Ladies, how do you shave down there without cutting yourself?

June 8, 2014 10:59 AM

I like waxing my lady parts, but it's expensive and I'm prone to ingrown hairs, so I'd like to switch to just trimming. I have a beard trimmer that works well for the hair above my labia. But I'm hesitant to trim the labia majora itself. How do you hold it to avoid nicking yourself inside? (I've already done this, unfortunately). How do you see what's going on in the back? Help.
posted by three_red_balloons to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (15 answers total)

I do this with a good deal of contortion, sitting on the floor and using a mirror so that I can flatten surfaces as much as possible. I also take a long time and go slowly.
posted by Nimmie Amee at 11:21 AM on June 8, 2014

Sorry, do you mean shave or trim? (You mention both in your post, so not sure which you're talking about.) I don't have any expertise with trimming, but for shaving: hold the skin taught with one hand and make small, short strokes with the razor. Go very slowly at first - practice makes perfect. As for the back area, I go by feel rather than sight - lay flat on your back with your legs way out for this part. I do this all in the shower and have never ever nicked myself. I also find that small razors are easiest to maneuver down there and therefore safer.
posted by schroedingersgirl at 11:22 AM on June 8, 2014 [1 favorite]

For your labia, I suggest using a regular razor. I use Schick triple-bladed disposables and I pretty much never cut myself shaving. I dry shave, because it's easy and my skin doesn't seem to mind, but I think most other ladies wet shave with shaving cream (correct me if I'm wrong). As for what's going on in the back, you can squat over a mirror, or just feel around and go gently. I don't use a mirror anymore but I do still squat for that section.
posted by fullerenedream at 11:24 AM on June 8, 2014

I'm also not sure if you're asking for trimmer advice or regular shaving advice! That said, I use shaving soap with clay instead of shaving cream/gel, which has made a huge difference wrt razor burn since there's no rubbing alcohol to make everything irritated. I wrap the handle of my razor in grip tape so it doesn't slip around. And squatting is your friend.

Also always exfoliate with something gently gritty before shaving, preferably do this on only lightly damp skin, not after you've been soaking in the bath/shower a while. This prevents nicking really well. I like Clinique's sparkle skin exfoliator.
posted by elizardbits at 11:55 AM on June 8, 2014

I know you asked about shaving, but if that doesn't work out I've had decent success with hair removal cream... And I use an exfoliating glove to prevent ingrown hairs... I started using it when waxing got pricey.
posted by misspony at 12:03 PM on June 8, 2014

Have you thought about waxing yourself? It's pretty easy. It won't help with the ingrowing hairs, but this tub lasts me about 5 sessions. I know it's not what you asked, but a lot of people seem to think there's some magic skill in waxing and actually it really is just as simple as put wax on, press on strip, pull it off. It's worth considering.
posted by tinkletown at 12:06 PM on June 8, 2014 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Trimming: use a mirror and the shortest guard*. Sit on a towel (on a bed, chair, or floor, wherever you can make the mirror work best) and hold things taut with your free hand if you if need to.

*I find that after a while you get a feel for it and can skim without a guard or a mirror. It just takes a little practice.
posted by Lyn Never at 12:08 PM on June 8, 2014

If you're looking for shaving advice, I actually use an old-school safety razor. Everyone ever winces horrendously when I say that, but I've never nicked myself on my ladyparts with a safety razor, and I used to get both horrible razorburn and nicks using the more modern razors. I'll never go back.

Everything I shave gets the same treatment that men shaving their faces with safety razors use. I hop in the shower and do my normal ablutions first (shampoo, conditioner, face wash-- but not soap on the rest of me, since I want to preserve the natural skin oils for shaving) while my badger-hair brush softens up in the shaving bowl with some warm water. I stick my razor in there too sometimes, because it's stainless and cold metal on delicate skin is unpleasant. Then I dump out the water, run the brush through some lightly or un-scented shaving cream (Taylors of Old Bond Street is my favorite), and whip up a lather in the bowl. Lather area to be shaved with brush, and then onward with the razor-- short, light strokes, while holding skin taut with other hand if necessary.

I do it standing in the shower, with a leg propped up on the shower faucet, and I do it almost entirely by feel. Almost no razor burn, no ingrown hairs, no cuts, a close, lovely shave, and it actually feels luxurious with all my nice shaving accessories, rather than a chore. Then rinse brush, rinse razor, and proceed with shower as normal! When I get out, unscented lotion goes all over me. If you're not totally opposed to shaving, I highly recommend a safety razor. The initial outlay is a little bit expensive, for the razor and the brush particularly, but it will save you money over time, since blade replacements are cheap and you're not buying entire razors just to throw them in the trash every week. Plus, it gives you at least 10+ to Old-School Lady Adventurer status.
posted by WidgetAlley at 12:30 PM on June 8, 2014 [5 favorites]

Are you using a good trimmer with a well fitting guard? Because it shouldn't be easy to catch skin in there (as long as you are keeping the skin taut with your other hand).
posted by Dip Flash at 12:51 PM on June 8, 2014

Best answer: Seiko Cleancut.

The hair has to be pretty short already for it to work, so I use this to get it to the right length if I've been lazy and let it grow too long.
posted by misskaz at 12:52 PM on June 8, 2014 [4 favorites]

Response by poster: Thanks all. Just to clarify, I'm most interested in trimming, since I get ingrown hairs with shaving too.
posted by three_red_balloons at 1:27 PM on June 8, 2014

Best answer: This is a trimmer (not shaver) that claims to be usable on labia or a scrotum without snagging loose skin or causing nicks. I haven't used it and can't vouch for it personally but it might be worth a try.
posted by nebulawindphone at 1:45 PM on June 8, 2014

Seconding misskaz - I usually just use the Shavy Femini trimmer and finish with the Cleancut on special occasions. Never had nicking problems with the trimmer.
posted by corvine at 2:00 PM on June 8, 2014

I just trim myself with curved nail scissors, held so that the points curve away from my body.
posted by Jacqueline at 7:55 PM on June 8, 2014

I've used the Cleancut also. Hair has to be really short to work but it is just impossible to cut yourself (good for those of us who tend to freak out about the whole idea of a razor blade "down there")
posted by metahawk at 11:19 PM on June 8, 2014