most of it is gone so its just to get the leftovers. After every glide give the razor a quick rinse. Once you've got rid of the initial hair aim to shave at least once a week and there will be less build up in the razor and it will make the process easier. The first time is a long process but once you get into the swing of things it'll become easier because there's less hair to deal with. I hope this made sense. Good luck

Sorry your mum made you shave it off?
I would have turned around and told her where to go.


As for shaving, if you're very hairy to start off with, clippers are your best friends, do a zero, then take a long HOT bath and soak your legs, use a shaving cream or gel, a new shaver and shave up the leg.

I would get your legs waxed however, much better results.

I used the trimmer part of an electrical shaver, then used the electrical shaver (the parts that's really meant for your face), and then that's good enough for 1 day, but then the next day, used the manual razors.

To the person that mentioned using hair conditioner as part of the prep work for shaving... genius! I just tried it. Amazing.

Quote from: Emily Elizabeth on June 18, 2013, 05:16:05 AM
To the person that mentioned using hair conditioner as part of the prep work for shaving... genius! I just tried it. Amazing.

Thanks Emily. I am actually way smarter than I look or act... sometimes anyway. Glad it helps.