Guest Blogger: Nina on Shaving Tips & Tricks

Nina is a married mom of two who works full-time as a journalist.  She doesn’t have a blog, but she spends way too much of her time reading them.

You’re going to think I’m crazy.  I’ll just put it out there right now.
Capital C, heavy on the Z, stark raving crazy, that’s what you’re going to
think.  I’m ok with that because I know I’m not.  I know you’re not going to
believe my tip at first, and that your eyes might bug out in disbelief when
you find out the source of my information.  But you know what?  That’s all
right.  I’m secure in both my sanity and the fact that, oh my goodness,
there is absolutely no place in my life for shaving cream any more.  None.

No, I’m not dry shaving.  That really would be crazy.

No, I’m not shaving with soaped up legs.

Yes, I’m still shaving!  Sheesh!

Two months or so ago, I was paging through my city’s alternative weekly
newspaper, the free one with all the snarky hipster writers and concert
listings.  It had been a long time since I looked at the back of the paper,
where all the questionable bits reside, and I wondered if the personal ads
were still good for a giggle like they were when I was younger (off topic:
they’re a bit less amusing thanks to maturity, but still slightly
interesting).  Turns out, there’s an advice column back there.  Intimate
advice.

Yes, this is on topic!  Stay with me, and I’ll try to be delicate.

Ok, so one of the questions that week was from a guy who wondered why his
gal isn’t quite as smooth in certain spots as the ladies he sees on his
special grown up man videos (AHEM).  In my mind I answered "because she’s
REAL, dummy!" but the columnist had a different answer: conditioner.  She
said the trade secret behind the ultra smooth shave displayed by certain
sorts of actresses in their close ups (UGH) is that they use conditioner
instead of shaving cream.

My first reaction was a hearty "yeah, riiiiight," but as I got to thinking
about it I started thinking that conditioner could work.  Maybe.  It could
be worth a try, even.  It took another week or so before I decided to give
it a go myself.  Worst case scenario it wouldn’t be great and I’d go back to
my normal routine, right?

I haven’t used shaving cream since.

I’ve never had a shave quite so close, or legs that felt smooth for as long
after my shower.  I don’t even feel the need for post-shower lotion on my
legs most days.  The results are even more dramatic under my arms.  Those
hairs grow going every which way and I’ve always got to make passes in
several directions to get them all.  In the past that meant lots of little
bumps, but now that I’ve started using conditioner the bumps are going down
and the skin is smoothing out.

Best of all, I’ve found that the cheap stuff works best.  Right now I’m
using a bottle of VO5 Kiwi & Lime Squeeze Herbal Conditioner that cost a
whopping $.88.  Eighty-eight cents!  What could be better?

There’s no special technique, you don’t have to use a ridiculous amount,
just put on the conditioner the same way you would shaving cream and go to
work.  It is slightly more difficult to see where you’ve already been, but
I’ve found the conditioner is moisturizing enough that your legs are more
forgiving of an extra swipe or two over the same spot.  And after a few
times you get the feel of navigating the shave without all the fluff to tell
you where to go.