5 Tips I Wish I Knew Before I Started Shaving
It was the second day of sixth grade. I was outside with friends and wearing my favorite denim shorts. The sun was out in full force and decided to land its bright rays right on my miraculously hairy peach-fuzzed legs. I wasn't concerned about my hairy gams until one girl yelled across the courtyard, "You need to shave your legs! Gross!"
My face turned ten shades of red. And with that, I began my shaving journey.
If you feel like you don't know where to begin, rest assured you're not alone. Keep reading for the lowdown on how to conquer the many hairy situations that accompany the road to shaving properly.
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Shaving Cream or Not
I came home crying and yelled at my mom for not making me shave sooner. She handed me the shaving cream and a razor and showed me what to do. I put the shaving cream on my legs, threw my leg up on the counter, shaved a section, rinsed the blade, wiped the blade on a towel.. repeat… until both legs were hairless. Yeah, pretty exhausting. That method only lasted a few months. Shaving in the shower is a lot faster and just makes more sense. Sure you may miss a spot here or there because you're using soap or bath wash instead of shaving cream, but it cuts the process of shaving in half, which is fine by me.
To Knee or Not to Knee
My mom also suggested I only shave up to the knee. As far as I was concerned, my entire leg was hairy, but once you start shaving, inevitably the hair will grow back darker and thicker. During the fall, winter, and spring, I only shave up to my knees, and in the summer I take a closer look at my thighs and shave a little more than I normally would. But no need to always shave all the way up the leg because ain't nobody got time for that.
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Shaving Is the Pits
Legs are one issue, but now the armpits? It's a smaller area to cover, but the positioning is awkward, and the skin is delicate and the hair grows in different directions. Basically, armpits are a hot mess. You want to shave them carefully, pull the skin and allow it to stretch so the blade can smoothly get the hair. It's also better to shave the armpit both going up and down with the razor to get all the hairs since they tend to have a mind of their own.
Best Razors to Use
Razors and their blades can be expensive. Your best bet is to buy a good razor with disposable blades. My favorite disposables are the ones that come with the gel bars. Even though I use body wash to shave, the gel bars make for an extra gentle glide, and it never leaves me with razor burn or a cut.
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Post Shave Care
When you step out of the shower, make sure you pat the shaved areas dry. Rubbing the towel against the smooth skin will leave redness and irritation. Once I'm dry, I always put lotion on my legs to put moisture back into the freshly shaved skin. Lastly, don't forget to always go slow when shaving, never rush. Small cuts can happen, but we want to avoid them. If it's a fresh blade, be extra careful because it's sharp. All that's left to do is feel amazing about your smooth shave and walk out of the house with confidence. That is, until our friend stubble comes back… and you have to do it all over again.
Now that you feel confident about shaving, click HERE for five reasons you shouldn't be afraid to make the first move on your crush.