First Real Lather and (female) DE Shave! Please Critique (pics!)

[andrew98]

It sounds like she might be allergic to one of the products she uses. Has she tried using one of your after shave lotions that you use on your face? Right now I am using the Avalon Organics Lavender Daily Moisturizing cream. A little bit goes a long way and it works wonders.

Nivea for Men sensitive ASB works for me, Aveeno makes good lotion, and L'Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream is amazing stuff. They may have just discontinued it, though, so you would have to check a local store. It's expensive, but it's the business.

-Andy

 

[Crazy Dave]

Nivea for Men sensitive ASB works for me, Aveeno makes good lotion, and L'Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream is amazing stuff. They may have just discontinued it, though, so you would have to check a local store. It's expensive, but it's the business.

-Andy

Nivia Extreem comfort works well on my face. It might very well work on leggs. I use Johnson's Baby Oil as a preshave oil. It is cheap enough to try on leggs. It also works very well for me, leaving my face moist and smooth!

Dave

 

[Barber-Eile]

I reread your initial post; we both have the same razor (Lady Gillette with champagne colored stars)! This is honestly the first time I've been excited to shave my legs this year.

SNAP! Let me know how the shave goes!!!

Wow Barber-Elie, you have amazing legs! You've inspired me to try "old-school" leg shaving. I started waxing while I was in Beauty School, but there are those in-between times when a good shave comes in handy.

Kim

Thanks Kim!
I've only waxed a small handful of times and I have to say I wasn't overly convinced but I know you have to do it a few times in a row to get the best results and I've never had the money nor the pain threshold to do that! Good luck with the shave

try some derby blades

I'm pretty sure I have some of those... I have quite a selection to try. I'm going to see if the Blue Bird will hold up to a full second go at my legs as I'm not too sure how often I'll have to change my blade.

Dang...I should have posted my leg shots!!! LOL!!!

Hee hee! Next time do. We ladies only got the sneakiest of lathered leg glimpses int eh Women Shavers forum!

Congratulations on your success with DE leg shaving.
I wanted to say one other thing, your lather bowl is really cute!

Thanks I like it too. I really wanted to use a bowl I used to have that has cow-print pattern on it but I think someone threw it out so this was the next best thing.

Congrats on having a great experience with a DE and traditional lather! I've been trying to convert my wife over to the DE, but so far have only managed to get her to stop exclusively using super fast ATG passes. Hopefully, if I show her your amazing results she will be one step closer to being converted. I should probably crop out your shoes though, as my wife will probably want to find her own pair.

Thanks! Oh and I got the shoes for only €30 in Germany! I love them. I unfortunately can't swing dance in them but they are very comfortable to walk in.

Quick question; is there anything you would recommend to relieve dry, itchy legs after shaving? My wife almost always ends up incessantly scratching about 10 minutes after a shave.

Honestly? The best the skin on my legs has ever felt is after my DE shave! It might have been the lather or the soap I used but they felt so soft. Normally, using canned goo, my legs would feel a little tight after a shave and quite dry but after my DE shave they felt great. I put a tiny spray of "Yes To Carrots" Body Mist on them but thats all. I LOVE "Yes To Carrots"... I use tons of their products.
Even if your wife isn't fully ready to make the switch to using a DE razor why not see if she'd be up for trying a lather make from a good soap and a brush? You can see the soap I used in the picture.
Good luck with converting her anyway! I hear a lot of guys on here shave their partner's legs from time to time and it apparently can be a nice intimate experience...

 

[Barber-Eile]

The OPP was brilliant,
Tom

Emmm... what's an OPP?

 

[Unknownsoldier]

Emmm... what's an OPP?

Opening posters post.....

Tom

 

[Venom8431]

Honestly? The best the skin on my legs has ever felt is after my DE shave! It might have been the lather or the soap I used but they felt so soft. Normally, using canned goo, my legs would feel a little tight after a shave and quite dry but after my DE shave they felt great. I put a tiny spray of "Yes To Carrots" Body Mist on them but thats all. I LOVE "Yes To Carrots"... I use tons of their products.
Even if your wife isn't fully ready to make the switch to using a DE razor why not see if she'd be up for trying a lather make from a good soap and a brush? You can see the soap I used in the picture.
Good luck with converting her anyway! I hear a lot of guys on here shave their partner's legs from time to time and it apparently can be a nice intimate experience...

I actually made some traditional lather for her last night and it seemed to do the job. Her legs still got a little itchy, but overall I think it was a vast improvement.

I pass along the "Yes to Carrots" recommendation. She's always up for trying new products.

 

[Barber-Eile]

Small Update:
Had my second shave (finally had enough time!). I built a better lather on my wet legs but was a bit gung-ho in my first stroke up and got a couple of nicks only to remind myself NO PRESSURE! The rest was nick free and nicely smooth.

I could definitely get used to this.

I do think I should change my blade now though. I'm sure on just general stubble I could get a couple of legs shaves out of the one blade but I think my first shave as noted on here took a lot out of the blade so I probably should have put in a fresh one this time.

Oh well... it just means next time I get to try out a different type of blade- YEAY!

Also thanks to everyone who's had a look at this and commented with tips or advice or flattery
Ya sure know how to make a gal feel welcome!

 

[AlienorBelle]

Oh well... it just means next time I get to try out a different type of blade- YEAY!

Yay for a successful shave! I was thinking though, after reading some advice on here, that it might be a good idea to stick with the same blade until you've gotten the full hang of it. That way, if there is a problem, you can rule out the blade as not for you instead of thinking it's a beginners thing. Just a thought. I haven't even had my first shave yet, so please feel free to ignore me!

 

[Unknownsoldier]

Small Update:
Had my second shave (finally had enough time!). I built a better lather on my wet legs but was a bit gung-ho in my first stroke up and got a couple of nicks only to remind myself NO PRESSURE! The rest was nick free and nicely smooth.

I could definitely get used to this.

I do think I should change my blade now though. I'm sure on just general stubble I could get a couple of legs shaves out of the one blade but I think my first shave as noted on here took a lot out of the blade so I probably should have put in a fresh one this time.

Oh well... it just means next time I get to try out a different type of blade- YEAY!

Also thanks to everyone who's had a look at this and commented with tips or advice or flattery
Ya sure know how to make a gal feel welcome!

The most important bit is to break from the female habit of leaving the razor in the shower ;-) I have taken to giving the razor a couple of twists to open it and the running a hairdryer over it when drying my brush... I don't get more shaves but they are certainly smoother/better when I have done this..... Possibly store the razor in your bedside drawer? away from the moisture, then when using it a few days apart your blade won't have got much rust between shaves.

What part of Ireland are you from btw?

ATB,
Tom

 

[Barber-Eile]

it might be a good idea to stick with the same blade until you've gotten the full hang of it. That way, if there is a problem, you can rule out the blade as not for you instead of thinking it's a beginners thing.

That's actually a really good idea but I'm too eager to see if there is any difference that I notice. I'll probably try a couple of others and then go back to the Blue Bird Blades again and do a more detailed look at things.

The most important bit is to break from the female habit of leaving the razor in the shower ;-)
What part of Ireland are you from btw?

ATB,
Tom

Yup I like my lady Gillette too much to leave her in the shower in between shaves! (My Venus stayed there the whole time). But as I shave now in the shower anyway I have to take out the brush and bowl and soap anyway so the razor comes too...

I'm from Dublin.

 

[Sluggo]

I am pretty certain this is my new favorite thread.

 

[AlienorBelle]

I'm from Dublin.

I was just thinking I'm sorry I didn't find B&B sooner. Hubby and I were in Dublin at the beginning of September. Would have bought you a pint at Fitzgerald's on Aston Quay.

 

[Barber-Eile]

I am pretty certain this is my new favorite thread.

Thanks! It does seem to be getting a bit of notice. Honestly I figured it'd get a few looks for the first hour or so and then fade into the history of the back pages of thread.

I was just thinking I'm sorry I didn't find B&B sooner. Hubby and I were in Dublin at the beginning of September. Would have bought you a pint at Fitzgerald's on Aston Quay.

Awww no really?!?
I would have bought you one back in the Dawson Lounge (if we could get a seat... it's the smallest pub in Europe).

 

[Unknownsoldier]

A Dubliner eh Cool, I liked Dublin a lot when I went there last (although that may have been the Guinness.......).

Tom

 

[The Passion of Ben]

SNAP! Let me know how the shave goes!!!

Here's my update!

I shaved on Wednesday with the Lady Gillette and a feather blade (it's all I have, and I have a LOT of them). I didn't have time to make my own lather so I tried some Barbasol in lieu of regular old soap. I used the mach 3 around my knees and on part of the second leg to compare.

I started with the right leg and got a crazy smooth shave on the outside of my thighs, which are probably the least razor-sensitive part of my legs - the inside and back of my thighs are very sensitive and prone to razorburn. The barbasol seemed to be an improvement over soap, but only for the DE and definitely not the Mach 3, where there was a very pronounced amount of drag by comparison. My calves were difficult to shave with the DE, as I had imagined, and so the bottom half of my legs definitely weren't as smooth. Also, I cut myself a LOT more using the DE. Perhaps it was because i was rushing, but the extra sharpness of the feather blade made cutting myself much more likely.

Overall, it was a closer shave, definitely. Would regular soap work as well as canned shaving cream? Maybe.

Today, I also shaved, using the DE on my right and Mach 3 on my left (also using the Mach 3 to clean up on the right knee). BUT, today I also whipped up some Proraso on both legs. The right leg was quite smooth and the DE worked well with the Proraso. The Mach 3 dragged much more with the proraso than regular soap. I still nicked myself a bit, but it wasn't too bad and stopped by the time the shower was over. Also, lathering up my legs required quite a bit of proraso given the large surface area.

So, overall, I have to say that if price wasn't an issue, the Fusion and some very slick soap would probably yield ME the best shave considering how much faster it would be as compared to the DE. Then again, I can't justify paying so much for the Fusion blades.

I'll stick with the DE for now and see what happens - it certainly wasn't a complete failure and I haven't gotten a closer shave in recent memory.

 

[Barber-Eile]

Thanks for the update Ben!
I would imagine the muscle definition would make things trickier but I'm glad to hear you got the shave smoother anyway

Plus I'm sure your DE is happy to be in action again if only for a little while

 

[bluefoxicy]

I actually made some traditional lather for her last night and it seemed to do the job. Her legs still got a little itchy, but overall I think it was a vast improvement.

When I used the boar brush I got massive burning itch on my face. After that, the SCS New Spice soap made me itch by itself for a few days; my face was a tad raw. Once I healed up I was fine.

Small Update:
Had my second shave (finally had enough time!). I built a better lather on my wet legs but was a bit gung-ho in my first stroke up and got a couple of nicks only to remind myself NO PRESSURE! The rest was nick free and nicely smooth.

You've seen those commercials for the sanding pads, with the crystals, they buff your legs and the hair gets ripped off pretty much?

That part where they talk about how blades suck? And the woman pushes like.... as hard as she can with the razor?

Don't do that.

I cringed. I really did.

 

[Pike]

Great thread Barber-Eile!!! I'm trying to get my wife to use the Lady Gillette....Outside of me shaving her legs a few times with it, she wont touch it I'm getting there....I will have her read thru this thread tonight...maybe this thread and the pics will finally convince her!! Though she will probably be more interested in your shoes, dress, etc... Women!!

Chris

 

[AlienorBelle]

Great thread Barber-Eile!!! I'm trying to get my wife to use the Lady Gillette....Outside of me shaving her legs a few times with it, she wont touch it I'm getting there....I will have her read thru this thread tonight...maybe this thread and the pics will finally convince her!! Though she will probably be more interested in your shoes, dress, etc... Women!!

Chris

Hey! The shoes are awesome!

 

[Barber-Eile]

Great thread Barber-Eile!!! I'm trying to get my wife to use the Lady Gillette....Outside of me shaving her legs a few times with it, she wont touch it I'm getting there....I will have her read thru this thread tonight...maybe this thread and the pics will finally convince her!!
Chris

Hi Chris - let me know how it goes! If I can somehow help get any other women DE shaving I will be a happy lady!

You've seen those commercials for the sanding pads, with the crystals, they buff your legs and the hair gets ripped off pretty much?

That part where they talk about how blades suck? And the woman pushes like.... as hard as she can with the razor?
Don't do that.
I cringed. I really did.

Eeeep! We don't have those ads over here!
I've actually tried those sandpaper pad things before though and they are 100% rubbish. I have no idea what they were even meant to do because they didn't get rid of a single hair, didn't make my hair thinner and just took off a layer of skin and dried out the rest of it... pretty much like you would imagine rubbing sandpaper on your legs would do!