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New girl looking for advice on legs

Check out a schick injector. Who cares what year, but a longer handle will be preferred. Look up which blades to use because some (pella) totally suck. That thick little blade has lasted ages for my girl and most importantly she likes it better.

But, don't let me hold you back from a feather in a 1940's Tech.
 
. Is it more common for women to lather directly on their legs?

I bowl lather, not face lather so this is not from personal experience.

i think face lathering works well with, and relies on an interaction with, the bristles. I can't believe your legs are as bristly as my face!
 
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The one thing is that leg-shaving pages tend to mention length of handle as another important aspect for leg shaving--you might find the tech has a pretty short handle. The typical answer to that is a Lady Gillette, though I'm wondering if the Merkur long-handle might work (that's what I'm currently trying to push on my GF :laugh:).

It does sound like people prefer the longer handle for legs. I figure that if things go well, I'll just have to get a Lady Gillette next! It was definitely on the shortlist this time, but the Tech just looked too sweet, like something I'd be pleased to own even if it turns out that I can't wield a DE at all. :laugh:

Check out a schick injector. Who cares what year, but a longer handle will be preferred. Look up which blades to use because some (pella) totally suck. That thick little blade has lasted ages for my girl and most importantly she likes it better.

But, don't let me hold you back from a feather in a 1940's Tech.

I'll have to eyeball the schick injector. And the sample blade pack I ordered does include feathers, though I admit they sound just a smidge scary.
 
Hey Chicken, Welcome to B&B! Im so glad a fellow girl joined the forum, I hope you join the women's shaver group too! Well what I do when it comes to wetshaving my legs is to always get a good thich lather going and make sure you angle the razor 45 degrees but be careful with spots like your knees because thats a tough area to get around. What I do is pull the skin taught and keep my leg straight and always be careful with the ankles as well, those are also tough spots to shave for me as well. Also I first started out with a Lady Gillette as well, you should definitely check it out as well as a Gillette Slim Twist..it's easy and has a long handle. Anywho, I hope my advice helped and I'll see you around the women's group!
 
Thank you so much for all the warm welcomes!

I would like to join the women's group, though I'm not entirely sure how to do that or how long I have to wait.

I'm thinking, when my razor arrives, I'll just try my lower leg and save attempting the knee until I get the hang of this whole angle and no-pressure thing. Or at least I say that now. I might be too excited to play with my new toy and not be able to stop below the knee. :laugh:
 
Thank you so much for all the warm welcomes!

I would like to join the women's group, though I'm not entirely sure how to do that or how long I have to wait.

I'm thinking, when my razor arrives, I'll just try my lower leg and save attempting the knee until I get the hang of this whole angle and no-pressure thing. Or at least I say that now. I might be too excited to play with my new toy and not be able to stop below the knee. :laugh:

:lol: Okay, what you do is PM Janna a.k.a jsrdrnr. She's the group moderator, all you do is ask her if you can join and she'll accept you! It's that easy! :thumbup1:
 
Welcome to B&B. Main advice I can give as a OF getting back into DE's after about 35 years of using cartridge razors is go slow and don't use pressure with the razor. As far as lathering, lots of practice. Start with a relatively dry brush and add water a few drops at a time. You might also consider lathering directly on your legs, ala face lather.
 
Welcome! For me, I like to lather on my legs as it's a little easier and it's like a mini leg massage. I start in the bowl and add water to it to put more on the brush as I need. I still sorta need to lay off the ATG for a while (psuedofolliculitis) but I'm getting really nice shaves even WTG. I don't think it's too difficult after you find the way that's comfortable for you. There's no wrong way as long as you're careful (IMHO). The people who know what they're doing will probably say otherwise.
 
Oh wow! Thank you for all the welcomes and such quick replies! :D

Regarding my routine, I don't have much of one since I've only recently started shaving again after having given up for about a decade or so. With regular razors, I can't shave ATG without massive irritation, but I just found that going WTG has finally allowed me to start shaving again. Which is what led me to looking into DE razors. I'm hoping that I might be able to get a closer WTG shave that will last a little longer, or that the reduced irritation might even allow me to shave ATG.

This week, while I wait for my razor to arrive, I'm practicing my lathering and also using less pressure, since I tend to hang on that Venus pretty hard. o_O

The razor I ordered is a Gillette Tech. I probably paid a little too much for it but it looked like it was super good shape, so maybe I saved myself the cost of buying metal cleaners or something. The reviews make it sound pretty mild, so hopefully it will be a decent razor to start with?

I did have some trouble getting enough lather in the bowl. Is it more common for women to lather directly on their legs? Also, from what I can tell, I'm supposed to be holding the brush more by the base of the bristles with the handle against my palm? Only, I don't think my hand is actually big enough for that. Not a big problem really, though it might mean that when I look for a badger brush someday, I'll be hunting one with a wee nub of a handle. :D

Hello, One of the first things you will learn with a DE razor is that you need to use almost no pressure, allow the weight of the razor alone to do the work... so you may find that you can do ATG and not have any irritation.

it was also suggested that you try using a cream to lather with instead of the soap...because the cream may provide a bit more of a barrier between the blade and your skin which will allow the blade to slide over your skin more easily causing much less irritation. The cream can also be applied much faster so you won't have any problems with the lather getting dry on you.

from the way you talk I gather your a small lady so the issue of the razor handle length may not be much of an issue after all. however if it does prove to be a problem I am sure there is someone here that can help you find a very nice Lady Gillette razor which is basically identical to the Tech it just has a longer handle that seems to work much better for most ladies.

As for how to hold the brush,.... I don't really think there is any set in stone way to hold the brush. Simply hold it in the manner that is most comfortable for you.

Now last but not least.... Ellie gave you good advice... stick with her... she will take good care of you and the boys in here will mind their manners with her... She knows how to handle a straight with her eyes closed :lol: :lol:

I hope this was in some way helpful, good luck.
 
The leg shaving wiki is definitely helpful! And these boards are so full of information. I'm having a great time just pouring through post after post. :D I look forward to being able to join the social group.

Meanwhile, as requested... ;)

Legs. Vintage-style.

I can see why you're having issues with shaving your legs:

1) You seem to have more than the usual complement of legs. The extras can take more time.

2) You seem to have a serious issue with skin bumps. That's going to result in some real issues while shaving.

3) You need to work on your pedicure a bit too.

Remember - use no pressure.

:thumbup:
 
Welcome! As a former competitive cyclist I have shaved my legs (and face) for over 25 years. Yet to take the DE to the legs as I have any number of scars, sun saturated and generally well used skin but when I do I will start small, avoid ankles, back of knee and keep to the general flat planes to get a feel.

Of course starting with a solid foundation from the face will help and advantage I assume you can't rely upon! :001_smile

Good luck!
 
I can see why you're having issues with shaving your legs:

1) You seem to have more than the usual complement of legs. The extras can take more time.

2) You seem to have a serious issue with skin bumps. That's going to result in some real issues while shaving.

3) You need to work on your pedicure a bit too.

Remember - use no pressure.

:thumbup:

And did you see how bony my knees are? All eight of them? :D


Blue58 said:
it was also suggested that you try using a cream to lather with instead of the soap...because the cream may provide a bit more of a barrier between the blade and your skin which will allow the blade to slide over your skin more easily causing much less irritation. The cream can also be applied much faster so you won't have any problems with the lather getting dry on you.

I'd definitely have to check out some cream. I'm looking forward to trying out all sorts of products. Far too many! If these forums are any indication, I might have to work out some sort of budget. :laugh:

And I also have sort of an odd question, just out of curiosity. After I would shave ATG, it often felt like every hair was a little pin jabbing at me, particularly if I got a chill or goosebumps. Do other people have that experience?
 
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