Shaving with sensitive skin
 

I am fair skinned and dark haired. Yea, that presents a problem. My hair grows in really dark and looks really ugly against fair skin >< So, I tend to shave with 4+ blade razors to make sure it's really smooth. However, these tend to agitate my skin in certain areas. One razor with be fine everywhere else, but my legs. Another razor will be fine everywhere but under my arms. I'm having a really hard time finding a decent razor that won't agitate my skin.

Or maybe it's the shaving cream I use. I prefer gel but I mistook the bottle and got the cream instead :gonk:

So, suggestions for good razors that are safe for sensitive skin, as well as gel/cream?

I just use dove bar soap for shaving. >___>;; (If I use anything at all, a lot of the times I just shave with running water over my skin in the shower. pfft.)
/not kidding
It's cheaper and irritates my skin less than any of those frilly fluffy fruity crap.
My sister uses barbasol (a "men's" shaving cream our dad used to use) though and swears by it.

Also, the more blades, the more likely your skin is going to get irritated. I use Venus, whatevers cheapest, and usually no more than 4 blades (which is I think pretty much the standard).

I like Dove :heart: I used to use it for my hair, but I switched over to Head&Shoulders temporarily to deal with a dandruff problem.

I would shave with just running water, but that irritates everything :gonk: My dad had Barbasol and I used that before, too. It was the smell that turned me off xP

XD; I like the smell but I was raised around it and aqua velva. lol

I don't use any other shaving creams, so I don't know what I could suggest to you...But Venus razors are very nice.

I had a Venus razor. Four blades, super soft. It was like $10 and you buy new heads for it now and then. I was considering an electric razor? There's some nice ones at Walmart but I don't want to waste my money if it's shit xP I was going to get a new head for my venus razor but I forgot which ones I needed :lol: I think it was embrace.

I had an electric razor when I started shaving because they're "safer" and my mom was afraid of me hurting myself. XP
My ex also had one and he loved it.
But, I found them a little annoying.

I hate electric razors. They tug at my skin. Or maybe I just have a really crappy one. D:

I use a Gillette Venus with Skintimate shaving gel. I've never had irritation or cuts since. I think it's more about the Venus than the gel, though, because when I was using crappy Bic disposable blades, I'd get cuts all the time. I still have to use some gel though, because shaving with just the razor will give me razor burn like you wouldn't believe! :gonk:

So, yeah, that's my winning combo. ;)

x_cannibalisticcows;
Sounds like a good idea! Except...I don't know what exfoliating is ...xD I'm not a chick sometimes, I swear

Keyori;
It's really bad to get cuts uhh..."down there" >< I can't even count how many times I've nicked myself there so I'm really needing a good combination :gonk:

If you don't use Venus, you should try them. :sweat:
And try trimming before you shave down tharr.

I usually do, but I think maybe I shave too often? I've heard it's better to let it grow out a bit before shaving again. I shower every other day and I shave every time probably, maybe every other time I shave.

I have rather large labia so it's hard to get around them sometimes. I have to use a one-blade razor because it's smaller, then end up slipping and cutting myself :/

I shave a few times a week, if I shave any more my skin gets irritated...so that might be it. :(

Uhh...Me too. >< But that's part of why I use Venus razors. I rarely if ever cut myself, even when my hands slip.

monstahh`;
then I'll definitely have to try it out. SO HARD to shave sometimes ><

x_cannibalisticcows;
My girlfriend just suggested getting exfoliating gloves. They're like five bucks I guess. I've never heard of using sugar though owo I'll try it out, though. My mother is going to wonder what the heck I'm doing with sugar in the shower :lol:

I use salt for exfoliating rubs (I do them like once a year though when I need some pampering). xD; Using sugar around your lady bits I've heard can promote the growth of bacteria.

Wow, now I feel like I'm really weird, because I never get any irritation or cuts and I just use whatever's lying around. o____o

I know how it is, I can barely use any perfumed products at all when I shave. Right now I use regular allergy-tested soap. But I still get irritated skin sometimes.

My ex was using some kind of weird jelly shaving gel that was supposed to be on for a few minutes or so and then shaved of with a rubber razor and then whoop all hair gone. It worked for her but I didn't wanna use it because of the perfume...

I'd suggest salt instead of sugar if you want to make your own scrubs, but simply because it's a natural antibacterial and isn't heavily refined as sugar is, either,so it's a better option carbon footprint-wise.

I'd also suggest trying hair conditioner as an alternative to shaving gel, I saw that on an economics program and the girl who tried it out said it was great, miles cheaper than gel and obviously left the skin smooth afterwards.

Have you considered waxing instead of shaving? Particularly for your more personal areas. Sure there's the pain factor, but it only hurts momentarily and the results are long lasting. Shaving such senstive skin is bound to cause irritation, no matter what you use.

Yea I wouldn't use it around the lady bits :lol:

Lucky :gonk:

Maybe it is the razor then. My mom bought them for me, and they're scented? Scented handles, I guess. But you never know ._. There's the Nare, I think it's called? It's like a hair removal gel which you shave with a rubber razor. I might try it.
Salt it is then! And yea, I've used hair conditioner before but I can't at the moment, since I've switched to Head&Shoulders. I'd hope my leg hair doesn't have dandruff :lol:

As far waxing, I don't think I could handle it. The pain, and having someone down there. I'm extremely shy when it comes to my lady parts, and I had such a hard time with just a simple check up and PAP.

I shave my nether bits about once or twice a week, never more often than that though.

Also, make sure you're shaving in the direction of your follicles; going "against the grain" leads to more irritation and a greater chance that you'll pull hairs out altogether (so painful! x_x)

For legs I don't bother, but for my sensitive parts I never shave against the grain.

I find that using any type of shaving cream or gel makes my skin itchy and sore. I found that if I wash with warm water, then wait a couple of minutes before shaving, I don't need to use any products to shave with and my skin doesn't get irritated nearly as much as before.

Oh I didn't mean pay to get stuff waxed, I'm totally against expenses like that for stuff you can do yourself. Waxing really isn't a big deal unless it isn't done properly. Usually it hurts more then necessary because people are nervous and so not brisk enough about ripping the paper strip off. Hurts far more when you just yank on a hair rather than successfully pulling it out. I'd suggest working yourself up to it by practicing on your bikini line first and gradually working your way further in as you gain confidence and technique. I do my bikini line and it's so quick and easy.

Really all I can say is make sure the wax on the strips in warm enough, I rub the sheets briskly between my hands before seperating them, put one in place, pull the skin taut then rub over the wax some more to warm it again then RIP, bingo. Stray wax is easily cleaned off with baby oil too. You can buy wax strips specifically for your undercarriage too, they're a lot smaller and narrower than those made for doing legs, so would be a lot easier to use. Don't be scared to try it, the pain is really over in a second, not much different to a sticking plaster being ripped off, plus the more you do it the more your body will get used to it so it will hurt less and less.

If your skin is sensitive I'd suggest to not touch anything like Nair with a barge pole. I've tried hair removal creams and they BURN my skin.

Really? I was always told to shave against the grain, everywhere. That's probably why it irritates easily ._.

Do you use a particular razor brand or type?

I'll have to try it. I'd be super nervous though :lol: I know what I'll do. I'll get waxes for my legs first...then try it on my brothers :XD I can figure out how to use it and do it right, and torture my stepbrothers at the same time! Flawless plan.

I don't like getting waxed, my hair is prone to get "ingrown" so it's better for me to just shave. ><

Actually, have you ever tried using any of those hair removal creams? =O I've used nair before, and it works pretty well.
Smells god-awful, but it's usually pain free, and they have types for "sensitive skin," though, I'm not sure how well they work.
My only experience with Nair was with my mother, and it was before they changed the formula and packaging...I don't know if it still works as well as it did years and years ago. D:

I wouldn't recommend a lot of the other brands of hair removal, especially not the ones labeled "for teens" though. They work horribly. Horribly.

Well it'll definitely get you a closer shave, which is why I shave against the grain on my legs, but it can be really irritating, which is why I don't do it for my nether bits or my arm pits.

Nair smells SO awful. And if you have thick hair, you have to leave it on longer. It's basically like shaving without a blade; it corrodes the hair so that it breaks off at the base near your skin when you wipe it away. If you're shaving every other day (or more often), Nair probably won't work well for you. Plus, you're not supposed to use it on your nether bits, so it'd only work on your legs and arm pits. I didn't have issues with it burning me, but I don't have very sensitive skin, and my hair is pretty thin so I don't have to let it sit for very long before I can wipe it off. I definitely prefer a razor over Nair though, but I suppose it's worth trying :)