interesting

Am I the only one who doesn't have to shave her legs? My leg hair went the way of the rest of my body hair when I started hrt. I just pluck the half dozen hairs that are left.

Karen Lyn

I also recommend Sugaring as the best and least irritating approach. Sort of like pulling out your hairs with taffy. Less painful than waxing and sugar is much less irritating to the skin.

Also, to soothe the skin you will have to try different products until you find the one you like. My personal favorite is Burt's Bees Baby Bee apricot oil. This is a brand that you find at health food stores like Whole Foods. You can also buy it on-line if you want to pay shipping. Many products contain versions of mineral oil that is a petroleum product the is not soothing for many people. Burt's Bees is apricot kernel oil, grapeseed oil, etc. After all, if it can soothe a sore baby bum then it can probably help your thighs.

I don't have the pain threshold necessary to do any of these treatments.  I also don't want to do laser.  I hate shaving, and I also don't want the itching and red bumps and all that.  Here's what I do:

First, recognize that the red bumps and irritation are a combination of the damage the razor does to your skin and the freshly shaven hairs (which have a sharp edge from the razor) in-growing.  If you keep everything smooth, then over a short period of time the ingrowns will reduce significantly.  Alternately, you can keep everything short but not shaved, and that will also reduce ingrown hairs.

I have legs that are medium fuzzy, but my leg hair is relatively light.  From just above the knees downward, I use Veet.  This is a depilitator like Nair, which I find works well for me (some people do not react well to depilatories - try on a small area first).  I do it once a week - it gets the hairs better than shaving so by the end of the week I am just becoming a tiny bit fuzzy.  Also, because Veet dissolves the hairs (icky, I know) they don't have the sharp edges that shaving causes.  That means fewer ingrowns.

From midthigh up I use a "beard trimmer" set on the closest setting.  That thins the hair out to an acceptable level under stockings - and you can't see my thighs in a skirt anyway.  If I am going to be wearing a miniskirt or short dress, I use Veet as far up as needed.

If you do not react badly to depilatories, they are the way to go - take as long as shaving but last three times longer, no cuts, no razor burns.  But like I said - try it on a small area first.   People who react badly to them tend to react REALLY badly.  Also, be sure to read the instructions on the box.  They are not printed there to take up space!

Good luck

Shaving is OK..but there's some problems if you are inconsistent with doing it.

If you get the rash, just treat it topically...I like that Aloe Sunburn Pain Killer jell as it has a local anesthetic in it and the relief is pretty quick.

What the rash means is that somehow you got it wrong.

RULES:

1) HOT WATER TREATMENT....use no detergent soaps which is what most of them are these days. You need a fine castille soap or at the least something like Ivory as they leave no residue. I like to use shampoo to cut the oils...more on that further down.

2) A FRESH RAZOR...I suggest NOT buying those multi-bladed swivel head toys.

3) Use real shaving cream...not a bar of soap, not baby oil or shampoo..but a real men's shaving cream...and don't go cheap here either. Get a brand name..and look for the sensitive face label if you want.

4) Do NOT shave lying/reclining in the tub in a bath. Stand up in the shower using the hot and moist air in the shower but make sure that you don't allow the water to remove the shaving cream.

5) Shave in whatever way you think feels best..but keep the return passes over the area to a minimum...more passes will dig deeper into the skin creating exposed areas that are not ready to be exposed on the never ending assembly line of replacement skin cells.

6) Rinse the shaving cream and hair off with a nylon loofah or scrunchie-type thing..don't dig at it, but use some pressure. This helps pull out any ingrown hairs.

7) Towel dry by patting, not rubbing.

Apply Witch Hazel to the entire shaved area. If you get some stinging more that a slight bit, you went too hard with the razor and need to lighten up on your technique.

You might get a rash the first few times, but if you follow these rules carefully, you'll stop them after a short while and the skin can be shaved without any discomfort at all.

If you insist on the use of a multiple bladed razor, try to get ones without the lubrication strips on them .This is that white or blue or green bar behind the blades that are supposed to give you a better shave...baloney! They just give you a false sense of security and you will shred your skin. I use the "Good News" dual blade ones..but more than two blades is just a gimmick.

Holding the razor handle too parallel to the skin will make you use more pressure than necessary..as the blades aren't making a good contact to the skin and you think you have to press harder to get a clean shave. Hold the handle more vertically to the skin. This is especially important on shins, ankle bones and toes if they heed it.

If when you are shaving you feel more hair showing up or popping up from the skin surface, you didn't get the skin clean enough or allow it to get wet enough. Human oils will resist the water and keep it from penetrating the hair and the skin itself will actually be dry under the immediate surface and won't push the hair to the surface so it can be cut off.

Shave as the last step in your showering process..but be careful of hair conditioners getting on the hair you want to remove. It will make it rubbery and it will not cut off cleanly.

Sometimes I use a cheap-o hair shampoo without conditioner to strip the skin of natural oils before I lather and shave. Those shampoos are designed to remove human oils and they work quite well...just don't shave with them as they are the wrong product for that.

(PS: shampoos without conditioners also remove human oils from things like collars and clothing that have that "ring-around-the-collar" problem. That ring is just human oils.)

I have a trick for shaving around the nipples if you have any strays there.

Just use the index finger on the hand not holding the razor to push down on the nipple...into the chest...and then shave around your finger. It protects the very sensitive nipple and raises the hairs to full height to make them easier to remove. Press the razor rather gently as you are now opening the skin up a lot and it can get razor burn!

coolies jodie, that is some amazing advice, I will have to try all that

Quote from: Calisti on January 09, 2007, 11:30:35 PM
Um, hi everyone...

My legs look like a shag-pile rug, so getting rid of the hair is a top priority of mine. I'm shaving them while I look something a little more permanent (and get up the guts to try it,) but I can't shave above my knees without getting a huge, horrible rash. Does anyone have any tips for me?

P.S: I'm sorry if this is the wrong board to be posting this in. I've never used a forum before this one...

Exfoliate before shaving, this will weaken the little nubs of dry skin close to the pore and remove the scaly stuff that will clog your razor (and decrease its efficiency). Also, try to keep your legs moisturized as much as possible so the skin becomes more elastic and less brittle and use sharp razors carefully doing several passes in different directions for the difficult spots (if you go against the grain, do it very carefully). Consider that if you hurt yourself while shaving you may not notice it right away so be vigilant of shaving habits that hurt you and avoid them until you become proficient in those difficult areas.

Hi Calisti,

I can't comment on ripping out any hair.  I'm not big on pain and can't even think about tweezing.

If you haven't shaved before, I'd highly recommend a "pre-shave" to whack off the heavy stuff first. A small hand-held trimmer works great.  I'm not sure "the grain" makes a difference at this stage as you don't really hit the skin.  This can be done wet or dry though you migh want to have a bath towel to catch the hair.  Be sure you stretch out your leg so the nooks and crannies are flat.

Once this is done, choose a warm shower or bath tub....apply some lubricant (I find bath soap works great), and shave with a razor. (I use a 5-blade, men's or women's are equivalent for me).  Here grain makes a difference.  And go sloooowwly.  Chopping motions will bring bad things.  And you don't want to go over the same area too many times.  Though sometimes I'll sweep over an area from one direction followed by a sweep at 90 degrees.

Long ago I tried Nair but that stuff gave me nasty burns and terrible stubble.

Once shaven, if you keep up with it before it gets to be stubble, you should have less problems.  The challenge is getting past the stubble.

For me, the key points are: micro-razors (ie 5-blade...which are, unfortunately, NOT inexpensive), use a two-step procedure (at least for the first time), and take your time.

Happy shaving.

why dont u all use veet hair removal cream??www.veet.com