It has been six or seven months. They enjoyed the comforts of sweatpants and leggings, and relaxed at home while it snowed outside. They didn’t go to the beach or even out on the town that much. But spring has finally arrived, and it’s time for our legs to go on an awkward first date with our razors.
Most of us have a love/hate relationship with shaving: it makes our legs look great, but it can also be so painful! Some resort to waxing or epilators, but I haven’t found enough reasons to spend the money on either of those two resources. So, to make shaving easier, I tested out two ingredients that can help the shaving process go more smoothly (pun intended). I shaved one leg with one ingredient and one with the other, and compared the results side by side.
Note: Be sure to use organic ingredients. Pesticides can easily be absorbed through your skin. Remember, your skin is your largest organ!
Method 1: Coconut Oil
You’ll need: your regular razor and organic virgin coconut oil (I buy mine in jars at Trader Joe’s).
Directions:
- Wait until the end of your shower to shave. That way, your skin and hair will be more pliable.
- Apply coconut oil directly from the jar onto your legs using your fingers. If your coconut oil is solid, rub it around on your legs for a few seconds and it will melt easily.
- Shave as normal, from your ankles up your legs, against the grain of your hair.
Pros:
- Coconut oil contains vitamin E, an antioxidant, which moisturizes your skin. After shaving with coconut oil, you probably won’t need to apply lotion, unless your legs are extra sensitive or dry. As an extra benefit, antioxidants work against aging as well!
- Vitamin E also helps cuts heal, which is useful if you accidentally cut yourself with a razor.
- I loved the way my legs felt after shaving! My legs felt way smoother after the coconut oil shave than after using shaving cream or soap.
Cons:
- Some women complained that coconut oil clogged their razors. However, I found that as long as I rinsed my razor after a stroke or two, this was not a problem.
- Depending on what brand of coconut oil you buy, it could be more expensive than cheap drugstore shaving creams. That being said, if you regularly invest in a high quality shaving cream, then coconut oil will be cheaper. In addition, remember that a little goes a long way!
- If you use coconut oil for cooking, it could get annoying to cart the jar between the kitchen and bathroom, not to mention that hairs could get into your jar if you don’t rinse your hands carefully (Ick!). I would recommend getting a separate jar for each space in your home.
Method 2: Honey
You’ll need: Your regular razor and organic honey.
Directions:
- As with coconut oil, wait until the end of your shower to shave.
- Apply the honey directly onto your legs, and rub in so you don’t shave through clumps of honey.
- Shave as normal.
Pros:
- You may not have coconut oil on hand, but most of us have honey on our shelves, so this is a method you can test out right away.
- Honey is anti-inflammatory, which means it is gentle on skin that is irritated easily.
- The sugar in honey acts as a natural exfoliator, helping skin stay smooth!
Cons:
- To avoid creating a sticky mess, make sure your legs are thoroughly wet. This is another good reason to shave at the end of the shower. I, personally, did not have a problem with stickiness.
- My legs felt slightly smoother after using coconut oil, but the difference was very small.
- It takes a bit more honey than coconut oil to get an effective shave; but again, the difference between the two is minimal.
Verdict: Both methods yielded wonderful results! Honey and coconut oil both made my legs feel far softer than shaving creams or soap. I’ll probably stick with coconut oil because I have it on hand, but I would encourage you to use both and see which one works better for you. Both methods were very effective. I used to shave mainly with soap, but will be switching to coconut oil from now on!
What shaving lotion or cream do you usually use?
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All images via Thinstock
