Leg hair? Banished! Underarm hair? Banished! Shaving is the number one way we deal with unwanted hair. Men shave their faces to give the appearance of youth, and giving women softer skin to touch instead of scratchy stubble. Women shave their legs to be more ladylike and show off smooth, healthy skin to the world.

Underarm hair for women is considered uncivilized and can be annoying, so after a quick lather and a swipe of a razor blade, you not longer have to worry about all that annoying hair and can go about your day feeling good and being hair free.

You may have experienced a small setback, however. Dry, flaky skin that can become increasingly itchy and annoying after time. You already put lotion on your skin and do what you can to avoid dryness, but is there something you are missing?

One of the small, but important facts that people often neglect is that shaving can add to the dryness of skin. When you shave, you are dealing with razors, soap or shaving cream or lotion, and water. Any one of these elements, or all of them could be contributing to your dry skin problem. You should check each and every one of them to make sure at the very least your shaving routine does not dry out your skin further.

Check out your razor. You want your razor to be nice and sharp. A dull razor will not remove hair as efficiently, requiring you to make more swipes over your skin and keep water and soap or shaving cream/lotion on your skin longer than you want it to be. Dull razors usually mean the razor is old, which can also lead to rust beginning to develop on the blades. This is a huge no no, as a possible nick with a rusty blade can mean an infection; more for you to worry about than just dry skin.

Never shave dry skin. Scraping skin with a blade and no lubrication will not only irritate your skin, but can leave you with razor burn and ingrown hairs.

Be sure to give your hair time to soften or weaken before shaving. This means if you shave while in the bath or shower, do so at the end. If you are not in the habit of shaving during a bath or shower, try pressing a warm washcloth to the areas you wish to shave before doing so.

Avoid shaving with just a razor and water. Similar to dry shaving, this does not add much lubrication to your skin and can add to skin irritation and dryness.

Avoid shaving with soap if all possible. Most soaps will strip your skin of much needed moisture and can leave deposits on your skin that will later add to the removal of essential moisture, especially if you have hard water, which does not dissolve soap well. If you do have no choice but to shave with soap, do so at the end of a shower or bath in order to more quickly remove the soap from your skin and be on your way to putting lotion onto your skin.

The best way to help your skin is to use a shaving cream or lotion that is meant to help dry skin. These can help protect your skin while you shave and will not dry your skin out later once you have hopped from the bath or shower. Do your research to find a good candidate.

Once you are finished, be sure to immediately put on lotion meant for dry skin to help give it the moisture it really needs. Try to avoid shaving more than necessary in order to give your hair the chance is needs to grow and add natural oils to your skin.

By following the right steps toward shaving effectively, you may be one step closer to reducing your dry skin trouble.