Harperâs Bazaar, the famous womenâs magazine, stirred serious controversy when the magazine launched its first womanâs razor advertisement titled Shaving Made Easy in 1905. In the year 1915, Milady Gilette womenâs razor was launched. The popularity of shaving legs increased in subsequent two decades and today, it is one of the easiest and most popular methods of body hair removal for a clean and hair free body. Another popular method of hair removal, waxing is painful but effective and safe as well. However, shaving still remains the cheapest and fastest way of hair removal for women. Shaving for women mainly concentrates on legs and underarms. Shaving the rest of the sensitive body parts is not recommended. Shaving is tricky and needs to be done carefully otherwise it may lead to some serious cuts and bleeding. Here are 10 shaving tips for you to do it the right way.
1. Wet your skin before shaving
The trick to shave smoothly is to wet the skin first and let it soften. Shaving itself is a natural exfoliator. Shaving the dry skin may lead to the clogging of the razor with dry and dead skin and may cause razor burn and nicks. Therefore, moist your skin before running the razor on your delicate skin. The lubrication of skin will lead to the smooth gliding of the blade onto your skin.
2. Find a good shaving lotion for women
There are plenty of shaving creams available in the market, formulated especially for women. However, these shaving creams are practically the same as the ones for men. There is no point wasting money on it. The shaving creams can be rough on your delicate skin. And if you have to get one, then find a good brand and check out the fragrance that you like. The fragrance of the shaving lotion is lingering and you would definitely not be very keen to roam around with a manly musky smell all over your body.
3. Find the perfect razor for yourself
There are plenty of companies offering the shaving razors for women. All are good, but you have to find the perfect one for you. Check out with your friends and be open for suggestions. There are mainly two types of manual razors in the market, straight razor and safety razor. Safety razors also have some sub-categories such as single edge, double edged, cartridge razor, inject able razor and disposable razors. Cartridge razors are the most expensive ones in the market. Find the right razor with lubricated strips, spring mounted multiple blades and pivoting heads. Different kinds of blades will have different effects of shaving. The super thin blades and a pivoting head are generally to give the best results.
4. Don’s use anyone else’s razor
Take care of the hygiene of the razor on regular basis. Keep changing razors and cartridges regularly. A dull blade is dangerous and can give you nicks. Never use your manâs blade or anyone elseâs. Firstly, the blade already used can give you Hepatitis C. Secondly; menâs skin is rough and coarse and once used the blade will be dull to shave your skin smoothly. Therefore, using someone elseâs blade or razor is a strict NO.
5. Exfoliate your skin well before shaving
Make sure you exfoliate your skin before shaving. There are various ways to exfoliate your skin. You can use exfoliate gloves, or can exfoliate with clothes in the shower or you can also dry brush before shower. The loofah is not a great tool to exfoliate as it can be bacteria infected and the nylon fluffy stuff with the body wash doesn’t work great on the skin as it can coarse. The basic wash towel can be the best way to exfoliate. Try to see the results.
6. Shave in the correct direction
Check out the direction for the growth of the hair. Since the hair on the leg grows towards down, therefore, start at the ankle and shave up. However, for underarms you will have to shave in all directions as the hair grows at different angles. This will help you get a clean and smooth skin, shaving the excessive hair off your legs and underarms. Check from all sides if you have not left any part. Even a few strands left on the smooth skin make an ugly picture. Clean it completely and carefully.
7. Moisturize your skin after shaving
Once you are done with the shaving, moisturize your skin with oil or moisturizer to soften the skin. Shaving is rough on your skin and your skin needs pampering after the removal of the hair. The skin of your legs has very few oil glands and shaving leads to the dryness of the skin. The baby oil or extra virgin coconut oil will sooth and smoothen your skin. You can also apply oil on your legs and arms after shower and then towel-off the excess oil from your body.
8. Exfoliate to avoid hair ingrown problem
When the hair curls back under the skin; it causes ingrown hair. The condition is seen primarily in the people with curly hair. Anything that has broken off the hair leaving the sharp tip can cause ingrown hair. Sometimes, ingrown hair occurs due to clogged pores for various reasons and the hair is forced to grow sideways. Exfoliate daily to avoid ingrown hair and you can also use a glycolic acid cleanser for a smooth skin getting rid of the problem of ingrown hair.
9. Take care of razor bumps
If you are a chronic case of ingrown hair, which is primarily a condition, where the hair grows sideways or curs back. This may or may not be accompanied by infection of the hair follicles or the razor bumps. In case of ingrown hair, try Tend skin, an over the counter lotion to be applied in the morning and at night. The razor bumps will disappear leaving a smooth, supple skin.
10. Consider other methods of hair removal
You must consider opting for other method of hair removal i.e. waxing, especially in bikini line and lower legs. You can shave you underarms and upper legs. If you have coarser hair, you will notice, in time the hair will not grow back that fast. Its safe to use waxing for hair removal on the rest of the body part. Shaving can also be reserved for extreme conditions or for urgency, when you donât have time to wax.
Via: Beauty