Whether or not you choose to shave your armpits is your choice. Most women will say that they shave their armpits because it makes them feel more hygienic and feminine. In recent years, men have started to shave their armpits too.
Removing your armpit hair can make it easier to keep clean as hair can trap bacteria which, if not taken care of will result in a bad case of body odor.
Although the majority of women in the western world shave their armpits, most of them are probably doing it wrong. Classic signs are red bumps under the arms, soreness, dryness/itching and in some cases bleeding. These symptoms can easily be avoided if the following precautions are taken.
If this is the first time that you have shaved your armpits, the hair is most likely quite long. This is not ideal as it will clog up your razor. Before shaving, try to reduce the length of the hair using a set of clippers or carefully with a pair of scissors. You need the hair to be no longer than 0.2 in (5 mm) before you begin.
Preparation
1) When your armpits are due for a shave, try and coincide it with when you take a bath or a shower. Wait until the hot water has been in contact with the area to be shaved for at least five minutes before you start to shave. This way, the hair will be nice and softened. This will greatly reduce the chance of you getting a shaving rash or that horrible burning redness.
2) Never shave your armpits without applying some sort of shaving gel or cream. Make sure it is worked into a good lather as this will help the blade of the razor glide over your skin without actually grazing you.
3) Make sure you are using a clean razor preferably with a new blade.
Armpit Shaving Technique
1) Lift your arm and rest the razor at the top of your armpit. If your arm starts to get tired, rest your hand on the back of your neck. Now, apply a small amount of pressure as you slowly and gently slide the razor down in one single stroke. If you fell a slight snagging, it may be that the hairs are slightly too long. Should this be the case, use lots of short strokes to overcome the snagging sensation.
2) Always rinse the razor after each successive stroke. This will clear out any hair that may be clogging the razor. If your razor is clogged, you will have to apply more pressure until you over compensate and give yourself a nasty cut!
3) Repeat the above process until you have shaved the whole area. Now, you will get a much closer shave if you repeat the process but use up strokes instead of down. This will lift the hair slightly and give the hair a closer cut. Repeat the above step but shave upwards this time.
4) If you have sensitive skin or you suffer from red bumps after shaving, it may be wise to miss this step. Sometimes shaving upwards can cut the hair too close. As the skin relaxes, the cut end of the hair can retreat below the skin. As the hair then starts to grow back out over time, it may cause red bumps and soreness.
5) Repeat the same process but on the other armpit. That's all there is to it!
6) If you manage to cut yourself whilst shaving, get out of the hot water and rinse the affected area with cold water. This will help to stem the bleeding. If the bleeding persists you could try using a piece of tissue paper or a styptic pencil. Obviously if the cut is quite severe you will need a band-aid.
7) Most importantly, when drying yourself after shaving your armpit try to pat-dry the area as oppose to rubbing. Rubbing is one of the main causes of dryness and soreness after shaving. You will just be irritating the area. Simply pat dry the area and apply a good quality moisturizer that has no added perfume. This will leave you with a smooth, bump free, hair free armpit.
Andrea Strachan has been in the beauty business for 25 Years. For more information on armpit shaving or for general permanent hair removal advice, visit http://www.permanent-hair-removal-tips.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andrea_Strachan
