How you should really shave your legs

Ever wondered why you shave your legs and then half an hour later, they're prickly again? Turns out we've been shaving our legs all wrong this whole time. According to expert Nathalie Eleni, there's a proper way to shave your legs, but most of us don't actually follow the rules. And that's not all. There's also a lot that we do wrong before and after shaving our legs, which has a massive impact on how quickly our hair grows back.

The biggest mistake? Not exfoliating when we're meant to. Sure, a lot of us get in the shower, exfoliate and then shave straight afterwards, but this can actually lead to rashes and nicking your skin. Exfoliating should happen the day before we shave, so that any hairs that are trapped under dead skin can be released, avoiding the likelihood of ingrown hairs. 

And if you're a 'shave in the bath' type of person, you need to change your game. Although it's good to soak your skin for 2 - 3 minutes before shaving (FYI, doing this expands your hairs by 60% making it easier to razor them off), after 15 or 20 minutes in the water, your skin wrinkles, making it difficult to get a close shave, plus, the heat of the bath can cause irritation, resulting in shaving rash. 

The time of the day matters too. If you like a morning shower, you may have to change to night-time to get the closest shave possible. In the morning, your skin is rested and slightly swollen, so the hairs on your legs don't stick out as much as they do during the evening. But perhaps the most vital piece of advise to take away is to stretch your skin as you shave. This creates a flatter surface, allowing you to reach closer to the skin with your razor. 

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