STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

alb · Marc Jacobs

Please help my poor itchy legs!

crystal · Kate Spade

what about skirty the issue all together by waxing? you can try it at home or go pro, but really it's not all that expensive when you take into account the price of razors & shaving cream. it might take a while to get to the point of "smooth" legs because hair grows in cycles so you won't get it all the first time, but i think this may help your problem if it's shaving related. good luck!

alb · Marc Jacobs

I've thought about that, but my coarse dark hair grows pretty rapidly and I'm not so sure if I'm up for the hassle of going to a salon whenever I need smooth legs. Plus I already wax my bikini area and I think that the leg area might be more painful actually, so I wouldn't be able to do it myself (I'm too much of a wimp). Thanks for the suggestion though.

member · Hermes

do you think there's any way the itchiness is being caused by an allergy? The only reason I ask is because I had super itchy feet and legs last summer and my dermatologist contriubted it to allergies...he gave me a prescription and it went away.

-- Edited by shopchicago33 at 14:05, 2005-09-14

Christine · Coach

Maybe if you apply a soothing, unscented, anti-itch or calming lotion on your legs after you shave? Or maybe even try applying it once or twice daily? Perhaps this will, over time, soothe your legs.

jess · Kenneth Cole

What about using jojoba oil on your legs after you shave them? Its supposed to curb irritation.

alb · Marc Jacobs

Thanks for the responses everyone. I may try jojoba oil or calamine anti-itch lotion, but I should try to determine if it's allergies too, as shopchicago pointed out.

Any suggestions for a soothing shave cream or gel??

Maddie · Coach

I was going to suggest the Intuition razor. It's great because there's always soap between your leg and the razor.

halleybird · Hermes

Maddie wrote:

I was going to suggest the Intuition razor. It's great because there's always soap between your leg and the razor.

this is really good -- try the sensitive skin one. I don't use it anymore, because it's so difficult to maneuver, but I have terribly sensitive skin on my legs & this never gave me problems.

Also, try some hydrocortisone cream. Like I said, I get terrible itchy rashes on my lower legs from time to time, and it's worked well. I also swear by Aveeno's Stress Relief lotion, which seems to calm it. Good luck!

alb · Marc Jacobs

Thanks, Maddie and Halleybird. I love Aveeno, already have the Intuition razor and hydrocortisone cream so I'll give those a try!

Dizzy · Marc Jacobs

Could you be allergic to the moisturizing strip in the Daisy razors? If you've tried all the different shaving creams, but never switched razors, it seems like that might be the one constant. And this doesn't sound like ordinary razor burn. I like the mach3 or the Venus razors, but anything meant for a man's face, or that has at least three blades, would be better than the Daisy. Good luck!

alb · Marc Jacobs

Good point, thanks Dizzy!

blink · Coach

alb, along the same line shopchicago was going, sometimes mineral oil (which is used in most of the drug store brand moisturizers) is the culprit of the little red bumps, lotta people are actually allergic to it but don't even realize it because they just consider it razor burn. you might want to discuss this with a dermatologist, or try talking to a dept store cosmetics consultant to get help finding a product without mineral oil.

I am sorry I can't think of a brand off the bat, I know that Arbonne products don't use mineral oil at all, but they are only sold by direct sales. Mineral oil is actually kind of gross, but that's a whole different thread.

alb · Marc Jacobs

lorelei wrote:

alb, along the same line shopchicago was going, sometimes mineral oil (which is used in most of the drug store brand moisturizers) is the culprit of the little red bumps, lotta people are actually allergic to it but don't even realize it because they just consider it razor burn. you might want to discuss this with a dermatologist, or try talking to a dept store cosmetics consultant to get help finding a product without mineral oil. I am sorry I can't think of a brand off the bat, I know that Arbonne products don't use mineral oil at all, but they are only sold by direct sales. Mineral oil is actually kind of gross, but that's a whole different thread.

That is really interesting--thanks for mentioning it. I am definitely going to look into that.

Update: Thanks everyone for the help! My legs are much better btw--they are no longer itchy now that I used the sensitive skin intuition razor with Aveeno sensitive skin body wash as shaving cream. I still have a few small bumps though, so maybe it is caused by mineral oil.

Grace · Dooney & Bourke

Get a good razor (I like venus or schick silk effects). Also, I like unscentd glycerine soap. It suds up really nice and protects your legs. One other thing, on days you don't shave, try a sugar scrub to help keep your skin soft and moisturized.