Shaving my legs,....SO ITCHY?!?

[Evildawn]

so after some advice yesterday i finally decided to butcher my beard. while i was in the shaving mood i figured hey i have alot of other body hair that needs to go. chest, stomach, pubic area, legs etc. everything seemed to of gone well nice and silky smooth. it felt great in any of my feminine attires tight jeans, silk nightie. BUT THEN i had to put on my male pants(jeans) and my thighs are unbelievably itchy. just god awful itchy. its only when i wear pants that i go out of the house in(male form). which is a bad thing because im gonna lose my mind at that rate.

luckily i came up with a solution, ill just wear my tight womens jeans underneath. so problem solved no more itching, but there has to be a better way to get around the itching. any advice?

[Juliemckay]

Try some Aveno lotion. It really helps with the itchies. I use a lotion everytime I shave

[Jonelle]

you should use lotion after you shave anyway... it is great for your skin..

[Evildawn]

so is not using lotion why my thighs look like a snow leopard with red spots?

[Jonelle]

sounds like razor burn... it will get better over time.. but it could have been from a dull blade too...

[Evildawn]

yeah i had alot of hair to remove lol, i trimmed it all down with an electric shaver first. thighs were the last area i did though and i only had 5 razors so they kinda got the shaft on that one. its amazing how many new razors you can dull out in one sitting.

[Ediosa]

I use women's quattro razor for over 2 years and after finishing shaving, I use baby lotion. No problems. I went through 4 different lotions before I found one that didn't cause me to have major razor burn or bumps.

[Vickie_CDTV]

The red spots are probably ingrown hairs, or PFB bumps. They are common in the inner thigh area and the 'bikini' area. If you continue to get them each time you shave, you may want to look at Tend Skin or a similar product.

To take away the itch, you can try witch hazel or rubbing alcohol after you shave. It takes away the burning or "creepy" feeling right after shaving... well anything really, and it may help with the post-shaving itch.

[Evildawn]

ingrown hairs on that subject,.. would skin fit spandex shorts attribute to ingrown hairs? because the only area with these bumps happens to be the area underneath my workout shorts.

[the_me]

I've only been shaving my legs all out for a couple weeks now, and had the same problem too. Lotion does help. But the time it takes to do it all drives me mad, especially with the speed my hair grows and having to do it every single day.

I'm thinking of just getting one of those Epilators (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epilator)... but might go for waxing instead on the basis of epilators looking scary, haha. Might be another option for you too if you want to keep them smooth with less razor.

[Evildawn]

yes i definetly cannot do this everyday,.. it took me 2 whole hours of shaving! thats just madness lol

you are right that epilator does look scary. maybe ill just stick to shaving the parts that are going to show hah! bushy thighs and silky smooth calves are in i hear >.<

[JohnH]

When I shaved my legs, arms, and chest for the first time it took two hours. I also had a bunch of razor burn. Since then if I shave at least twice a week it takes about 10 minutes to shave everything.

I initially tried Veet on my arms and legs, but there was too much irritation for the arms but the Veet worked OK for my legs. So I started shaving my arms. Later on I found Nair on sale and found that it worked better and was not so irritating. But I decided to shave my legs and it works out the best.

I use the 5-bladed Gillette Venus razor and it works great.

I would urge you to resist the call for misguided people to let your leg hair grow out in the summertime so you can pass as the typical hairy ape in shorts. I shaved my legs all last summer and nobody commented on that. However, instead of shorts I wore denim skirts [ah, the air circulating underneath for the boys underneath!] , and I did catch some flack on that.

Johanna

[Melissa90]

I shaved my legs for the first time last month and I couldn't believe how itchy I was! also Lotion helped my spots lol. But most importantly putting on the lotion felt very sexy!

[Evildawn]

im not so worried about letting my leg hair grow in the summer. even during the summer i wear long jeans never really been much of a shorts fan. mainly because i do alot of trail blazing and thorns + shorts = wtf was i thinking.


but basically i need a better razor not the 2 bladed ones i used,... and lots and lots of lotion ;P

thanks everyone for all your advice

[sterling12]

I'm not "on the scene," but here's a suggestion. You might try some fabric softener on those jeans! Sounds like they are just aggravating your skin, cause most male jeans are pretty abrasive till' you get them "broke in." Also, you could try some Cortisone Cream on your thighs, always a good anti-inflamatory.

Peace and Love, Joanie

[Evildawn]

well its weird because the jeans arent actually in contact with my thighs. i wear spandex shorts (habit from working out). so if anything the spandex is somehow irritating my skin, which i find odd since its a very smooth breathable material. much smoother than my womens jeans which did not irritate my legs.

[Jonelle]

if your skin is not used to being shaved then it is likely that the spandex has caused you to get ingrown hairs...

[sissystephanie]

Spandex can cause you to get ingrown hairs, if it is not worn right. It is a breathable material, and must get plenty of air to breathe. Enclosing the spandex with tight fitting jeans is not the proper way to wear the spandex!!

I have been shaving my legs for over 50 years, and have never had razor burn or ingrown hairs. To do it properly, you must use a brand new, very sharp razor on each leg. And no way should it take you 2 hours if you keep them shaved! I usuially do both my legs in about 20 minutes!! Granted, I am probably much older than you and don't have as much hair but still............2 hours is way too long!! The advice to use lotion is critical. To shave and not use lotion is just plain stupid!! Whyen you shave you are taking off a layer of the skin, and the lotion protects that which is left! But do NOT use any lotion that contains alcohol!! Not good for the skin!!

[Juliemckay]

Spandex can cause you to get ingrown hairs, if it is not worn right. It is a breathable material, and must get plenty of air to breathe. Enclosing the spandex with tight fitting jeans is not the proper way to wear the spandex!!

I have been shaving my legs for over 50 years, and have never had razor burn or ingrown hairs. To do it properly, you must use a brand new, very sharp razor on each leg. And no way should it take you 2 hours if you keep them shaved! I usuially do both my legs in about 20 minutes!! Granted, I am probably much older than you and don't have as much hair but still............2 hours is way too long!! The advice to use lotion is critical. To shave and not use lotion is just plain stupid!! Whyen you shave you are taking off a layer of the skin, and the lotion protects that which is left! But do NOT use any lotion that contains alcohol!! Not good for the skin!!

Actually, applying a little alcohol from the inside seems to help things out (a little drinky poo).

One trick I do, if I haven't shaved for a while (someimes I get really lazy) is to take a good hot bath, then put a little hair conditioner on my legs, then the foam, then use a new sharp razor. When I'm done I use some really nice lotion on where I shaved. I get really good results doing this (I do this on my face as well when I get home from my boys away weekends)

[ninapuella]

I had the same problem when i began to shave. But it seems that my legs has get used to it now. So there is no itching.

[Alice B]

Like everyone says. Use lotion and I found that the more you shave the softer the hairs become and over time there is no itch. Of course it depends upon how thick your hairs are.

[Evildawn]

well i only wear the spandex when im dressed as a man so its not with tight jeans, but i suppose when i sit down its fairly tight regardless.

the 2 hours shaving was for a full body shave chest, stomach, pubic area, legs, and beard. which im going to have to do on a regular basis as im a very hairy person

but after alot of lotion and a lack of pants the itching is barely noticeable. my wife finally got home and diagnosed me with ingrown hairs as you have suspected. after an hour or so of laughing at me she finally showed me what she uses if she ever gets one. i think i have atleast 100+ on each legs >.< but lesson learned lol.

[Jonelle]

100+???????? Ouwch!!!!!!

[Evildawn]

haha yeh, its terrible my thighs hve more red spots than white spots :'(

[Jonelle]

be careful with those.. listen to your wife.. if not treated properly they can get infected.. and lead to staph infections.

[Mahoro]

my wife finally got home and diagnosed me with ingrown hairs as you have suspected. after an hour or so of laughing at me she finally showed me what she uses if she ever gets one.

So what was your wife's recommended solution to the ingrown hairs? I've switched to an epilator, and am totally thrilled with it, but occassionally I still get an ingrown hair or two, especially on my tummy.

[Evildawn]

she had me do a series of things. first i had to use the exfoliating creme and let it sit for about half an hour,.. followed up with a hot bath. during the warm bath i used a very soft loofa to rub in small gentle circle in the affected area. the combination of removing a layer of skin and opening my pores mixed with the gentle rubbing worked out a good majority of the ingrown hairs. afterwards i let my legs air dry,.. appareantly towel drying or other types of forced drying would either irritate and/or dry out my skin. after my legs were dry i applied a moistorising lotion (appareantly ones with salicylic acid work best). now im sitting pantsless to ensure my legs have plenty of breathing room.

im happy to say the itching has virtually stopped and the majority of the red bumps have disapeared.

[curiousrabbit]

You could look into hair removal :) They actually sell home "IPL" (intense light pulse) hair removal now. Basically, it is kind of like flashing your skin with a camera bulb (which is absorbed by the darker hair and kills of the growth). You can have a reaction to it (so best to test it first on a small area, like a section of your leg and then wait a full day to see if anything happens).

I used it once and was having GREAT results (from just one treatment, you are supposed to do them every 2 weeks to start...and then after a couple months it goes to a month between and eventually after like a year you only have to do it once a year or something)... but then I had a bad reaction the 2nd time (the machine malfunctioned). In a month or two I'm going to try it again from a different company (like I said, the results I was seeing really were shocking! I could see it really was headed to a hair-free me).

Best part is, the cost is WAYYY lower than what you would be paying to get it done in a clinic (which can be thousands). The machine cost like 600 dollars (they range around there).

[zoe m]

It'll get better over time, but lotion after shaving helps.

[RachelOKC]

Rubbing alcohol works great for me to stop that itchy crawly feeling. Sure, there's the OMFG moment right after you apply it, but it starts to feel better almost instantly.

[Ashley Allison]

Like many have said before, it gets better after shaving for a while.

I use Gillette Quattro with Nivea scent free shaving cream. After shaving I always used Aveeno lotion after shaving. In delicate areas don't shave against the grain.

[fluffy]

Sigh!
I have super sensitive skin. In fact I used to get irritations even without shaving. For me, waxing or plucking are the only options. I tested laser once and it was awesome and also prevented hair from growing back. But it's out of my price range.

[Evildawn]

i might have to try this waxing i hear its a bit painful,.. sounds fun to me :P