Itchy legs after shaving?

Every time after I shave my legs they get unbearably itchy and get razor bumps even though I slather on lotion directly afterwards. This has always been a problem and I am getting really sick of having red, scratched up, itchy legs all the time. I shave with soap and a sharp razor every time and always make sure to rinse the soap residue off afterwards. What am I doing wrong? What can I do to get the itch to stop
Thanks

If you are a female, I recommend an unrefined shea butter or a balm. If you are a man. Stop shaving your legs.

August West said:

If you are a man. Stop shaving your legs.

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Which razor and which soap?

August West said:

If you are a female, I recommend an unrefined shea butter or a balm. If you are a man. Stop shaving your legs.

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Could be a swimmer? I heard they shave their legs to reduction friction.

arwenowney said:

Every time after I shave my legs they get unbearably itchy and get razor bumps even though I slather on lotion directly afterwards. This has always been a problem and I am getting really sick of having red, scratched up, itchy legs all the time. I shave with soap and a sharp razor every time and always make sure to rinse the soap residue off afterwards. What am I doing wrong? What can I do to get the itch to stop

Thanks

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Welcome to B&B!

You may be shaving too close, or using too much pressure. What kind of soap are you using? Which razor?

Sounds like you are trying to use products to solve a technique problem.

Assuming you are moving from cartridges to double edge, most likely you are shaving with the blade at an angle that is too high. If you are holding the handle close to your leg, like a cartridge razor, then the blade is almost perpendicular to the skin, causing it to scrap rather than cut the hair, and causing the irritation. Try raising the handle until the blade is at a very shallow angle to your skin.

If this irritation happens even with cartridge razors, your skin may not like you taking all the hair length off at the same time. Most people who use double edge razors (or single edge or even straight razor) take the hair off in two or three passes. They will first go With The Grain (wtg) then Across The Grain (xtg) and then Against The Grain (atg). This two or three pass process is much gentler on the skin.

My daughter refuses to take the extra care in shaving so she just grabs a cheap disposable and "goes at it" (her words, not mine!) and then complains when her legs itch!

I had issues with allergies when I shave my face (straight blade). With certain soaps and creams my face would feel irritated (sting/burning feel while shaving then red and rashy looking after. I started adding some Benedryl Gel to my soap when shaving and the problem went away for the most part (still have some issues with floral stuff). If your problem is similar you could try putting the Benedryl on your legs prior to applying soap. YMMV