Before you shave, wax, or touch a hair on your body, read this article. Despite the fact that you’ve been shaving for decades, chances are you still make these common hair removal mistakes. There are easier, less painful ways of doing it. Read those tips in this article, and you’ll be wondering, ‘Why didn’t I think of that?’
Exfoliate before you shave
One of the most effective ways of preventing ingrown hairs is to exfoliate! A gentle scrub can help you remove an existing ingrown hair. Use the scrub twice or thrice a week, and every day, apply a lotion that contains exfoliating ingredients such as alpha hydroxy acids.
Apply shaving cream
Shaving cream gives you a smoother shave because it can help the hair strands stand up. In fact, you’ll get the best possible results just by applying shaving cream against the grain of your hair growth.
Keep a straight face
We know how painful it is to tweeze facial hair. The instinctive reaction is to flinch or grimace. But contorting your face can be quite disastrous when you’re shaping eyebrows: you don’t get a real idea of where to pluck, since your furrowed forehead or startled expression distorts your eyebrow shape. To help you literally keep a straight face, numb the area with an ice cube.
Shave in the evening
You want a really, really close shave, right? But here’s something you don’t know: your legs tend to swell a bit when you sleep. It’s not that noticeable, but that’s enough to hide a part of the hair. To get a super-close shave, wait until the evening.
Another awesome trick is to shave in the first 10 minutes of a hot bath. Soaking in water will also make your legs swollen.
Avoid that time of the month
Your hormonal fluctuations make your body more sensitive to pain right before, during and after you get your period. Plus, most of us already feel bloated and icky anyway, without the stress of someone pouring hot wax on our bodies and ripping it all off. The best time to have a wax (or even a threading) is in the middle of your menstrual cycle.
Change your blades
New blades give the best, closest shaves. Get disposable blades and use them for a maximum of four times before replacing them with a new one. You also lower your risk for painful nicks or infection from a dull, dirt-encrusted blade.
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