Well it is that time to whip out the old razor and give the creaking stems a bit of a shave. I absolutely hate this day in my week. It is a chore that I could live without. The ever vigilance of shaving my legs while trying to avoid all the nicks or cuts becomes tedious.
I have searched every which way to Sunday on different methods of getting my legs silky smooth, but not without the misery which accompanies it.
Removing One Hair At A Time
I remember when I was a young girl and wanted to start shaving my legs. All my friends were doing it and I felt like I was the only one who hadn't shaved beneath my knee socks. I remember slipping into the bathroom with my moms razor and giving it the old clumsy try. I had no clue what I was doing, but managed to pull it off with minimal damage.
After a few tries, and after my mom spotted the band-aid clad legs, she surprised me with a cool gift. I could finally start shaving my legs and I no longer had to be banished to a quiet corner in my bathroom...... I was so excited. She gave me my first lady shaver and it was way cool. A very modern convenience for the 70's. You know the one....... No water, no shave cream, just a dry run across those fuzzy legs. I flicked that baby on and the whir of the little motor was exhilarating. I could now shave without the mess and blood that would run down my leg.
I began to shave away and it hummed along. Oops, a glitch....a snag....something is happening here.... each hair on my leg felt as though it was being plucked out one at a time. Keeping this little gem sharp became a whole new task. Went into the junk drawer after only a few uses.....too much work and it was anything but quick!
Forced to turn to the trusty razor again, since I knew it could be done faster and without having to make it a separate chore. I got the hang of it and with 
minimal bloodshed, too...it was quick and easy in the tub or shower and I was done with it!
Did I mention the nicks and cuts? No one told me I had to keep this thing sharp or that you needed to keep a good supply of band-aids handy. I mean I was thirteen wanting to be twenty-one.
I continued to use my trusty razor off and on, forever, until I learned of some of the new ways of removing unsightly hair. Remember the Epi-lady, that thing that whisked hair away by stripping or ripping them out of the pore. Now that was real fun! Who thinks of these contraptions? Not a woman I can tell you that much!
Oh Just Love That Burn!
In my 30's, I decided to give the waxing method a try and to my chagrin, this was like stripping skin for me. Plus the heat of the wax I didn't really care for. As the wax hardened a bit, I felt my skin begin to tighten....... a very weird sensation. It left my skin sore and it looked like I had road rash on my legs...never mind that it left a pain on my poor skin as though someone took a blow torch to it. Plus little strays were left behind leaving me to touch up with a razor anyway.
How do women stand this?....Having their skin ripped off in one whoosh with a wax covered strip..... and that is if it is removed with one pass..... Aye caramba! Back to the razor! Hairy legs were looking pretty good right then.....after all what's wrong with hairy legs?
Sticky Business
Then there was the new-fangled trend of sugaring I ventured into when I turned 40. I thought this might be interesting. The sales pitches on the infomercials told how easy it was, and painless too! Are they kidding? I remembered the debacle with waxing, so I gingerly would start to pull the swatch knowing this was gonna hurt!
It was like having 30 grit sandpaper raked across my skin. Very similar to waxing, but you lay this fabric strip over the sugar product and somehow it becomes like an adhesive to the fabric when you press down, and then supposedly whisk the hair right off....in theory maybe! Plain and simple, you have to rip that sucker off like removing a band-aid. Did it get all the hair?....NO,..... of course not!
Yes this method was wonderful, especially right after, as you gimp around the room moaning, stopping only long enough to grasp and caress the assaulted limb for 5 minutes before moving on to the next section. I have never finished an entire leg to date. I am a wimpy girl! Back to the razor again!
Burn It Off!
This was an interesting premise....slather a cream on your legs like Neet or Nair, which is tantamount to chemically burning off the hair and then just simply wash it away. This worked for awhile and then like everything else, I didn't like the wait time, the goop got all over things and it sensitized my skin, even touching my legs became increasingly irritating. And the burning smell, well...have you ever smelled a rotten egg or sulfur? Next!
Keeping It Sharp And Creamy!
My trusty razor wins by the mile....But I am always on the prowl for the coolest one to stick in my shower. One trick for sure is keeping the razor very sharp....something I learned after many cuts and nicks. I use to think it was a slip of the hand or the blade was too sharp, or going too fast, but I soon realized when I marked the calender of when I opened up a new blade to how many times I had used it by the time the nicks started happening...the time frame that past was substantial.
Next important criteria for nick free shaving is a creamy lather on the leg. Now I have tried shave creams made just for this, but they didn't work either. I was still not getting a good shave....the shave creams didn't provide enough slip, and the occasional nick still occurred. I used my favorite soap....nope still drag and cuts. What was a girl to do?
The Answer Was Right In front Of Me!
Well...here I am, 50 yrs old and I still had not figured out a completely nick free, comfortable way to get my legs smooth. I was so sick and tired of the ritual of this process that I reduced it to once a week. Fortunately, my hair is blond so I am able to get away with this easily!
Suddenly I noticed an old bar of soap sitting on my counter from when I used it to wash my face. Wonderful for the time I used it until I figured out the alkalinity from the soap made my makeup change color. This was a creamy facial bar designed for softening and moisturizing skin and it had just been sitting there gathering dust. "Mmmm....this could work", I think to myself!
I took it with me into the shower on my next ritual day and the lather from this wonderful soap which I loved so much for my face, has become my Holy Grail for shaving the stems. The lather is extremely creamy and the razor literally floats across my leg....no drag....no nicks....no dryness.
I have not had another cut or nick since using this for my shaving needs.
What is this wonderful bar of creamy goodness? It is called Alaffia Shea Butter Facial Bar. They are not kidding when they describe this as a rich and creamy moisturizing handmade soap.
This may not be ideal to use on my face anymore, or for anyone else that may have alkaline skin, but for taking care of your legs, it is fantastic and outperforms anything I have tried specifically formulated for shaving the legs. Give it a try!
If you don't care to purchase this online you can probably find this jewel at your local food Co op or health food store. Just make sure you purchase the correct one since they have added another face bar to the line and I cannot comment on it. Their African Black Soap is also fantastic, but does not have the creamy lather you need. Wonderful for acne though! In fact I would recommend this soap for those that suffer with acne on the body, such as chest and back areas. You may experience some tingling when using this soap. The occasional zit on face got zapped whenever I used it, but this soap is not necessarily recommended for the face...just a bit of an experiment!
Of course I prefer my ONATI Skin Care for my everyday facial needs. And I no longer have to worry about high alkalinity or acidity. All products perfectly pH balanced to create a healing environment for better skin health.
Small Tip: You will recognize your razor is getting dull when you have to make more than one pass over the area. Any more than that is a waste of time and the likelihood of a cut or nick is increased.
Well that is it..... just another day in my life! Have a great weekend!
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