Summers signify longer days and equally shorter skirts. However, as a matter of fact, not only your shorts have been in storage but also your legs have also been under hibernation during the cold climates. The question is getting smooth and toned legs for the hot months. There are numerous ways to remove hair from legs to make them smooth and look shinier. These methods vitiate shaving to laser hair removal.
The most effective and pocket friendly ways of getting smooth legs are shaving and waxing. However, shaving also calls for ample care during the process. Let’s have a quick look on steps towards getting smooth legs.
Make your skin soft
Scrub up
Use a mild exfoliating scrub to smoothen your skin. It is better to opt for one containing moisturizing oils that help prevent dryness and skin shedding.
Polish away
In order to have a dazzling shine on your legs, scrub them in invigorating circular motions. Try to spend extra time on ankles and scaly knees.
Drive out bumps
Do away with little red bumps, if any, on the thighs. This can be done using lactic acid which is able to disband prickly patches quickly. Go for 2.5-3% formulas available or even stronger ones as per prescription.
Reduce jiggle
Give a coat of a body lotion for firming. These firming body lotions include ingredients such as seaweed extract and caffeine which are helpful in tightening your skin temporarily.
Go for exposed
Improve your razor
Using a four blade razor is one of the best ways to shave your legs. The key benefit is that it removes hairs in one go so that the blade is not required to be moved repeatedly on your skin.
Make it steamy
As the most common mistake, we take the razor in shower and start with the task. But, it is advisable to perform it after the shower. The underlying fact is that hair becomes soft with steam thus making removal easier. Moreover, for best results, hold your skin tight and start shaving in reverse route.
Lather with apt stuff
While choosing shaving creams, look for lubricating ingredients such as oil, cellulosic gum, and silicone. These lubricants assist in doing away with irritation and annoying redness as the skin becomes soft and makes it easier for the razor to move onto the skin.
Wax with less grimacing
It is better to go for waxing the legs as contrasted to shaving if you are tolerant and have the ability to bear pain. Shaving just pulls the hair off the surface while waxing removes your hair from the roots. Moreover, waxing can keep your skin smooth for weeks while shaving does so just for some days. It is quite a torture to rip off hair at a single stretch. So, work on smaller sections using pre-coated strips.
Treat ingrown
In spite of the best efforts, ingrown hair might still exist, especially in case of curly, coarse hair. Instead of picking at them, massage this area using a cotton ball saturated with salicylic and glycolic acid cleanser for face. This would slough the top layer of skin thus making way for the hair to pass through the opened follicle.
Add some shine
Improve the base
If you have crypt-keeper soft legs, make them warm using a regular self-tanner. The ingredients contained in a self-tanner react with natural amino acids of your skin thus producing natural-like brown tinctures. It takes about 5-7 days for the tone to peak up. Thereafter, the lotion should be applied every second day to keep up the gleam.
Get instant glow
The best way to get tanned look instantly is to swipe on bronzing oil on your legs just before moving out. However, the effects are visible only until you take your next shower. Well, if you want something that stays longer, you can go for a towelette or mousse containing sunless tanner. They both provide a golden beach tint that lasts for as long as a week. Besides, you can also opt from numerous hues to go with the skin tone. Also, the products, as contrasted to sprays, can be applied quite easily in an even manner.
Wear your gloves
It is advisable to put on your rubber gloves before you begin with application of mousse or a towelette. This would help prevent your hands from the color molecules intended for legs. However, it is important to ensure that the legs are not greasy or wet with any kind of lotion. This can obstruct the self-tanner from being absorbed completely.
Use expansive strokes
Use wide strokes to spread the product evenly starting from above the ankles to reach your knees. Then, focus on the thighs. You can use a mirror to see the backside. To apply on knees, use a moisturizer to thin the tanner so that the dry skin of the area does not get too dark. Moreover, you can skip the areas where sun doesn’t shine.
Expunge any streaks
Don’t panic if you find yourself ending up with some orange spots. They can be easily done away with a shower. If that does not help, go for adding some milk while bathing. If your ankles are the only problem areas, remove marks using the superior side of an emery board. Besides, these can also be lightened using some cream bleach and leaving it to work for about 2-3 minutes.
Get a perfect finish
Outsmart dimples
Cellulite cannot be treated with miracles. However, dermatologists state that lotions containing caffeinated ingredients such as guarana, tea, and coffee can improve circulation thus temporarily reducing puckering. As another option, you can go for rubbing your legs with a natural-quill desiccated body brush upward beginning with ankles. This would help stimulate lymphatic drainage thus relieving puffiness.
Another way to reduce cellulite is mesotherapy that involves injections. These injections break down your fat nodules that include the bulges indicating the beginning of cellulite. Mesotherapy provides more instant results. For long-term results, it is advisable to combine it with a good diet as well as an effective exercise regime.
Do away with marks
Hide your marks, if any, with the help of light-reflecting makeup using your regular moisturizer.
Swathe up the rest
Camouflage any kind of birth marks, spider veins, and stretch marks using a heavy body concealer.
Prettify your toes
Spruce and file
Trim your toenails and file off sharp edges. But, be careful that you don’t round them off as this can make the nail grow towards the surrounding skin.
Prime your skin
Rub away the rough spots and calluses using a pumice stone followed by applying a softening foot scrub.
Drench it up
Push the cuticles back using a wet washcloth and apply cuticle oil along with a moisturizer. Let the cuticle oil and moisturizer work for about 2 minutes. Wipe away the greasy residues, if any, left behind.
Paint it
Cover your nails with a base coat plus two coats of nail polish. Go for trendy and in-fashion shades.
Some important tips to get smooth legs
As concerning skin care, your legs often remain overlooked. Moreover, they are susceptible to similar skin problems as faced by your hands, feet, face, and other body areas as well. Dry skin plus inappropriate shaving techniques form common causes for rough skin on your legs. Xerosis or dry skin generally occurs during winter or following swimming in a chlorinated pool. By caring properly for your skin you can surely get soft and smooth legs which you won’t hesitate showing off. Let’s have a look at some important tips to care for skin on your legs.
- Use warm water and a mild soap while bathing. Extremely hot water can make your skin dry thus increasing roughness and causing cracked skin as well as premature aging. Also, bathe only one a day to prevent the body’s natural oils from being washed away. Pat dry your legs gently using a soft towel.
- Smooth skin calls for exfoliating the skin at regular intervals to do away with dead skin cells. It is, however, advisable to exfoliate using finely grained exfoliates only. Also, try to avoid products containing alcohol and fragrances for these may lead to dryness and irritation.
- To reduce the level of razor bumps and dryness, shave the legs after taking a bath. It is also recommended to use a shaving gel or cream to minimize friction. Also, friction can be reduced by shaving in the hair growth direction and frequently altering the razor blades.
- After bathing, apply some moisturizing lotion on the legs so that the moisture is locked in thus relieving you from dry skin. besides, austerely dry skin can be treated using a moisturizing ointment with oil-base or applying baby or olive oil after bathing. It is recommended to use a moisturizer at least 3-4 times a day.
- While selecting laundry detergents, go for the ones that are hypoallergenic in avoiding irritation and skin rashes. Also, try to go for clothing made from natural fabrics like cotton as it allows air circulation around the skin.
- During winter months, you can employ humidifiers in your home to retain the moisture, pulled out from the air due to central heating systems, to your legs and other body parts as well.
- As soon as you come out from the chlorinated water of a swimming pool, take a shower as chlorine causes irritation and dryness thus leading to coarse skin on legs.
- Do not forget to apply a sunscreen on your legs before you move out in the sun without protecting clothing. Also, too much exposure to sun may lead to dryness, wrinkling, and age spots.
- For skin conditions like eczema or dermatitis, go for prescription immune-modulator medications or corticosteroids to obtain smooth and soft skin on legs. These medications also assist in preventing infection and feasible scarring.
Some other tips
Go for leg-lengthening heels
Throw away your 4” floundering stilettos. Instead, go for wedges. Shoes featuring nude or natural tones like khaki, blush-beige, bronze, or brown help trick the eye to think that your shoes and legs are a single tip, unbroken line. Also, stay away from ankle straps as they may make your legs appear shorter than what they are.
Exfoliate with a loofah to buff away imperfections
Very often, small blemishes resulting from ingrown hairs or insignificant skin conditions make your legs appear less smooth than what they actually were. Gentle exfoliation one or two times in a week can make your skin look healthy and blemish free without much effort. Using a loofah can be of great help and reveal amazing results.
Go for a scrub with rich vitamin content
Exfoliation with a loofah gives out intense scrubbing motion. Therefore, coddling in a lavish body scrub can be equally good for senses as well as the spirit as is for your body. The scrub opted should, therefore, contain enough nutrients required for the development of new cells when dead skin has been removed by exfoliation.
Pamper yourself with a pedicure
Get yourself pampered through a spa pedicure. Dip your feet in lukewarm water with lemon slices, sea salt, and essential oils added to it. Remove the calluses on heels using a pumice stone. Follow this procedure with exfoliation by scrubbing your calves and feet and rinse off with lukewarm water. Dry gently with towel. Conclude the procedure with moisturizing with a body lotion.
Moisturize
The key to beautiful and smooth legs is moisturizing them thoroughly. Opt for a rich and nourishing moisturizer containing SPF 15 so that skin can be improved by some extra emollients. Moreover, moisturizing reduces the probability of getting dry, flaky, and itchy skin thus making it look healthier even when tanned. Make sure to moisturize your legs well after taking a shower and also before going at beach. Give one more application of moisturizer for an extra overnight protection.
Take Vitamin C
For healthy and smooth skin, it is essential to include vitami99n C supplements in your diet. Therefore, in spite of eating ample vegetables and fruits rich in vitamin C, it is important to take a multivitamin containing high content of vitamin C to increase blood circulation and thus making your legs look healthier and even more smooth and sexy.
Stay away from allergies
Steer clear of bumps, skin rashes, as well as red patches by avoiding allergens. If you are experiencing regular allergies from any season, be regular with your medications besides applying topical ointments which are soothing and protective for your skin.
Drink water
To keep your skin hydrated indicates the requirement of drinking a minimum of 10-12 glasses of water every day. You can also stay hydrated by taking in ample watery fruits.
Go for safflower oil
Also known as cooking oil, this oil works wonders on dry patches existing on arms and legs. If, however, you want a thorough moisturizer, safflower oil is something that proffers numerous moisturizing advantages besides keeping your skin resilient and glowing. Another good option is olive oil. It can be applied before going to bed in the form of massaging oil.
Avoid soap
Using a fragrant shaving cream or soap can make your skin dry it is, therefore, better to go for a product that provides rich lather besides containing nutritious ingredients like chamomile and aloe vera.
Shaving technique
Very often many of us shave perilously while bathing. This hasty shaving counts the primary obstacle in obtaining smooth and sexy legs. You can avoid scratches by performing a thorough task by shaving slowly and cautiously while you luxuriate in a hot shower. Also, remember to rinse the razor after every 3-4 strokes to avoid it to gum up.
Follow-up skin care
After shave skin care is as important as handling a razor. Shaving can lead to dryness and irritation on skin. it is, therefore, important to nurture and moisturize to obtain a smooth finish.
Hydrate your skin
Allow your feet to rest in water for a little while after shaving your skin. Then, lock in the moisture using a rich moisturizer. Try to stay away from fragrant products and go for those containing natural ingredients.
Exercises to have smooth and sexy legs
Getting sexy and smooth summer legs does not require any fitness equipment or membership in a gym. Performing resistance work outs helps sculpt, strengthen, and tone the thigh muscles, butt, and calves. To build and sustain the strength of your muscles, do as much as three sets of minimum eight exercises thrice a week. Some good exercises include:
Plie squat
The plie squat enables you obtain smooth summer legs by working on the abs, thighs, and butt simultaneously. Stand straight with a distance of 2-3ft between your feet according to your body flexibility. Place your feet in 45° outward position to presume the start position. Then, squat down with the knees bent outward akin to a ballet plie. Come back to the initial position to accomplish one repetition.
Hip extension
Get ready for beach with this exercise to tone the butt as well as the inner and outer thighs. Stand with your feet shoulder-width away and facing towards a weight bench. Bend downwards from the hips with a horizontal back and position the palms straight on the weight bench with elbows extended thus taking the initial position. Lift up one leg to make it parallel to the floor and thump 1-3 times before getting back to the initial position. Before beginning with the second leg, complete all the repetitions for the first leg.
Donkey kick
This exercise targets your butt muscles to make you appear better while in shorts. Take the position by getting down on all fours and your palms placed under the shoulders plus a hip-width distance between your legs. Lift up on e leg backward such that the thigh gets parallel to the floor and the bottom of the foot faces the ceiling. Get your knee back to the initial position. Make sure that your knee does not touch the floor in between repetitions. Also, for every set, complete every repetition on first legs and then begin with the second.
Jig and reach
Carry out this exercise to firm hips, butt, calves, and thighs to prepare you for summer outfits. Stand in an erect position with your shoulder-width distance between your feet. Make a squat by slightly sitting back and bending the knees by 90°. To take the initial position, bend forward to get the stomach to the knees with a horizontal back. Then, extend your arms aback to make them parallel to the floor and lift your head to face the front wall. Jump into the air, unbend your body, and fling the arms up above your head. Try landing the mid-foot and sway backward towards the heels. Take back the initial position to accomplish a single repetition.
Natural remedies to get smooth legs
Your kitchen contains enough ingredients to help you get smooth legs. Moreover, they are completely safe besides being extremely effective. Some effective home remedies to get smooth skin on legs include:
Gram flour
Prepare a mixture using gram flour, turmeric, milk/curd, and salt. Apply this mixture on your feet and legs and allow it to work for about 20minutes. After the pack gets dried, wash it off thus obtaining smooth skin.
Wheat flour and curd
Smooth skinhair growth
Olive oil
This acts as one of the best options to get smooth skin. all that is required is applying a little olive oil and leaving it to work overnight and give a little massage before turning in. The next morning, wash away the extra oil on your legs and see the difference.
Avocado oil
Another effective remedy is applying avocado oil that contains incredible moisturizing qualities. Using avocado oil can make your legs softer and tender than ever before.
Mud pack
Another great remedy is applying mud pack on your legs. It makes your skin healthier and smooth by clearing off the various types of skin eruptions.
We hope you find these tips helpful! So, get set to make your friends envy you for your smooth and sexy legs.
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