How To Shave Your Legs

Our guide on how to shave your legs shows you how to get a close shave while avoiding nicks and cuts. Even if you’ve been using the razor on your legs for years, I’m sure you’ll learn some new tricks for better results.

Difficulty: Easy

Time Required: 15- 20 minutes for shaving your legs

Here's How:

1. Choose your shaving cream or gel wisely. What you use has as much on the outcome of your shave as your razor. The Art of Shaving, Shaving Cream for Women (compare prices) is phenomenal for getting a smooth shave, moisturizing skin and preventing ingrown hairs. For men or women, I would recommend Brave Shave, originally created for male body shaving.
2. Don’t skimp on your razor. Stay clear of the straight, cheap disposables or you'll be asking for cuts and nicks. Instead use a razor with a pivoting head and multiple blades to give you a smooth, close shave. My pick for the ladies is Schick Quattro for women (compare prices).
3. Give a haircut. If you’ve never shaved, or haven’t in a while, it’s good to trim hair down as short as possible. You can do that by placing a comb flat on the skin and trim over comb with scissors, or with clippers using the shortest guard. The less hair you start out with means less use of your razor, and leads to less clogging of blade.
4. Take a warm shower or bath. At least five minutes of the heat will soften skin and relax the hair follicle. So shampoo your hair and wash your body first.
5. Exfoliate. Rid dead skin cells and provide a closer shave by using a mild exfoliator or your favorite body wash with an Ayate washcloth (compare prices) on your legs.
6. Dab on some shaving oil. Working as a barrier on your skin, the razor will glide easier instead of dragging and moisturize skin. It also helps prevent razor burn, general irritation and ingrown hairs. This isn’t a necessary step, but a big life-saver for those who struggle with irritation or have sensitive skin.
7. Apply shaving cream or gel. Make sure skin is damp, but not overly wet. If you have a shaving brush, work the product with the brush in circles to help lift hair and get a closer shave.
8. Shave. Using a fresh blade, using firm but not excessive pressure, go in opposite direction of hair growth while holding skin taut. Don't go over the same area too many times.
9. Rinse. In between strokes, be sure to rinse blade. A clogged razor won’t work well.
10. Cleanse. Rinse area and pat dry with towel.
11. Moisturize. Apply a light lotion. You don’t want anything too thick so as to clog the hair follicle. But something light will help hydrate the skin and make it look more soft and smooth.
12. Fight redness. Men or those with thick leg hair can use a prouduct like Flawless Ingrown Hair Serum (buy direct) to ward off bumps, redness and ingrown hairs.

Tips:

• Watch the direction of hair growth. Sometimes the back of the legs grow from left-to-right or right–to-left, so adjust the blade's shaving direction to get the closest results.
• Be extra careful with your pressure using the razor around your ankles and shin bones.
• Shaving is only temporary, to get longer lasting results (up to six weeks) try waxing or sugaring.

What You Need:

• Comb and scissors or clippers (if hair needs trimming)
• Pivoting razor with multiple blades
• Shaving cream or gel
• Shaving oil (optional)
• Shaving brush (optional)
• Light lotion