Shaving, And Horrible Razor Burn! Help!

Hair Removal Methods Shaving/Trimming
#1

After starting my gender transition, I had to start shaving my legs. The first time I used a razor and shaving cream, I broke out in a horrible (and I mean horrible) rash and had razor burn so bad I couldn’t even sleep. Large purple boil-like bumps developed that didn’t go away for many months, until I finally had to go to the doctor to get prescription cream. Needless to say, I never tried that again. I now use an electric razor to trim the hair, but of course it’s not a close shave and my legs feel all stubby. Fortunately, time and hormones have softened the hair some, but I do have a problem in that I cannot get a close shave and don’t know what other method to try. I’m afraid to try waxing/depilatories in case they cause another bad reaction.

Any advice?

#2

What blades have you tried? Fusion power is best, M3 Power second best. Venus Vibrance very good, similar to M3 Power.

Which electrics have you tried? They vary a lot in performance. My favorites are the Braun Activator and 360 Complete. Syncro is good too.

Tend Skin helps a lot with irritation and ingrown hairs.

Remember that it takes time for your skin to adapt to shaving, especially if you have coarse hair.

RJC2001

#3

Hi:

You may want to try shaving in the bathtub. First you need to soak the hairs w ll and soften them with some moisturizing soap.
Then try a good, fresh razor such as a Venus Divine or Vibrance.

Try shaving downward rather than against the grain at first. Then afterwards go against the grain, but don’t press too hard. I would use a good gel shaving cream such as Gillette satin gel with Silk and Aloe.

Probably as you do it more and the hair becomes softer it will not be as bad. It is probably not agood idea to put cream on immediately after shaving.

Alicia

#4

WeRNotAfraid,

I have always had fairly sensitive skin and I also had to learn the hard way when I started transition. Here are a few things that work for me. Alicia’s advice is very sound but some of us are very sensitive to the irritation of shaving.

  1. Do shave in the bathtub, after letting your legs soak for a while. This will soften up the hairs and make them less likely to pull the razor blades into the upper skin surface, causing razor burn.

  2. As a lot of the scents used in soaps can cause people with sensitive skins to react to the scents, I use unscented glycerin soap for shaving my legs and armpits. This has the advantage of making the skin surface very slippery and also eliminating any substances that may cause skin reactions.

  3. Avoid using any oil-based skin lotions on the legs for at least 24 hours after shaving. They inhibit the air from getting to the skin surface, slowing the healing process. Several national drug store chains market an aloe vera gel that I find works very well for me. It is also very reasonably priced.

Find out what works best for you and stick with it.

All the best,
Joanie <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />