If you have got super sensitive skin, shaving your legs can, at best, be quite a trickyexercise, but you can avoid stinging and irritation AND still get a smooth shave. Shaving basically acts as an exfoliation process and removes dead skin as you shave, along with a layer of skin, it can cause skin to be sensitive for quite a few hours after your shave. This process is actually healthy for your skin, but it leaves your skin vulnerable. If you have sensitive skin, you are best advised to shave at night, which will help give your skin plenty of time to recover.

Start by softening your hair with luke warm water for three or four minutes. Then wash the area you plan to shave because the act of shaving can leave your hair follicles open to infection and irritation. If your skin isn’t clean, bumps and irritation can occur.

Use shaving cream. You should never shave without it; soaps don’t give you anywhere near as much protection and will actively dry your skin. You can also choose a shaving cream that’s formulated specifically for sensitive skin and may include extra nourishing ingredients like aloe and Vitamin E.

After you put the shaving cream on your skin, wait a few minutes. Waiting will soften your hair more, making the removal even easier and reducing the risk of razor burn. And, finally, after you shave you should apply a moisturizer to your skin to help protect it. If you have very sensitive skin and can’t seem to get a smooth shave even after trying these tips, you may want to consider using an electric razor or even opting for a hair removal cream so you don’t have to use a blade at all.

Having a bikini wax is one of the things that we women do to get prepped for the summer bikini season. If you’ve never had your bikini area waxed before, it can be a scary experience so here are a couple of tips to help you through the ordeal.

Tips & Warnings

• Schedule your wax for the week after your menstrual cycle, when you are less sensitive to pain.
• Take an aspirin or ibuprofen 30 – 45 minutes before waxing.
• Consult a professional before trying at home.
• Don’t swim or lie in the sun for at least 24 hours before and after you have a bikini wax.
• Be careful if you’re pregnant, taking birth control pills, hormone replacement or antibiotics. This more often than not will make your skin sensitive to waxing.

Keep an eye on the practitioner’s cleanliness by making sure they have washed and sanitized their hands. Be aware if they have double dipped into the wax – this can contaminate the wax with bacteria. Make sure they checks the temperature of the wax before applying.

After working hard in the winter months to keep your body in shape, you don’t want excess hair to ruin the appearance of your bikini line. Anyone who’s in that boat is always looking for improved ways to get rid of hair and keep it gone as long as possible. Out of the temporary hair removal solutions, shaving and cream hair removers need the most upkeep, the effects don’t last very long. For something that requires a little less maintenance, a bikini wax might be your best bet.

During a bikini wax, an aesthetician spreads hot wax over the target area, then sticks a cloth to the wax so she can rip out the unwanted hair by the roots [source: Sorgen]. And you don’t have to limit yourself at just the bikini line: The bikini wax’s more comprehensive cousin, the Brazilian wax, leaves you with little to no hair in the pubic area.

Although it can be painful, especially the first few times, waxing in the bikini area does have its benefits. Hair grows back more slowly than it does with other hair removal methods, and it may even get finer and sparser with repeated treatments. But, like most other beauty treatments, waxing costs a little money and it comes with some risks. There can also be a little embarrassment involved, especially if you’re someone who is usually very modest.