Shaving Tips for Women

Among the many methods of hair removal (waxing, depilatory creams, electrolysis, epilators and lasers), shaving is the most popular. This is probably due to the fact, that it is inexpensive and convenient. Most women shave their underarms, legs and bikini line. However, redness, cuts and burns are a common outcome of shaving. If you want smooth skin after shaving, here are some good shaving tips for women:

Equipment
While choosing a razor, quality is an important factor. The best option, especially if you shave regularly, is an electric razor which eliminates the possibilities of nicks and cuts. While it may seem like a waste of money, it actually works out to be more of a money saver in the long run. Also, it is advisable to pick up a waterproof one, in case you need to use it in the shower or bath. If a conventional razor is your weapon of choice, use one that has a moisturizing strips and "micro-fins" or cushions. These add-ons provide extra protection. With a regular razor, it is important to replace the blade often. While some say not to use the same blade more than two times, others tell you to use it up to eight times. In the midst of this confusion a good thumb rule to follow, is that if you need to use pressure it's time to replace it. A straight razor is not advised for use on body hair.

Preliminaries
If the hair to be shaved is long, clipping it will make the process less tedious. To prepare the skin for shaving, have a hot shower or bath. Ideally, soak in warm water for a while (even about 5 minutes will do) before shaving. This step is always emphasized among shaving tips for women with sensitive skin. The warm water softens the hair, especially thicker pubic and armpit hair and increases skin elasticity. It is very important to wash the skin well, as this reduces the chances of any nicks and cuts getting infected. Another important point is to try to shave at night. When you shave, you take off dead skin cells and the outer most layer of the epidermis. For this reason, immediately after a shave, your skin’s defenses are low. By shaving in the morning, you are exposing sensitive skin to external elements. Thus, by shaving at night, you give your skin an entire night to recuperate and restore its strength and suppleness.

While Shaving
To start, ensure you are using a clean, sharp blade. Never share razors, unless you want to risk getting a skin infection. Before starting, apply a shaving gel, and let it soak in for a few minutes. For those of you, who think you need to use a shaving cream especially formulated for women, here is a news flash: Creams sold for men and women are almost the same. If you've run out of shaving cream, you can use hair conditioner. While shaving your legs, you may want to start at your ankles and shave upwards, as your leg hair grows downward. As for your underarms, the hair grows pretty much in all directions, so you'll need to shave in every direction. Go get them all! While some people advise shaving in the direction of the hair growth, others will tell you to shave against the growth. The best idea is to try both and see what gives you the smoothest shave, with least amount of irritation or ingrowth.

Read more on:

• Facial Hair Removal
• Methods of Hair Removal

These shaving tips for women should help you achieve smooth soft skin, free of razor burns, nicks and cuts. While, after shave for women is not essential, it does help reduce the chances of cuts getting infected. However, it is important to apply baby oil or moisturizer after you finish shaving.