I shaved my legs about five weeks ago for the first time. I loved the way it looked afterward, but in the ensuing weeks, these fuckers ITCH!! So, here I am a month later, still unable to shave them again because I just have so many scratching scabs, scars, and rashes. The itching would eventually become so bad that scratching my legs until they bled gave me a peri-orgasmic exprerience. A fat load of good that did in the long run. I now have bruised old lady legs. So, unless I want to earn the nickname "Scab McGillicutty", I need to find a way to prevent this going around the second time. I believe this is the result of the hair penetrating the top layer of skin as it grows back. With that in mind, is there a product I can pick up that will reduce or eliminate the itchiness? Also, does it get better the second time around naturally? I shaved my pubic area around the same time, which I have done routinely for a few months now, and did not experience any discomfort.
I don't know if your issue is unique to you or not, but my tips for the best leg-shaving experience are these: 1. Coochy Cream. Invest, it is the best stuff around for shaving anything. (Although you can get roughly the same effect for less if you use conditioner.) 2. VERY sharp razor. If your razor is dull or dirty it will very likely irritate your skin and you might cut yourself.
Baby powder/talc/some other sort of powder is very good for stopping the itch and reducing the irritation caused by the short, blunt regrowth gripping onto clothing. This friction seems to cause most of the 'rash' appearance for me, so using powder is a very effective way to reduce it (and the itch as well of course). If your hair is reasonably long (i.e. longer than 5mm or so) I suggest trimming as short as possible with hair clippers before using a razor; otherwise the razor will get clogged with the long hairs and make it difficult. Clippers can get it pretty short so you may find you don't need to use a razor at all, therefore skipping the first (and worst) stage of regrowth. Powder is still suggested though, and you won't be able to get it perfectly smooth with just clippers (it will look almost identical though). As you said, the least pleasant part is just when the hair is coming through the skin. I find exfoliating with some sort of scrub about 12 hours after shaving (depending on how fast your hair grows) will help the tips of the hairs expose themselves. This will also reduce the chance of them becoming ingrown. And of course as thedreamwatch said, sharp razors and some sort of cream are essential. It does get better each time you do it; whether this is due to improved technique or your body adapting I don't know .
I personally would suggest trimming it. It's quicker, easier, and doesn't hurt so much. I think it looks much nicer, imo, than having ingrown hair red bumps everywhere. But that's all the advice I can give! You can buy a electric razor with guards and trim it short.
Here's my advice for anyone looking a shaving pretty much anything. 1.Hygiene. The more you clean and disinfect the area BOTH before AND after, the better. 2. Heat. The hotter and more 'moist' the skin/hair, the better. 3. Depending on your skin type, moisturisation is very important, ESPECIALLY when you're doing it the first few times. Remember that MOST people experience a reaction similar to yours when they first shave an area that hasn't been shaved before. It takes time for your skin to become accustomed to both the hairless state, and to having entire layers of skin and oil removed during the shaving process. Finally, ingrown hairs might be part of the problem, if so; there are plenty of products out there you can apply to help reduce this irritation; they might be a worthwhile investment.
Just a hunch, but I think it has something to do with shaving against the grain. When you do this, it pulls on the hair a bit before it cuts it, and what is left of the hair slips just below the skin and the skin heals up around it. The result is the ingrown hair you speak of. I would use the trimmer with a guard idea. This is kindof embarassing, but I actually tried waxing my legs when I was 12. My mom had this do-it-yourself kit that was just sitting in the basement in a box (i guess she decided against using it?). So I was like "what the hell" I did a little spot on my inner thigh. Well, good thing I only did a little spot because every single little hair got ingrown!! So don't try waxing, it's way worse!! Thankfully, I grew up and didn't grow much more body hair so it's not an issue
