How To Shave Your Legs

Leg shaving is often the beauty routine that women hate most. It is time consuming, requires flexibility and can be dangerous if you knick yourself with a dull blade. Leg shaving doesn't have to be something you dread. If you follow these steps you can have perfectly smooth legs every time you shave.

1. Begin with warm water. When shaving your legs you want to shower or take a bath in warm water. Allow the skin and hair to soften. When your skin is cold or the hair is coarse you have more potential for cutting yourself or missing spots.
2. Exfoliate the skin. If you are shaving for the first time since winter or if your skin is dry then you must not skip this step. Use a poof or loofah with shower gel to lightly scrub your skin in circles. This will loosen any ingrown hairs, remove flaky dead skin and lift the hair to be cut.
3. Lather shaving cream onto legs. There are several options for shaving cream available. Choose something made for sensitive or dry skin that includes aloe or another lotion for a soothing shave. If you don't have shaving cream, then use hair shampoo or a creamy shower gel as a substitute. Lather the cream you choose and apply it so there is a thin coat on your legs from foot to hip.
4. Raise your leg to shave your foot. Shave the top of your foot and toes to remove any hairs. This should only have to be done every few shaves instead of every shave. Keep an eye on the top of your toes to see how often the area needs to be shaved. Be careful because the skin on your feet can be thin and cut easily.
5. Prop your foot. By propping your foot up and bending your knee you should be able to reach all of your leg area that needs to be shaved.
6. Start at the ankle. In slow, consistent strokes draw the razor up from your ankle to just below your knee. Make the entire length one solid stroke. Then shift around the leg an inch and repeat the move. Keep shaving until you have removed the hair and shaving cream from all the way around the lower part of your leg.
7. Rinse the razor. After every two or three strokes, rinse the razor under the warm running water. This keeps the blade from dulling prematurely and from getting clogged with hair.
8. Shave thigh. Start using the razor for the top of the leg by beginning a stroke just above the knee and shaving from there to the top of your thigh. Repeat strokes all the way around until your thigh is smooth.
9. Shave the knee area. The knee area is the hardest part of your leg to shave. Be prepared to be gentle and to shift your knee so that you can access the areas from several different angles. After a few strokes, run your fingers over the area to find any areas you missed.
10. Repeat with the other leg.
11. Rinse your legs under the warm water. Once you have shaved all the hair, make sure that your legs are rinsed completely clean.
12. Pat dry. Step out of the shower and if you can let your legs dry in the air. If not, use a towel to pat dry the skin. Don't rub the skin. Wait at least two hours before you apply lotion so your skin doesn't break out.

Shaving your legs doesn't have to be a painful experience. Make sure your razors are clean and sharp. Then shave regularly so your skin is accustomed to the abuse.