Thread: Pointers for shaving GF's legs

My girlfriend had been interested in straights enough to let me shave her legs this weekend (she was the one who suggested it ). Anyways, I'm wondering if there are any tips for shaving someone else's legs. I'm proficient with my own face and I've done a few other faces so I'm a little bit used the lack of tactile feedback. Do you suggest using anything as far as aftershave? Any particular angles I should be careful of?

Good going Clator. No matter how fast or slow you shave yourself, go slower on her legs. If you have a choice of blades go with a larger wedge or 1/4 hollow, it will feel smoother and make less noise. No after shave, it may burn. Use an after shave balm or some type of body butter. Maybe I can get CarrieM in to make some comments.

Yep - don't cut her legs. Best advice I ever got, and now I am passing it on to you

James.

Lather and shave her legs in sections. If you try to lather it all at once that lather will start to dry out and you will end up giving her razor burn. Use the "hot" towel process and you should do fine. Just watch your angle and use short strokes. A good body lotion or body butter afterwards should take care of any irritation she may have. Expect some irritation. It's a closer shave then she can ever get with a disposable.

I have been trying to get my fiance to learn the art of the cutthroat razor; so as to implore it in her daily routine with her legs, and get more "mileage" versus what her crappy disposables offer. I think the fact that I often refer to it as a "cutthroat" turns her off a bit, LOL, but luckily threads like this have helped her see the benefit of diving in to this new habit.

I think there are some good pointers in this thread, as well as others she looked at in the Ladies Corner, so hopefully she will continue to explore the site! I don't mind helping her shave either!

Angeleyes you might want to get her started on a DE first. Not as intimidating. It's a good intro into wet shaving. You could always let her shave you I actually shaved JoeD before I worked up the courage to shave my legs on my own.

Originally Posted by CarrieM

You could always let her shave you I actually shaved JoeD before I worked up the courage to shave my legs on my own.

I would give your GF a really good evaluation before letting her shave you. CarrieM is a very special person and I know of several 'people' I wouldn't want in the same house while I shave none the less shave me. Use good judgment before deciding to go for that ride.

I've shave my wife's legs a few times, and it's easy to me. It's like having giant cheek sections, with only two little chin sections. Carful around the kneecap. When I'm working around the kneecap, I always shave away from the center of the kneecap. In the next line, the X is the kneecap, and the arrows depict my shaving direction:

<---------X--------->

Shaving toward, or into the kneecap seems that it would be easier to nick. This doesn't mean that you have to go ATG on her thighs, just in the vicinity of the kneecap.

The nice thing, is that her leg hair will already be MUCH softer than your beard hair. If my beard was as soft as her leg hair, shaving would be a dream.

Tip#2: your first time or two, you might wanna just stick to doing the easy sections. Here's how to recognize the easy sections: if you wan't to kiss it and rub your face on it, it's an easy section. If it's bony and hard, it's a hard section.

(please refrain from crude jokes about the second sentence of the preceding bold section...)

There's no shame in having to touch up a few areas with her Gilette Venus or whatever razor she normally uses.

Tip#3: Have her sit somewhere where she is stable, without a slick surface - especially if you shave her legs right after she gets out of the shower. A wet butt sitting on the edge of the tub isn't the safest place when having someone else shave your legs.

Tip#4: If she says "stop" or "wait", then you should stop, or wait. If she's not comfortable with it, it won't be enjoyable for her. Try not to think about this as being an enjoyable experience for you; that comes later. Right now just concentrate on her enjoying it. How would you feel if you wen't to a barber and he were trying to make the shave enjoyable for himself? Obviously there is a sense of enjoyment shaving your significant other's legs, but make sure that she is the star of this show.

Tip#5; No matter how good of an idea it might seem like don't use your aftershave on her legs. Unless you have girly smelling aftershave, in which case, you should go buy other aftershave. :P

That's all I've got.

I've put this post together from a few earlier posts I made on the subject.


Shave your wife's legs with a straight once, and you 'll be shaving them forever.

It's one of those big treats a husband can give to his wife:
A nice bowl of warm lather floating in a large bucket of hot water.
The scent of that lather...
The feel of a warm badger massaging her legs...
The tingling sensation of babysmooth skin...
jokingly fooling around during the "imperative" cold water rinse in the shower...
a nice leg massage with a luxurious post shave balm.
Going out together that same day, as the smoothest people on the planet...
The long-lasting results of a straight razor shave...

As soon as I shaved my wifes legs with a straight razor once, she has never stopped insisting that I repeat that favor. She says that it's a closer shave, without the usual post-shave discomfort and that it lasts longer. So what else can I do, but to obey her demands?
It takes about 30 minutes total, and I find it much easier than shaving my face. One pass is sufficient. I lather up only parts, so that the lather doesn't dry out too quickly. She just loves the brush-massage with nice hot lather. She's always lying down on a towel, while I shave her legs.

Skin stretching is fairly important. Bended knees for doing the front side makes all the difference. So far, I never gave her a single nick.

The knee points the way.
Always shave in the direction of the knee. It's no beard hair: if your razor is sharp, it will be smooth, no matter the growth direction. The only exception is the knee itself. (If it needs to be shaved at all) A razor easily catches into the wrinkles below and above the kneecap. I always shave the knee from "east to west", instead of "north to south" (hope this makes sense to you).

Lather well.
For leg shaving, I always fill a tub with the hottest tap water. I whip up a nice bowl of lather and let that float in the tub. The lather stays warm a long time that way. Only apply lather to the part of the leg you're shaving: I do 4 latherings per leg. (I bet you'll figure that out on your own) Complete the shave and then apply lather to the next part. Take some time, use the brush with massaging motions. She 'll enjoy it while the hot lather does its work. Don't allow the lather to dry out. Reapply when necessary.

Cold water rinse.
Her least favorite part is the cold water rinse, but I insist. We wouldn't like a razor rash, would we? So, don't skip it. It really helps with avoiding bumps. Dry with a towel without rubbing and apply a generous amount of a moisturizing balm.

Good luck & have fun,

Bart.

Thanks everyone for all the tips. I appreciate the help. I'll let you know how it turns out.