what to do about itchy post shave legs

There's null worse than your legs itching similar crazy after shaving. As it turns out, it's a pretty common trouble to have. "Shaving causes the pilus follicles to become irritated, and afterwards shaving, the pilus follicles continue to abound under the skin, thus causing irritation, itchiness, or painful red bumps," says dermatologist Dr. Annie Gonzalez. "Shaving incorrectly, folliculitis, or razor fire can also crusade the peel to itch later on shaving."

Whether it's from dry out skin, irritating skin products, or a dull razor, it'due south zip a niggling actress time spent on your skincare routine can't fix.

Below, dermatologist provide a scattering of tips for beating the itch, post-shave.

Choose Products That Moisturize

"Unremarkably itchy skin from shaving is due to chemic or mechanical irritation, and occurs most often in those with more prominent follicles," says Dr. Jordan C. Carqueville, MD, the medical director at The Derm Institute of Chicago. "Those with a little extra skin that surrounds the entry point of the follicle volition see buildup around the follicle, not over it. Shaving can exist very irritating to those petty peel 'mountains.' "

Carqueville says that, because this post-shave itch ofttimes affects those with sensitive skin, it should be treated accordingly. A high booze content in shaving gel or foam or aftershave may dry skin out, causing information technology to crawling or feel tight. Fragrances and other ingredients may be irritating or cause an allergic reaction, ranging from mild to severe.

Choose products containing piffling to no booze if yous can. Instead, look for moisturizing and soothing ingredients similar aloe vera, natural oils, vitamin Due east, and glycerin.

Ursa Major Stellar Shave Cream $26.00

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If fragrance tends to irritate your skin, opt for fragrance-free products or those with essential oils or natural fragrance. Notwithstanding, we can be allergic or sensitive to whatsoever ingredient, man-made or natural. And what causes a reaction for one person may not for another.

Instead of using aftershave to soothe and refresh postal service-shave, try using cool water (it's gentler). Finish your shower by switching to common cold water or splash some on at the sink.

If y'all prefer an aftershave, choose ane with ingredients that fight bacteria to help prevent pimples and ingrown hairs.

Rinse, But Don't Rub

Remaining shaving cream or gel might cause redness, dryness, and itchiness post-shave. Exist sure to rinse your skin thoroughly, making sure all traces of product are gone. After coming out of the shower or bathroom, pat skin dry out with a towel instead of rubbing, which can cause further irritation.

Avoid Drying Products

Deodorants and deodorant soaps are strong bacteria fighters, just they tin really strip skin of natural oils and zap moisture. Moisturizing deodorant soaps with natural and essential oils help prevent smell without stripping your peel. Deodorants with cream bases tend to be gentler and provide some ingredients to hydrate and replenish over watery curlicue-on and spray deodorants, where alcohol is often the first ingredient.

Similarly, fragrant products can also cause irritation. "Use fragrance free products after shaving on the legs if your skin gets irritated from fragrance," advises Gonzalez. "Yous should also look for products that do not contain alcohol, as a high corporeality of alcohol in products may cause the skin to itch or feel dry out. Also, always moisturize after shaving. If you do not moisturize afterwards shaving, the skin volition be dry, which often leads to itching."

Never Skip Post-Shave Products

Shaving exfoliates peel, and we really demand to moisturize and protect information technology afterwards. Dry skin oft leads to itching. Using a couple drops of pre-shaving oil under shaving cream or gel not only provides moisture power, only helps create another bulwark on the peel, assuasive the razor to glide instead of tug. Finish off with a moisturizing aftershave lotion, oil, or balm.

Well-hydrated pare will not only feel smoother, it will await it, too. Without moisturizing, skin can become dry and flaky, again, leading to itchiness.

Dr. Bronner's Organic Lavander Lotion for Paw & Trunk $ten.00

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Even between shaving, moisturizing tin soften your skin. In areas with thicker hair, like the underarms or bikini zone, pilus is more coarse and tin poke you until the next shave. A daily dose of lotion or oil might assistance soften hair a chip, making it less prickly. Or, when you're in the shower, you tin can also use a footling chip of conditioner to soften the hair. Just make certain to rinse it off.

Opt for Warm (Not Hot) Water

Hot h2o might feel good in the bath or shower, but it depletes skin wet. Use warm water instead. Hot tubs, tanning beds, or a lot of direct sunlight can also crusade crawling and irritation to freshly-shaved skin. The high chlorine content in pools and hot tubs, along with the loftier temperatures, are not skin friendly. "Hot water while showering and shaving can reduce the pare's moisture content, leading to dryness and irritation," says Gonzalez. "Shower with lukewarm water instead. You should avert hot tubs and pond pools after shaving, as chlorine tin cause itchy, cherry skin."

Tanning, either past bed or embankment, tin cause nasty burns non to mention dry out, itchy, flaky skin.

Try a Chemical Exfoliant

Exfoliating can assist reduce the crawling, equally long as you plan ahead.

"At bed fourth dimension, apply a lotion or pads that contain a mild acidic component — lactic or salicylic acid — so that in the morning, if yous shave information technology won't sting every bit bad," says Carqueville. The acids, she explains, volition reduce buildup around the pore so that when yous shave, the irritation will be minimized.

Habiliment Loose Clothing Post-Shave

"Do not wear tight-fitting clothes, as the friction of your shaven peel rubbing confronting clothes tin can irritate the skin," says Gonzalez.

Equally Gonzalez explains, hair provides some protection from chafing and rubbing. When it's gone, peel is more than susceptible to chafing from wearing apparel that rub against your skin. The friction created from hairless thighs rubbing together when wearing a skirt sans hose (peculiarly when it's hot or humid) can also cause discomfort.

And be certain to have note of whether the problem is getting worse, which Carqueville says could be indicative of a deeper trouble. "Lookout man out for pustules or painful cherry-red bumps, as that can exist a sign of bacterial infection," she says.

Soothe Your Skin

Aloe vera gel not only soothes skin, but it helps remove any stinging. Using gel directly from an aloe plant is the best style to go. If not, make sure the shop-bought gel you employ actually contains aloe vera and not just dark-green coloring. We're partial to Sun Bum's Absurd Down Hydrating After Sunday Gel, $x.

Fundamental Ingredients

Aloe vera is a naturally derived ingredient known for its soothing and moisturizing backdrop. The aloe establish's inner gel mucilage (the part that's used in skincare products) is made up of up to 99.5% water.

Some other soothing ingredient? Hydrocortisone. Hydrocortisone cream is like shooting fish in a barrel to choice up at the drugstore (run into this version by Walgreens, $5) and works for nearly people rapidly. It's hydrating, but information technology also contains medication to help stop whatever itching ASAP.

Key Ingredients

Hydrocortisone is a corticosteroid, a medicine that reduces inflammation. It's a common anti-inflammatory treatment for peel weather such every bit eczema or psoriasis, and is available both over-the-counter and every bit a prescription.

If your legs or bikini zone are in desperate need of some moisture, opt for a nice soak in an oatmeal bathroom, which is sure to provide relief. There's a reason why babies with diaper rash and people with craven pox soak in oatmeal baths. Don't permit the fancy name confuse you lot: Information technology's just basis up oatmeal. Y'all can purchase colloidal oatmeal at the store—like Aveeno's Soothing Bath Treatment, $nine—or you can brand it at habitation (equally long equally you follow a recipe).

Key Ingredients

Colloidal oatmeal is basis oatmeal, which is and then placed in a liquid medium for ameliorate application.

FAQ

• What causes itchy peel, mail service-shave?

  Myriad things cause itchy skin, from hot h2o to drying (i.e. non-moisturizing) products. Information technology tin as well be the result of something more serious, like keratosis pilaris.

• What'south the easiest way to combat itchy pare after I shave?

  The best way is to avoid products that are as well drying, and to moisturize your skin with a fragrance-gratuitous oil or balm mail-shave.

• Might itchy skin be indicative of a deeper problem?

  Itchy peel could be the sign of a drying product, just it could also be a sign of keratosis pilaris, which occurs when the skin produces excess keratin that blocks hair follicles
  

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Source: https://www.byrdie.com/itchy-from-shaving-1717003

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