How I learned a faster way to shave

Today I discovered something that took me more than 14 years to learn. Yes, I learned a better way to shave. If you just want to know what I did then skip to "The Trick" section. If you want to read the long story, then read on.

 I started shaving my legs when I was 12. Never should have ever started shaving, then I'd still have soft (short) blond leg hair, but such is life. I first started with a disposable razor that I pulled out from under the sink, I think they were my mom's. I sat in the bathtub full of hot soapy water and started to nervously and slowly pull the razor from ankle to knee. After a few slides I realized how easy it was to shave! So, I went faster and faster over the meat of my leg. Then I swiped over the bone- slice. A good 4 to 5 inch long ribbon of thick skin fell off my leg, then ribbons of blood. Gross. I still shudder thinking about it. I was kind of in shock, then ashamed because honestly I didn't know if it was ok for me to be shaving. So I hid my wound from my parents and wrapped it in a rag (like my parents wouldn't have noticed a huge rag tied to my shin!) Needless to say, I did not finish shaving that leg or start the other one. I was pretty much scared off from shaving, and I did go to school for the next week or so with half a shave leg and a five inch scab (beautiful, I know!). I can't remember when I started shaving again, but I was VERY careful and gentle when shaving over the bone from then on.

A couple years later I discovered Venus razors. I first tried one when I was at girls camp and a friend shared her razor with me (who shares a used razor?? What was wrong with me?). I discovered how much different it was than my mom's cheap, disposable BIC razors. So I started buying Venus. I also learned that my friend didn't shave the backs of her knees because they were sensitive, that was weird to me. I didn't have sensitive skin back then (I'll tell you again, it was a mistake to ever start shaving!). Then a couple more years later, I got hit with very sensitive, dry skin after shaving. It was worse in the winter, so thus started the tradition of not shaving in the winter. I tried everything from lotions to shaving cream, shower gel to conditioner to help with the sensitivity while shaving. I tried shaving under water and dry shaving. I tried razors with one blade, two blades, all the way up to six blades. I even tried Nair, hate that stuff. Do not use it on your pits! Speaking from experience here. Then a friend from High School suggested I try an Intuition razor, which I have to admit, was pretty good, but bulky. I still suffered from irritated skin after shaving.

So I have been left with very few options. My shaving regime consists of never shaving during the winter, then when spring rolls around and it warms up, I take hot, hot showers and would have to shave first (because if I didn't then I would be shaving when all the hot water was gone). I ended up using a man's five blade razor and swapped back and forth using shaving cream, shower gel, conditioner, and sometimes plain old body wash sudsed up on my louffe. Then afterwards I put on lotion. At this point it didn't matter what brand of lotion I use because they all sting when you rub them in.

Remember how I mentioned I regret ever starting to shave? Well, like weeds jacked up on Miracle Gro, my soft, baby, blond meadow of hairs over the years turned into black, giant, hungry jungle of hair. So every Spring I hack away at the jungle dulling a new blade every time and spending forever trying to get all the obnoxious hair out of the blades underneath the shower head. I'd have to go over the same spot of skin at least a dozen times, cleaning the blades each pass over, before they were smooth, and then I'd get bad, bad, bad, bad, bad razor burn!

Today when I started my annual hacking away at my legs (mind you, with an already dull razor because a certain husband of mine used up all my razor heads on his bald head this summer!), I had the hot water on full blast (btw, this for me keeps the goosebumps down on my legs which lessens the razor burn some.), I was rubbing bar soap straight onto my skin (no sudsing it up first) and was getting really irritated with how long it was taking and how difficult the ginormous amount of hair in the blades was to get out. I could already feel the razor burn forming on that area on my leg. Then suddenly I realized (or remembered, I don't know which) that after pulling my razor back, I could push it forward on my skin and all the hair would come out of the razor! EVERY SINGLE STRAND! I couldn't believe it! Here I was having already spent several minutes hacking away at a section of my leg and then spending several minutes cleaning out the hair under the spout and within a millisecond after my next swipe the razor was clean! Well I didn't waste anymore time, I started chugging away back and forth, back and forth (being careful around the bony areas of course!) only stopping occasionally to rinse the clumps of hair off and then gliding on more soap. I'm proud to say that I got my legs (and pits) completely shave before the hot water ran out!

After getting out of the shower and drying off my legs I noticed I missed a few spots (understandable), so I pulled out my Intuition razor, got it wet and went back and forth on the spots I missed (making sure to keep the razor constantly wet). When I was done, I took a damp washcloth, wiped the hair off, lotioned my legs (with Lubriderm lotion if you're wondering) and magically had no pain from applying the lotion! Voila! I had successfully "dry" shaved and had perfectly smooth, razor burn free, moisturized legs. I don't know what actually helped the razor burn, could've been a combination of all the things I did and used, but I'm just excited that I found a way to shave faster and easier! And I'm also happy that I can now enjoy my hot showers after shaving!


The Trick 
for easy, quick shaving away large amounts of leg hair

If you'd like to use the same method that I used with the same products (or you can experiment with whatever you have, I'd be interested to here from you if different products with this method work to help the sensativity) here are the exact products I used and how I used them:

Dial Soap Power Berry Scent

I used the power berry scent, but I'm sure any scent would work. I rubbed it directly onto my skin (don't suds it up!) I found doing this for me helped the razor glide better.

Gillette Fusion Razor

I think any razor is fine, but I liked this one the best.
Start at the ankle area and pull up to the knee like you would normally, then slide back down toward the ankle about four or five inches or to whenever the clump of hair comes out. You can do this back and forth motion* several times before you have to wash all the loose hair off your leg.

*If you're like me you shave vertically from ankle to knee, but if you stop below the knee, wiping the hair above where you stopped, and shave your leg in two sections (top and bottom) for both your lower and upper leg rinsing the loose hair in between sections you'll get less loose hair stuck in the path of your razor.

Schick Intuition Plus Razor

Intuition razors are nice to use with this method because they have that nice giant lubricating brick attached to it which when you push down you re-lubricate your leg making it possible for you to get away with not using soap to lubricate.
They are especially great for dry shaving or touch ups after your shower. Just make sure you keep the razor wet when dry shaving using the same back and forth movement described above.

Lubriderm Advanced Therapy Extra-Dry Skin

I like Lubriderm because it stings less or not at all and is not too thick or too thin, but if you have a favorite use it!




If this method works for you or doesn't work let me know!