Mistakes You Make Shaving Down There

You didn’t need to watch a tutorial or read a lesson plan when you started shaving your legs. So you probably figured if you could shave your legs successfully, you could apply the same skills down there. But down there is far more sensitive than most parts of your body, and when you’re taking razor blades to that area, you need to take special care. Here are things you’re doing wrong when shaving down there.

Diving in with the razor

If you’ve let your bush fully grow out, you need to take a pair of scissors to the area before shaving. If you go right in with a razor, you’ll clog up the blades before you’ve even pruned a sufficient amount of hair down there.

Using scissors with a clumsy hand

If you have clumsy hands, scratch the scissors and use electric trimmers. You do not want to slip up with scissors on your vagina.

Failing to exfoliate first

Does the razor ever snag on a hair and you don’t know why? It’s probably because you didn’t exfoliate before removing the hair. Exfoliating helps to ensure that all the hair faces the same direction. That way you don’t get one that ends up snagging in the razor.

Shaving dry

You wouldn’t shave your legs dry, right? So then why would you shave your vagina—one of your most precious body parts—without lathering it up? Even if you’re in a hurry and can’t shower, at least place a damp washcloth on the area before shaving. This loosens up the hair follicles and makes the job much easier.

Believing that all shaving creams were created equally

There is shaving cream and gel designed specifically for the pubic area. Use that. Your skin down there is far more sensitive than the skin on the rest of your body. And having an allergic reaction down south is a nightmare. Trust me.

Leaving a wet razor

Ideally, you should be using a new razor every time you go down there. If you can’t, however, make sure you thoroughly dry your razor before using it again. Allowing it to stay wet can cause the blades to corrode, making it much easier to cut yourself.

Using the same razor everywhere

While your vagina has strong self-cleaning powers, if you do have any bacteria down there, you don’t want it spreading to other parts of your body.

Failing to stretch

I don’t mean stretching your muscles before a jog–I mean stretching the skin of your vagina. Place your hand right above your vagina, and gently pull up so there are no folds. Failing to stretch and flatten out the skin puts you at risk of cutting yourself.

Not shaving with the grain

Everybody is different. Some have tough skin that can handle shaving against the grain, and others have sensitive skin that requires them to go with the grain. If you’re constantly getting ingrown hairs, you might need to shave with the grain. It will take you longer to get a close shave, but it’s worth it.

Shaving every day

Leave that area as is for a couple of days at a time. Shaving an area too much can lead to irritation and inflammation, which will make it hard to shave in general.

Putting soap in there

If you wash the area before shaving, don’t let soap get past your labia—it will likely mess with your pH levels and put you at risk for UTIs.

Putting baby powder down there

You might want to put some baby powder on your vagina to help cool down any irritation after shaving. However, baby powder contains talc, which has been linked to ovarian cancer.

Getting dressed with cuts

If you do get a little cut down there while shaving, don’t immediately throw on underwear. Even the cleanest of underwear carries some bacteria that can get into the wounds or irritate the skin. Wash your wounds and wait for them to dry before getting dressed.

Thinking you have to be cleanshaven all of the time

Guys really don’t care if you have a tiny bit of stubble. So long as it isn’t sharp and pointy (and can hurt his member during sex!) or can get in his mouth if he goes downtown, your stubble shouldn’t bother your partner.