Removing body hair is a bane of many a woman's existence. Laser is expensive, waxing is incredibly painful…which often leaves us stuck with shaving.
That has its own pitfalls, though - prickly hair, risk of razor burn and the dreaded nicks, which seem never to stop bleeding, no matter how small.
Still, the feeling of silky, freshly-shaved legs is hard to beat, so we persist.
Having muddled through my first shaving experience at approximately 13 years old, I've been doing it for more than two decades now. So imagine my shock when I found out my technique had been way off, all this time.
According to multiple sources on TikTok, the method of starting at the bottom of your leg and pulling up before tapping the razor off under the sink and repeating is simply NOT IT.
Instead, your razor shouldn't lift from your leg at any stage. You start at the bottom and pull up, then gently push the razor down from knee to ankle. This not only releases all the built-up hair on the blades, but also gives you a much closer shave.
I tried my normal approach on one leg and used my newly acquired knowledge while doing the second one, and the difference was astonishing. The TikTok method left my legs so much smoother, and even took less time.
It's totally standard for me to shave in both directions when doing my underarms, so why would I never think to apply that to my legs?
Once I stopped face-palming myself, I noticed I wasn't alone. Hundreds of commenters were also calling this discovery a "game-changer".
"So it's like vacuuming," one TikTok user wrote. "Omg after 30 years of suffering," said another.
"NO ONE TAUGHT ME THIS," said a third.
What a time to be alive. Social media is often a really weird and problematic place, but for hacks like this, I can't thank it enough.
