General Cycling Discussion - The Definitive Guide to Leg Shaving (for men).

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islenska
07-25-05, 08:13 AM
Equipment
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1. A woman's razor, such as the Venus. No disposable razors. No mens razors.
2. A new, sharp blade.
3. Shaving gel or foam
4. A loofah sponge, or similar exfoliating pad
5. Moisturizing cream

Instructions
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1. Always shave while taking a shower -- but leave it until last. Do everything else first. This will give the hair and skin on your legs time to soften up. To make things even easier, you can put some shampoo, soap, or conditioner on your legs and just let it rinse off by itself while you shower.

2. When you are ready, put a generous amount of shaving foam on your legs -- similar to what you'd put on your face. Make sure the water doesn't rinse it all off.

3. Now, with your sharp / new blade (never, ever use a dull blade) shave opposite the direction of hair growth (if this is your first time ever, you'll need to make a few passes in the direction of hair growth first).

4. Be careful around the knee and ankle areas, thats where you are most likely to cut yourself.

5. Rinse your legs and check for any missed spots.

6. Now comes the most important part...EVERY TIME you shower, whether you shave or not...soap up your loofah sponge and vigorously (and i do mean vigorously) scrub your legs, paying special attention to your quads and knees. This will help to avoid irritation and ingrown hairs. But seriously, you have to do this *every time* you shower, no excuses.

7. When you get out of the shower, do not towel dry your legs. In fact, don't dry them at all...just let them air-dry, but before they are completely dry, apply a generous amount of moisturizer to the shaved area. DO THIS EVERY TIME YOU SHOWER, whether you shave or not!.

8. Now go ride!


JimmyZ
07-25-05, 06:50 PM
You should also add, Until you get the hang of it, Use dark towels. That way, when you take your laundry to the laundromat or your mom's house, you don't get asked if you've taken up murdering people as a hobby. :D

Edit: spelling

HereNT
07-25-05, 07:28 PM
I knew there was a reason I have dark towels and use the machine in the basement instead of the laundromat!


my58vw
07-25-05, 09:05 PM
Once you have shaven once or twice your hair should be short between shaves... i.e. it takes 2 days for notacable growth for me. I use a disposable razor with the little gel strip and some conditioner lather up the leg a bit, shave then rinse. Feeling is the best way to tell if you have any hair left... hopefully not. Finally I let my legs air for a few minutes then dry them off and mosterize.

There are many ways to do it, it really does not matter as long as the hair is gone! :lol:

Eatadonut
07-25-05, 09:25 PM
1. A woman's razor, such as the Venus. No disposable razors. No mens razors.



Why no men's razors? They should be gentler than a woman's razor, as they are meant to shave curvier, more delicate skin.

I'm bookmarking this thread. Plan on shaving my legs before I go back up to school (half because of biking, half for pure shock value. my friends will die.) and this is great info.

Trek7000ZX
07-25-05, 10:28 PM
I'd also like to add that if it is your first time shaving (either in a long while or ever) get out the clippers, like the barber's use for crew cuts or sideburns. Clip your long hair before you shave. This will save you time and also make the actual shaving easier & smoother. Just a trick I learned from well over a decade of competitive swimming where the men shave and women don't. Well, we both do, but you spend most of your time growing it out only to shave before big events so the difference is great when you hit that water on the day of the meet.

randya
07-25-05, 11:46 PM
No wonder a lot of people think male cyclists are gay, and it's not just the dorky lycra gettups. :eek:

I use a razor on only one part of my body, and that's my face. :p