Getting rid of "strawberry legs" after shaving

January 21, 2019 12:00 PM

Like many people I get "strawberry" legs after I shave which means rather than having just uniformly colored skin I have all these black dots that linger until hair grows back again. I exfoliate. I use good shaving cream. I even wait till my hair is longer than half an inch which is not my favorite thing to do. Why can't I get rid of the dots? Why do I have them in the first place?
posted by Hermione Granger to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (19 answers total)

I get this, the unfortunate side-effect of pale skin but dark hair. There is no shaving method to fix it, because what you're seeing is the remaining hair beneath the skin.

My only solution is to use an epilator in the summer to take the hair out at the root, although I believe fake tanning may also help by reducing the contrast.
posted by stillnocturnal at 12:09 PM on January 21, 2019 [10 favorites]

If you (I) use an epilator, the dots will be red instead of black; plus you will be in a lot of pain.
posted by Melismata at 12:15 PM on January 21, 2019 [4 favorites]

Ditto. Pale skin and dark hair means seeing the hair follicles that exist below the skin that a razor can't get. If waxing is an option for you, you can do that, instead. I've never gone the waxing route, myself so I just live with it. Never knew there was a term like "strawberry" legs before.
posted by acidnova at 12:15 PM on January 21, 2019 [1 favorite]

You can also get your legs waxed which will pull the hair out at the root, but of course you can only do this once a month or so.
posted by Medieval Maven at 12:16 PM on January 21, 2019 [1 favorite]

Getting laser may help reduce how dark the follicles are, and as someone with dark hair and light skin you're actually the perfect person for maximum effectiveness. If you go a few times, it should lighten the follicle and thin the hair - it's expensive, so typically 6-12 appointments are needed for full removal.
posted by DoubleLune at 12:21 PM on January 21, 2019 [2 favorites]

I use an epilator, which takes care of both the dark dot issue and the residual prickliness I get after shaving. I have affectionately nicknamed it "my torture device" as it certainly is painful, especially if you haven't done it in a while. If you use it regularly it's not so bad because the hair regrowth is staggered, so less is getting pulled at once.
posted by impishoptimist at 1:01 PM on January 21, 2019 [1 favorite]

It could also be that you have keratosis pilaris contributing. Even without very dark hair, I get this because of the inflammation (and redness) that comes from KP. I find that exfoliating a lot as well as the use of Gold Bond for Rough and Bumpy Skin cream minimizes it over time. There's no cure, it's just a genetic variation that leads to excess keratin accumulating in follicles, so whatever you use to minimize it will have to be used indefinitely.
posted by quince at 1:08 PM on January 21, 2019 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: For those of you who have an epilator, which brand do you use? Is there anything you do before/after to maximize the results?
posted by Hermione Granger at 2:06 PM on January 21, 2019

I exfoliate a day or so before hand, and moisturise afterwards (but a while afterwards so it's not stingy). Nothing fancy, but it definitely works better and hurts less when the hair isn't *too* long so if I've been neglectful ill shave first and give it a few days before epilating, since I tend to be gloriously furry in winter.

Mine is old so I have no good recommendation for you - and to be completely honest, the first time I use it in a while it hurts like a son-of-a-bitch. It's much better if I use it every week because it's pulling fewer hairs at a time. I'd consider getting a wax done and then epilator upkeep (maybe you know somebody who would let you borrow one so you can see if it's tolerable, I'd offer but I'm not in the country!)
posted by stillnocturnal at 2:25 PM on January 21, 2019

I hated shaving SO MUCH that I started using an epilator a year ago and I'm really happy I did.

Like stillnocturnal says, it VERY MUCH HURTS the first few times in certain spots (bees. it feels like bees), and then gets better because you're not yanking a lot at one time. I honestly don't mind it at all now. That said, I only use it on my legs. I tried underarms once and it was excruciating.

Tips: soak your legs in a warm bath before the first time if you can. You can also ice the area right before you epi to numb it a bit. It helps to pull the skin taut with your free hand as you run it slowly up your leg - slower than shaving - to allow the rotating tweezy monster bits grab individual hairs. They grab hair that's a certain length (so not newer growth) and not all your hair grows in at the same time -- it will take a few sessions days apart before you get a clean surface. After a few sessions, you'll find you only need to do it once a week or so.

I exfoliate a day beforehand. I do still have mild red strawberry legs - I am very pale and right now you can see that the dots are hair follicles. It's subtler in the summer.

I use a Braun model.
posted by Ink-stained wretch at 2:45 PM on January 21, 2019 [2 favorites]

1, I have an epilator. I don't use it on my legs, just my underarms, and my underarms have noticeably reduced hair and black spots after 2 years or so.

2, I shave my legs. I use a new razor every time because I used to get folliculitis on my legs often, and my doctor recommended that. So I buy cheap razors, on sale, with a coupon (these) and I don't have that problem. I do exfoliate as I'm shaving (I think with these), and that helps a lot.

But waxing/sugaring/epilating is probably your best bet.
posted by Ms Vegetable at 3:07 PM on January 21, 2019

I use a Braun. I do try to exfoliate once in a while but I don't do it in any relation to the epilator. I moisturize after, but it definitely can sting if you do it too soon.

Seconded Ink-stained wretch, I only epilate my legs, I tried to do my underarms when I first bought it and seriously regretted it. I have too much hair, too close together to even think about it. Excruciating is the right word.
posted by impishoptimist at 3:22 PM on January 21, 2019

I epilate my legs and underarms, and do touch-ups to bikini area, with a Braun Silk-Epil 9. Yes, the first time it is excruciating, and the underarms are the worst. I handle surface pain like this really well, and I had to stop mid-pit and come back the next day. It felt like I was tearing strips of skin off. Holding the skin really taut helps.

But the next time, since you’re only yanking out one-third of the hairs, it only hurts one-third as much. You really have to move the machine slowly, going back over the yanky bits until you feel no more yanking.

It doesn’t work very well on concave bits, so I either go to a salon for waxing the bikini area or use wax strips at home. Then I use the epilator to touch up the area until it gets urgent.
posted by Liesl at 3:30 PM on January 21, 2019 [2 favorites]

I used to have this, but lasered my legs, which is one of the best things I've ever spent money on. Never thinking about leg hair is just a dramatic life level-up; I can't emphasize it enough.

Pre-laser, for special occasions, I would sometimes use the Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs makeup, which disguised the black dots fairly well.
posted by purpleclover at 6:08 PM on January 21, 2019 [4 favorites]

Using an epilator should generally get less painful every time you use it - where shaving tends to thicken and darken the hair, epilating tends to make it more fine and lighter, eventually.
posted by stormyteal at 7:41 PM on January 21, 2019

I experienced this my whole life - my skin tone rivals Caspar the Friendly Ghost and I have jet-black hair. Hence, the dots; you're seeing the top of the cut hair even under the skin. Yikes.

Even epilation didn't help me - it chewed up my underarms and is so fucking painful and time-consuming that I would rather tweeze every single hair, honestly.

I got a groupon for laser hair removal and it was so life-changing that I followed up with actual full-price sessions. I cannot over-state the difference - no more strawberry legs (or ingrown hairs, my other bugbear). I didn't even realise how much time I spent thinking about body hair until I stopped.

I know it's expensive but god damn, it's so worth it. MeMail me if you want more effusive testimonials and/or tips :)
posted by citands at 2:19 AM on January 22, 2019 [1 favorite]

Another enthusiastic vote for laser! I struggled with red bumps and ingrown hairs and all sorts of discomfort from shaving, waxing, you name it - till laser. It's amazing to just have the hair gone and never have to deal with it. The very small amount of hair that comes back now and then is very very fine and not noticeable.
posted by sunflower16 at 2:45 AM on January 22, 2019

Yeah, instead of an epilator, get a Groupon and some laser sessions. One way to reduce the cost is to do just the lower legs, if the hair above your knees is lighter in color and texture. The amount of time and even money (shaving products, waxing fees, etc) that you'll save in the long run makes it worthwhile. I wish I'd done it sooner--not only did it eliminate the strawberry dots/five o'clock shadow on my calves, it cleared up a lot of ongoing skin irritation caused by daily shaving. Even if you can't afford to keep going until all the hair is gone, you can probably reduce it massively in about 4-6 sessions, and what's left (in my experience) is the finer and lighter-colored hairs that don't leave visible dots after shaving anyway.
posted by karayel at 1:33 PM on January 22, 2019

Just piping in here once more to say that I actually saw the bulk of my hair reduction in the first two sessions. I saw the most improvement in the very first session and then gradually diminishing returns after that. I'm sure everyone is different, but it could be worthwhile to try 1-2 sessions and see what you think and then decide whether to continue - you may be happy enough with the improvement from just those sessions.
posted by sunflower16 at 1:43 PM on January 22, 2019