Your smoothest shave ever

We’ve been removing unwanted hair since junior high, but after all these years, we still end up with irritated skin and ingrowns! So we asked top dermatologists to share their best tips to get silky smooth

For smooth legs

Forget the old advice to shave against the grain—this forces hair away from skin and cuts at a harsh angle so it grows in spiky. Whitney Bowe, M.D., author of The Beauty of Dirty Skin, suggests a two-way shave instead: First, shave downward (in the direction hair grows), then upward. This creates tapered ends so hair feels finer as it grows in, plus it cuts hair closer to the skin so you can go longer between shaves. Tip: Apply a cream with Capislow (try Completely Bare Don’t Grow There, Ulta.com) twice daily. This plant extract slows hair growth by 55 percent in 30 days.

For smooth underarms

The easy way to avoid itchy, inflamed underarm skin, from celebrity dermatologist Rachel Nazarian, M.D.: Before shaving, buff the area with a scrub made from 1⁄2 cup of fine brown sugar and 1⁄2 cup of olive oil. The sugar’s glycolic acid sloughs off dead skin cells and deodorant buildup that can cause irritation, while the oil’s fatty acids soften skin so the razor glides easily, warding off razor burn. Rub the mix onto underarms, then rinse and shave. Tip: Since underarm hair grows in multiple directions, shave in a T formation to remove hair from all angles.

For a smooth bikini line

Shaving this area always leaves behind angry red bumps that make us hesitant to step out in a swimsuit, and waxing isn’t much better—not worth the pain! Dr. Nazarian recommends an alternative that’s gentle yet gets the job done: sugaring. This technique involves mixing sugar, water and lemon to create a paste-like substance that adheres more to hair follicles than skin itself, so it extracts hair at the root without the harsh heat and tugging of wax.

The easy how-to: In a saucepan, combine 2 cups of sugar, 1⁄4 cup of lemon juice and 1⁄4 cup of water; bring to a boil. Remove from heat and let cool for 20 minutes, then pour the mix into a glass jar. Next, use a clean Popsicle stick to spread the waxlike substance onto hair in the opposite direction of growth. Let sit until the formula hardens into a “strip,” then use your fingers to lift the strip away in the direction of growth.