Problems with shaving my legs

OK so ever since i been shaving my legs (from the 7th grade) they have been itching me...and because of that it has left small bumps and marks...it hate it...i cant show my legs in public because it is so awful...what should i do?...I've tried all the thing i could but nothing ever seems to work

You should definitely stop shaving your legs and start using either shaving crams or vaxing. Vaxing would be the best idea since it removes the hair from the root making the hairs grow more slowly but I am sure you already know that.

It is quite possible that your skin is sensitive and razor can be nasty thing, leaving all those scars and cuts making you more prone to bacterial infections, ingrown hairs and bumps.

I am sure you need to chill with shaving. Visit a beauty salon that performs the vaxing and talk to them about your problem or see a dermatologist and talk to her/him about it. They may decide to give you antibiotics if your hairs are inflamed.

I had a similar problem, though not as severe, and one of my friends told me I needed to use LESS close of a shave not keep trying to get closer shaves.

I had been trying to get better razors (three blades, four blades, etc.) to get closer shaves, but the answer was to get less close. Switching to a single blade and going very lightly (light pressure, don't push down) over my legs works better and I have far fewer bumps or other problems.

It won't solve everything, but it might help a little and is easy to try.

Seriously, I have the exact same problem, these little bumps look almost like little zits, and they itch like crazy. I use unscented shaving cream, and this Ocean potion lotion after I get done, it has aloe in it, therefore it moisturizes your skin. I haven't had anymore since I've been doing this.

I know from personal experience what your going thru. first of all, get an expensive razor. not the 6 in a pack for $1 ones. try a venus or a schick quatro for women.. also, and i can't say this enough..SKINTIMATE! it's the only stuff that doesn't make my legs get all itchy and rashy. dont' use lotions or anything on your legs afterwards for at least 6 hours. and if you live in warmer climates, don't swim for about 6 hours after shaving.. chlorine reeks havoc on my sensitive legs!!! if that doesn't work.. try the veet bladeless razor kits. they work great too!!!! good luck!

I also had problems shaving my whole life. After going through this for 15 years and trying everything I could think of, I finially went to a dermatologist. I have skin that grow over the hairs and that is what is causing the rashes and ALL THE ITCHING. Because every time you shave you are just shaving the skin off and waxing is even worse for this. It just causes the hair to grow even slower and you are itching non stop until you can shave. And of corse that dosent really make it better eighter. Some people just have a build up of kertin which is just thick skin. The doctor gave me salex 6% cream 400gm. That is basicly an acid that I put on twice daily to remove the skin. It takes many months to remove so I am not sure how well it will work yet. It is kind of a hasel because u have to wrap up your legs at night in plastic wrap. Hope this helps. Use lots of lotion!!!!

I too have a problem with shaving my legs. Everytime I shaved, my legs got itchy and I would get little red bumps. I hated shaving my legs. Till one day I tried something new. I wet my legs, put Baby Oil all over my legs and then Shaving Cream on top of that and shave my legs like normal. It seems to really work for me and even get a closer shave with a disposable razor. It makes your legs smooth and touchable. Try it and see if it works for you. Note* It's very greasy so I recommend doing it before taking you shower/bath. And your razor get clogged A LOT, so just rinse it well!

You could try using hair conditioner to shave your legs with. It's ultra-moisturizing, and a lot of people have luck using it. It's also great to use for shaving the bikini line. Any old cheap conditioner will do.

You could also try a product called "Magic Shave", a depilatory created for African-American men (to prevent those shaving bumps), but also works on women's legs -- no matter the racial/ethnic background of the woman. But do let your legs heal before trying Magic Shave. It can burn otherwise, even though it's fairly mild as depilatories go.

Guest wrote:

Ok so ever since i been shaving my legs (from the 7th grade) tyhe have been itching me like hell...and becaise of that it has left small bumps and marks...it hate it...i cant show my legs in public because it is so awful...what should i do????...ive tried all the thing i could but nothing ever seems to work...HELP!!!

There have been some really good suggestions on this thread about how to deal with this, and other shaving problems. The only thing I would like to add it this: When shaving your legs, always shave in the same direction of the hair growth. And use a light touch on the razor, not pressing down on it much at all. If you find that you missed some hairs, then go in the opposite direction and go over the area once again where you missed the hairs the first time. Use a good quality razor, and make sure it is new and not dull from prior use. I've also read that using a single edge razor works better for avoiding shaving bumps than a razor with, say, two or three blades. I'm not real sure about it though because I never experimented with that idea. Maybe a single blade does work better? Anyone?
One other post suggested using hair conditioner instead of shave gels or cream. This is an excellent idea, and I have used it myself. It really does work well.
And for waxing, this is my favorite method for hair removal. I use it on several areas of my body, and for me anyway, it works great. This is something you can do yourself, or have a salon do for you. It usually lasts between 4-6 weeks between waxings. I do have to admit that I have gotten a few ingrown hairs from waxing, and alao when I first started, I wasn't doing it properly and I ended up pulling off a layer or two of skin along with the wax on a few areas. Oops! The only other pitfall of waxing is that you have to let it grow out to about a quarter of an inch before waxing again. If you can stand that sort of hair growth in between waxes, then thats fine. If not, then maybe its not for you.
Try out a few different methods, and see which one works best for you.

Last edited by my2cents on 07/13/07 - 18:42; edited 1 time in total

Guest wrote:

I do have the problems that all of you have been mentioning, except my case is worse in the sense that not a SINGLE thing I've done helps. Every time I shave there are ugly red bumps...they're not necessarily itchy, but they burn like crazy if I try to do anything at all to them. I've tried applying baby lotion and lotions made specifically to soothe sensitive skin, but it feels like my legs are on fire afterward. Conditioner makes NO difference for me; my legs are the same after shaving regardless of whether I even use soap or not, so I might as well save some money and not bother buying shaving cream at all. Waxing practically murders it. I understand that a razor is likely just too harsh on my extremely sensitive skin, but it's not like I'm just going to walk around without shaving. But still... I really am at a loss; I've asked dermatologists and none of their suggestions have worked, either. What do you do when your skin is so sensitive that it's almost as though there IS no solution?

Just some thoughts I had. Maybe you already tried them, but I will see if I can help anyway. I'm not an expert, but I'll give it a try!
-Are you using a sharp razor? A dull razor can cause razor burn. A single edge razor is supposed to work best because it won't scrape the skin as much as a two, or three blade razor tends to.
-By shaving in the same direction as the hair grows will often help eliminate or at least minimize the red bumps. This method will not give as close of a shave as going the opposite direction of hair growth, but if it works...
-Make sure to rinse the blade between every stroke to remove the hair build-up on the razor.
-Using soap tends to make the skin dry and flaky. Use a shave cream, gel.
-Don't press too hard on the razor while shaving. Go lightly, and just let the razor glide over the skin. This in itself should help, even a bit - with razor bumps.
All else fails, try this:
-Thoroughly wash with an antibacterial soap twice a day.
-Apply an astringent, like Phisoderm, or Tend Skin, on the affected area
-Use a hydrocortisone preparation, like Cortaid, over the affected area to help cure razor bumps.

I hope this information helps you even a little bit!
Good luck.

Last edited by my2cents on 09/28/07 - 12:34; edited 1 time in total