Shaving legs, how to avoid itchiness
#1
Newbie
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2024
Posts: 9
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time
in
1 Post
Shaving legs, how to avoid itchiness
Anyone else partake? Started shaving my legs about eight months ago, about once per week. Full body grooming for that matter. I get itchy really bad usually only on my legs, especially in the middle of the night. Started to shave more frequent, every other day to three days but still get itchy. Try to moisterize after but no big difference. Any secrets?
#2
Full Member
Join Date: Jul 2022
Location: Illinois
Posts: 346
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 98 Post(s)
Liked 294 Times
in
155 Posts
Head shaver only. I do well by rubbing in hemp oil or coconut oil an half hour before the shave. And shave with the same as the lubricant/shave cream.
...you can also use an aloe based shave cream, or a slick hair conditioner. These will moisturize at the same time. Jojoba oil is also good as it is near to what our own sebum is in structure.
...you can also use an aloe based shave cream, or a slick hair conditioner. These will moisturize at the same time. Jojoba oil is also good as it is near to what our own sebum is in structure.
#4
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Right where I'm supposed to be
Posts: 1,657
Bikes: Franklin Frames Custom, Rivendell Bombadil
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 126 Post(s)
Liked 216 Times
in
132 Posts
Shaving doesn't cause itchiness. If it did you'd be itching everywhere, all the time. and everyone everywhere would who shaves at all in the entire world would also itch.
Likes For RH Clark:
#7
I'm good to go!
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: Mississippi
Posts: 15,272
Bikes: Tarmac Disc Comp Di2 - 2020
Mentioned: 52 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6345 Post(s)
Liked 4,946 Times
in
3,406 Posts
Try your favorite skin/hand cream or whatever is the favorite skin cream of your significant other.
Stubble might catch on any clothing you wear and might wobble around funny to irritate the hair follicles. If that's the case, eventually it'll go away.
Stubble might catch on any clothing you wear and might wobble around funny to irritate the hair follicles. If that's the case, eventually it'll go away.
#8
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Sacramento, CA
Posts: 22,998
Bikes: old ones
Mentioned: 305 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 26481 Post(s)
Liked 10,448 Times
in
7,248 Posts
.
...maybe this would work better as a topic in FOO? As an alternate suggestion, someone (not me) could go join all the leg shaving threads in Road into one giant superthread, like the one for helmets in A+S. Future historians will be thankful for the resource.
...maybe this would work better as a topic in FOO? As an alternate suggestion, someone (not me) could go join all the leg shaving threads in Road into one giant superthread, like the one for helmets in A+S. Future historians will be thankful for the resource.
Likes For 3alarmer:
#9
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 39,586
Mentioned: 211 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 18564 Post(s)
Liked 15,991 Times
in
7,511 Posts
Likes For indyfabz:
#10
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 3,165
Mentioned: 7 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1082 Post(s)
Liked 1,343 Times
in
773 Posts
Anyone else partake? Started shaving my legs about eight months ago, about once per week. Full body grooming for that matter. I get itchy really bad usually only on my legs, especially in the middle of the night. Started to shave more frequent, every other day to three days but still get itchy. Try to moisterize after but no big difference. Any secrets?
#11
Grupetto Bob
Join Date: Sep 2020
Location: Seattle-ish
Posts: 6,468
Bikes: Bikey McBike Face
Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2699 Post(s)
Liked 5,974 Times
in
3,063 Posts
Why does it matter to you what he chooses to do? Please explain how his actions impact you.
Ever heard the phrase, “Live and let live”?
Ever heard the phrase, “Live and let live”?
__________________
Road 🚴🏾♂️ & Mountain 🚵🏾♂️
Road 🚴🏾♂️ & Mountain 🚵🏾♂️
Last edited by rsbob; 03-23-24 at 12:30 PM.
#12
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 6,037
Mentioned: 26 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2531 Post(s)
Liked 766 Times
in
535 Posts
In many (most?) cases, itchiness is caused by the hair's curliness. If the o.p. has wavy or curly hair there is a good chance that there will always be itchiness after shaving unless done every day. Either don't shave at all or shave often enough that the hair ends do not curl over and prick the skin surface. Emollients won't help. They may make things worse because they tenderize and sensitize the skin. FWIW.
#14
Grupetto Bob
Join Date: Sep 2020
Location: Seattle-ish
Posts: 6,468
Bikes: Bikey McBike Face
Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2699 Post(s)
Liked 5,974 Times
in
3,063 Posts
Back in the day when I shaved my gams, it was a constant battle with ingrown hairs, cuts, irritation and the wonderful feeling when you have stubble and cross your legs. Instead, I started using hair clippers and cut the hair pretty short, but not to the point of stubble and life was good again.
__________________
Road 🚴🏾♂️ & Mountain 🚵🏾♂️
Road 🚴🏾♂️ & Mountain 🚵🏾♂️
Likes For rsbob:
#15
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 39,586
Mentioned: 211 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 18564 Post(s)
Liked 15,991 Times
in
7,511 Posts
Likes For indyfabz:
#16
Full Member
Join Date: Mar 2022
Location: SW WI
Posts: 235
Bikes: Cannondale Topstone, Trek Dual Sport, State Bicycle Klunker
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 94 Post(s)
Liked 136 Times
in
73 Posts
Head shaver only. I do well by rubbing in hemp oil or coconut oil an half hour before the shave. And shave with the same as the lubricant/shave cream.
...you can also use an aloe based shave cream, or a slick hair conditioner. These will moisturize at the same time. Jojoba oil is also good as it is near to what our own sebum is in structure.
...you can also use an aloe based shave cream, or a slick hair conditioner. These will moisturize at the same time. Jojoba oil is also good as it is near to what our own sebum is in structure.
for probably 10 years I just used soap of any kind instead of shaving cream, but I do feel the cream has a slight advantage.
#17
The Wheezing Geezer
Join Date: Oct 2021
Location: Espańola, NM
Posts: 1,105
Bikes: 1976 Fredo Speciale, Rivendell Clem Smith Jr., Libertas mixte
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 423 Post(s)
Liked 999 Times
in
472 Posts
I grew to be 66 years old, and there is hardly any left to shave.
#18
Full Member
Join Date: Mar 2022
Location: SW WI
Posts: 235
Bikes: Cannondale Topstone, Trek Dual Sport, State Bicycle Klunker
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 94 Post(s)
Liked 136 Times
in
73 Posts
Also, I’m thinking it’s not the shaving that’s causing the itching, it’s when it grows back, while I’ve never shaved my legs, I can attest this does happen to me on other areas, which aren’t my head. lol and my wife complained about a similar situation in particular regions years ago.
I think I stated that as tastefully as I could.
I think I stated that as tastefully as I could.
#19
Full Member
Join Date: Jul 2022
Location: Illinois
Posts: 346
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 98 Post(s)
Liked 294 Times
in
155 Posts
Originally Posted by Bogey Speedwell;[url=tel:23193238
23193238]ok you had me at head shaver……. I’ve simply been a Barbasol guy, but tell me what the hemp/coconut oil does? And secondly am I to gather you still uses a shaving cream after the oil soaks in?
for probably 10 years I just used soap of any kind instead of shaving cream, but I do feel the cream has a slight advantage.
for probably 10 years I just used soap of any kind instead of shaving cream, but I do feel the cream has a slight advantage.
no shaving creme. sometimes a hair conditioner. I apply the oil with wet
hands and splash water on as needed to spread it well.
These or other oils work as an occlusive to protect the skin, and it provides good glide so not much pressure is required on the straight razor, or the razor of your choice.
It also soothes and conditions the skin.
Getting a clean shave requires the hair to be wetted/soaked for about two to three minutes for attaining it's softest state, making hair cutting easier. Proctor and Gamble has a study on that. After the two or three minutes of hydration it won't get any softer. Well hydrated hair is more easily cut. A scything motion cuts hair more easily as well. A variation on that (scything)is I think, called the Gillette slide. Shaving before good hair hydration may be part and partial to the later itching and possible razor burn by needing to apply excess pressure. Increased glide can lower the pressure required.
Last edited by streetsurfer; 03-23-24 at 06:54 PM.
Likes For streetsurfer:
#20
Just Pedaling
Join Date: Oct 2021
Location: US West Coast
Posts: 1,083
Bikes: YEP!
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 355 Post(s)
Liked 574 Times
in
378 Posts
Live and let live is fine, but take it to another thread! Isn't there a Health and Nutrition thread or even Foo? Maybe the mods can start a new thread titled Personal Hygiene?
#21
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Northern NY...Brownville
Posts: 2,593
Bikes: Specialized Aethos, Specialized Diverge Comp E5
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 249 Post(s)
Liked 473 Times
in
278 Posts
Gold Bond lotion...the stuff is awesome
Itchy skin could be from the soap you are using. It may be causing dry skin resulting in the itch. I get it every now and then and applying Gold Bond takes care of it.
I only have to shave my legs every two or three weeks. I've done it for so many decades I feel weird if I don't.
Itchy skin could be from the soap you are using. It may be causing dry skin resulting in the itch. I get it every now and then and applying Gold Bond takes care of it.
I only have to shave my legs every two or three weeks. I've done it for so many decades I feel weird if I don't.
#22
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Portland, OR
Posts: 12,999
Bikes: (2) ti TiCycles, 2007 w/ triple and 2011 fixed, 1979 Peter Mooney, ~1983 Trek 420 now fixed and ~1973 Raleigh Carlton Competition gravel grinder
Mentioned: 131 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4873 Post(s)
Liked 4,038 Times
in
2,618 Posts
I use the same shave soap (and everything else on my legs) as I use on my face only totally separate kits. My face doesn't like scented soaps so I buy ClassicShaving.com's unscented soap and apply it with a brush. Nice shave, no issues at all and at $5 every 14 months (for my face), doesn't break the bank. Gillette Track II razor and blades.
For my sensitive skin, using an aerosol can for my shave cream is a step down. Yes, I am sure there is a shave cream out there that would work, but unscented quality shave soap is so easy that why go on that expensive search and have to put up with expensive mistakes I'll have to toss nearly full or suffer through. Sadly, going to stores to buy shave soap is totally hit and miss. Many don't even carry it and few have more than one brand. If you find one you like, come back and buy them out. I rarely see that brand again a year later. By contrast, ClassicShave seems to be rock solid.
Edit: Why do I shave? Really simple. I started shaving beginning my second year of racing, First week did a minor crash. (Cleats, toestraps puled tight = slide and road rash. Tumbling doesn't happen.) That crash was almost identical to a crash I did earlier. So I got to see the same crash with and without shaving. Sold! I lost less skin, it cleaned up far more pleasantly, bandaged better and healed faster. And every time I pulled the bandage off to wash and change, another win! For me, it's like seatbelts. Would I rather be post crash shaved or unshaved? (And shaved, you just might get to hear the sweet words "thank you for shaving so I don't have to" from the ER nurse. Trust me, that shave with the road dirt and sand under your skin isn't fun. Her efforts to retrieve those hairs in your wound aren't much fun either.)
For my sensitive skin, using an aerosol can for my shave cream is a step down. Yes, I am sure there is a shave cream out there that would work, but unscented quality shave soap is so easy that why go on that expensive search and have to put up with expensive mistakes I'll have to toss nearly full or suffer through. Sadly, going to stores to buy shave soap is totally hit and miss. Many don't even carry it and few have more than one brand. If you find one you like, come back and buy them out. I rarely see that brand again a year later. By contrast, ClassicShave seems to be rock solid.
Edit: Why do I shave? Really simple. I started shaving beginning my second year of racing, First week did a minor crash. (Cleats, toestraps puled tight = slide and road rash. Tumbling doesn't happen.) That crash was almost identical to a crash I did earlier. So I got to see the same crash with and without shaving. Sold! I lost less skin, it cleaned up far more pleasantly, bandaged better and healed faster. And every time I pulled the bandage off to wash and change, another win! For me, it's like seatbelts. Would I rather be post crash shaved or unshaved? (And shaved, you just might get to hear the sweet words "thank you for shaving so I don't have to" from the ER nurse. Trust me, that shave with the road dirt and sand under your skin isn't fun. Her efforts to retrieve those hairs in your wound aren't much fun either.)
Last edited by 79pmooney; 03-23-24 at 11:39 PM.
Likes For 79pmooney:
#23
Junior Member
Join Date: Aug 2023
Location: Arizona
Posts: 191
Bikes: 2018 Specialized Allez Sprint Comp; older Trek 820
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 33 Post(s)
Liked 465 Times
in
162 Posts
I shave because I hate the hairs getting tangled up in and poking through the Lycra/tights/etc. I use non-scented, sensitive skin liquid soap, the same as i use for everything else.
Got some road rash a few weeks ago, and it was nice to not have to deal with the hair in the wounds, as stated above.
Got some road rash a few weeks ago, and it was nice to not have to deal with the hair in the wounds, as stated above.
Likes For David_Harris:
#24
Sunshine
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Des Moines, IA
Posts: 16,728
Bikes: '18 class built steel roadbike, '19 Fairlight Secan, '88 Schwinn Premis , Black Mountain Cycles Monstercross V4, '89 Novara Trionfo
Mentioned: 124 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 11063 Post(s)
Liked 7,629 Times
in
4,253 Posts
#25
Senior Member
Some wax their chains, why not their legs? Probably different waxes.
Laser follicle ablation?
EpiLady, I'm informed that, with repeated use, the hair disappears.
Laundry soap trace is a common culprit, I believe.
Let us know how it works out, with pictures.
Laser follicle ablation?
EpiLady, I'm informed that, with repeated use, the hair disappears.
Laundry soap trace is a common culprit, I believe.
Let us know how it works out, with pictures.