Hey Everyone,

For the last week i have been trying out lots of methods to get rid of red marks from my legs due to the summer weather and being conscious of wearing shorts and skirts because of them. I find it so irritating after shaving my legs to find them completely covered in these tiny red dots. I did a lot of reading about what causes them and how to avoid them, so i will be implementing much better care to avoid them in future, but i need a quick fix now!!

It takes around 2 weeks to heal them normally, which is too long to wait since the weather is hot and I’m going to be wearing dresses, shorts and skirts now. So i will start with what i have researched on how to avoid these pesky red marks in the first place. Then i will tell you how i speeded up the healing process. Im aware that this might not work for everyone, but if it is just mild razor irritation like mine, it will work well for you, as it did for me. Best of luck!

Ok, so the main cause of these marks is due to shaving your legs incorrectly. Personally, i think waxing is the best option to avoid it altogether but in my case, the results of waxing only last around a month, so after that you are supposed to let the hairs grow again in order to have them waxed properly again. So that growth period is around a week or 2, but its still a week or 2 not being able to wear shorts etc. in the middle of summer and feeling gross about it so it doesn’t really work for me. I end up having to shave my legs all through summer anyway.

I have tried hair removal creams and they only work to remove around 75 percent of the hair so you end up shaving aswell. Thats all fine, but same as waxing, the hair must be a certain length to use it and it grows back faster than waxing so not ideal. So in the end, i find myself shaving my legs all the time. The key to shaving is doing it properly and with care. It can’t be a rush job or else you end up with razor marks everywhere and they are a nightmare to deal with as they just keep recurring unless you tackle them and start a new regime with the shaving.

This is how to avoid red marks from shaving:

What you need-

Sugar and olive oil or similar – see below

A good razor i.e. Gillette Venus Sensitive skin disposables or Embrace / Olay / Mac 3 for men / Schick Hydro Silk disposables / Bic Soleil disposables

Good quality shaving gel / natural ingredient hair conditioner i.e. avocado and shea butter

I find that the disposables are better for me, but i do dispose of them after a few uses because if you keep using them they become blunt and thats another cause for the red bumps.

Directions-

Exfoliate the area well with a scrub and oil. I use sugar and olive oil but you can use sea salt and coconut oil, coffee grounds and jojoba or baking soda and avocado oil. Or any of those with most carrier oils. I will be adding some DIY scrub recipes soon, since i have lots of great recipes for natural gorgeous smelling exfoliators to make at home on the cheap.

Now have your bath or shower and after massaging and exfoliating your legs and letting the steam and heat open the pores, pat the skin dry with a towel. Apply an even layer of shaving gel until they’re completely covered. If you decide to use hair conditioner, a non chemical formula is essential if you have sensitive skin. Smooth it on and make sure all the area is covered.

Gently shave in a downward direction to avoid irritation, especially for sensitive skin. Try and achieve the right amount of pressure and not too gentle so that you only have to go over the area once. Twice is fine, but try not to keep going over the same area as this also causes the marks to appear. Wash the product from the blades every few strokes with hot water and dry with a towel before proceeding. This ensures the razor gives a clean shave.

I tend to be lazy and skip the gel and shave in the shower with water only which is a massive no-no according to what i have read. So don’t do that!

Once thats done, wash legs in warm water and then turn the water to cold for 15 seconds or so and that will close the pores again.

I normally follow with my trusty favorite coconut oil but you can use any natural carrier oil such as the ones mentioned above or another brilliant natural product is Shea butter which i recommend since it gives that lovely silky soft feel and it nourishes the skin.

How to remove the red marks if they have already appeared:

Ok, so you have ended up with the dreaded spots all over your legs, heres what you can do to help heal them quickly

This also works really well on post acne red marks for the face

What you need –

Baking soda

Bio Oil – available in most chemists or supermarkets

Cucumber

Potato

Lemon juice

A blender

A sieve/strainer

Cereal bowl

Directions –

Wait until your pores are completely closed after showering and shaving. I would give it at least an hour since the baking soda might irritate the skin directly after shaving

Now mix together a tablespoon of baking soda and around 8 drops of Bio Oil to make a scrub

Apply all over the legs in the part with red marks, normally the shin area for me

Massage in gently and evenly and leave on as a mask for 15-30 mins

Wash off and massage the legs to make sure the oil has penetrated completely

Now pat them dry with a towel so as to leave the oils to work

Leave that to do its magic for at least an hour or so

Meanwhile peel and chop up 5 or 6 slices of cucumber and half a medium potato/ one small potato into medium sized pieces

Put them in the blender and blend until the juice is visible

Transfer to the strainer with the bowl underneath to strain the juice into

When the juice is ready, add a couple of teaspoons of lemon juice

Mix well with a fork

Apply to the legs in an upward and downward motion to achieve full coverage

Leave to dry naturally and re-apply later on

This can be done until the mixture runs out so you may get 4 or 5 applications

Please note: Its important to wear sunscreen if you expose your legs to the sun during this time since lemon is a natural bleach so wash your legs before applying sunscreen

And thats it! If they haven’t disappeared within a day or 2 i would say repeat the process with the baking soda and Bio Oil as baking soda really does help with any ingrown hairs and it is a natural antibiotic so pulls out any possible infection or bacteria.

Just remember you need to follow those shaving instructions always from now on or they will keep coming back.

If you don’t have time to apply the juice you can just cut pieces and rub the potato and cucumber over your legs and same with the lemon. Just wait for each layer to dry before applying the next so you don’t remove the previous layer.

Hope this works for you! Let me know how you get on by commenting in the box provided or if you have any other methods do share, i love hearing other peoples ideas.

Cheers!