How to Shave Your Legs Perfectly

During the quarantine, I’ve been getting creative with my blog posts. Lately, most of my blog posts have covered everything from achieving the best at-home manicure to cozy loungewear favorites from Old Navy. Today’s post also covers something us gals are doing while stuck at home, shaving our legs!

With the Memorial Day weekend coming to a close, summertime feels near. It marks a time for shorter shorts, bathing suits, and tank tops. Less clothing means more time spent shaving in preparation for days by the beach or pool.

One of my least favorite things to do in the shower is shaving my legs. I’ll typically carve out enough time at night to wash my hair and shave my legs in one nice hot shower. Thankfully, I am blessed with light blonde leg hair so I can easily go a full week without needing to shave my legs again.

Instead of treating shaving my legs like a chore, I like to take the extra time it takes to fully embrace this womanly task at hand. I’ll scrub my legs to exfoliate them, use thick shaving cream, and relax as I take care of my hairy legs. Why should we hate shaving our legs when it’s just another step to a shower routine? I’m working on changing my approach to shaving my legs so I don’t hate it as much! It helps when I use a solid razor and thick shaving cream.

Keep reading to see my exact shaving routine and the secrets to learning how to shave your legs perfectly.

Shop My Shaving Routine Picks

image credit: fashion Jackson and the beauty look book

How to Shave Your Legs Perfectly

1. Pick Out A Razor

To achieve silky smooth, bump-free legs, you’ll need to grab the right tools. Upon hearing so many good things about it, I finally ordered myself a Billie razor. The starter kit sells for $9.00. To my order I also added a travel case for my razor, so my total came out to $14. The color razor I wanted was blush pink and I couldn’t wait to hang up my razor in the shower using the additional magnetic razor holder.

Benefits of the Billie razor include:

1. Nickel-free, rust-free super sharp blades.
2. Charcoal shave soap to create a pillow between the blades and your body.
3. Ergonomic handle with a matte rubber back so it never slips in the shower.

2. Invest in Shaving Mousse

On the Billie website, they offer shaving mousse, but since I already had the glee shaving mousse I chose not to buy more products. In the future, I will order some of the Billie shaving creams with my orders to come to see how it compares to the glee shaving mousse.

I LOVE the thick foamy texture of the glee shaving mousse. The sweet summer lily scent isn’t overwhelming and the product smooths over my legs in seconds. In the past, I didn’t consider using shaving gel or mousse as an important step in the shaving process. By using the glee shaving mousse I am better off because it allows the razor to gently glide over the curves of my legs without stripping my skin.

The combination of a solid razor and a thick, creamy shaving mousse will provide you with the best shaving results. For the past few months, I’ve been personally relying on this combo and my legs are hairless, razor bump-free, and silky smooth to the touch! Shaving cream or mousse also has a purpose to condition your skin to soften the hair and hair follicle.

My Shaving Routine Must-Haves

3. Only Shave Your Legs at Night

Another pro tip for shaving your legs to achieve the perfect soft and silky look? Shave at night! According to beauty experts, the best time to shave our legs is right before bed. If you choose the shave in the morning you risk nicking your legs because the hair has not had enough time to open up. Waiting to shave your legs at night allows you plenty of time to hydrate the hairs for optimal shaving results.

4. Wait 10-15 Minutes to Shave in the Shower

For the best and closest shave you’ll also want to hold off for around 10-15 to let your hairs soften in the shower. In my shower routine, I’ll typically wash my face, wash my hair, and then move onto shaving my legs. By the time I’m done with all of those shower steps it’s been roughly 10-15 and my shaving routine starts.

5. Shave With the Grain and then Against the Grain

Look down at your legs and rub your fingers along them. As you stroke up and down you’ll notice a difference in texture. When you rub downwards you’ll typically notice your skin feeling softer. The downward movement that doesn’t feel prickly is known as the grain. When you feel the hair on your legs, then you are feeling what’s known as “against” the grain.

Step by Step: How to Shave Your Legs Perfectly

Apply a generous layer of shaving cream or mousse to one leg.

Start out by shaving WITH the grain using short strokes of your razor blade.

Switch to shaving AGAINST the grain (be careful) using short strokes.

Rinse your razor often.

Apply more shaving cream or mousse to your leg as you go.

6. Follow Up With a Body Moisturizer

As soon as you towel off your body by completing your shower routine put on some cozy clothes. Since shaving the legs removes a layer of skin, you’ll want to apply a hydrating moisturizer afterward. Post-shave care makes sure your legs are supple and hydrated after a clean shave. I’ll wait 30 minutes before I apply a body moisturizer or else my legs will start to itch.

The brand Necessarie makes a nice fragrance-free body lotion for post-shave hydration. For a tropical scent, I’d recommend checking out the Brazilian Bum Bum Cream from Sol de Janeiro.