How To Use OmniShaver For Best Results For Arm & Leg Shaving
The same shaver and the same technique as a head shave, with one extra rule that matters around knees, ankles and underarms.
Both legs in a few minutes
Read this first: the three rules
Nearly every problem people write to us about traces back to one of these.
- Never move it sideways Back and forth only. Sideways movement is what causes cuts. If you ever nick yourself, that was why.
- Press down firmly Short, quick strokes, 2 to 3 inches long. Light or hesitant strokes tug your hair instead of cutting it.
- Get your skin slippery It glides, it doesn't scrape. Lubricate generously, because friction is what stops it working.
Arms and legs, step by step
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Slather up
Wet the area, then rub in a generous layer of lubricant on arms, legs, wherever you're shaving. Don't hold back.
A slick lotion works best. OmniShave Butter is made for it, with tea tree, aloe and shea butter, and it doubles as a moisturiser afterwards.
Why: the OmniShaver needs to glide. On dry or barely-wet skin it drags, skips and pulls.
A proper slippery layer, not a thin film. -
Go back and forth, never sideways
Move the shaver back and forth along the limb, changing direction with a small, smooth turn at the end of each stroke.
To move to a new spot, lift the shaver off and put it down again. Never slide it sideways across your skin to reposition it.
Why: the blades cut on the push and the pull. Dragging them sideways presents the edges to your skin at an angle they were never meant to meet it at.
Back and forth along the limb. Turn at the ends, don't slide across. -
Push down and mean it
Press the OmniShaver firmly into your skin and make short, quick strokes of about 2 to 3 inches back and forth. Keep that pressure constant.
This is the step most people get wrong at first. It feels like you should be gentle. You shouldn't.
Why: pressure is what lets the blades catch the hair and what keeps the shaver self-cleaning and self-stropping as you go. Too light and it tugs hairs and skips patches.
Firm and quick. Light strokes tug hairs and skip areas. -
Knees, ankles, underarms: one direction only
This is the rule that's different from a head shave. Over a knee, an ankle or an underarm, shave in one direction only, either all upwards or all downwards. Pick one and stick to it.
Everywhere else on your arms and legs, carry on with continuous back-and-forth strokes as normal.
Why: the skin over those three areas is loose. A back-and-forth stroke can bunch it up and nick it; a single direction keeps it taut.
One direction only on knees. Same for ankles and underarms. -
Keep moving, and don't rinse yet
Resist the urge to rinse mid-shave. The OmniShaver cleans itself as you use it, and rinsing washes off the lubricant you just applied.
Keep going until the area feels smooth, but don't work the same patch over and over. Three or four back-and-forth strokes is plenty anywhere.
Why: repeated passes over the same skin is what causes irritation and razor burn, not the blades themselves.
Save the rinse for the end. -
Rinse it properly when you're done
Rinse the OmniShaver under hot water until you can see straight through the blades to the other side. That's the test, not whether it looks clean.
Then give it a sharp blow to clear the water out and leave it somewhere dry until next time. A docking station keeps it draining and out of the way.
Why: some lubricants oxidize on metal. Left wet and clogged, the blades dull and can rust; rinsed and dried, they stay sharp for a very long time.
Store it dry, not in the shower.
If you have a Premium OmniShaver
Soak the metal head in hot water before you shave. It holds that heat right through the shave and passes it into the hair.
Heat changes the hair's protein, so it becomes more pliable and cuts more easily, and it feels good on the skin. Our Hot Water Tong makes it easy to lift in and out.
Never above 160 °F (70 °C). Hotter than that and you risk melting the plastic parts and burning yourself mid-shave.
The short version
Do
- Lubricate generously first
- Press down firmly and consistently
- Short, quick strokes of 2 to 3 inches
- One direction only on knees, ankles and underarms
- Three or four strokes per area, then move on
- Rinse hot afterwards until you can see through the blades
Don't
- Don't ever slide it sideways across your skin
- Don't go back and forth over a knee, ankle or underarm
- Don't use light or hesitant strokes
- Don't shave the same patch over and over
- Don't rinse it mid-shave
- Don't heat a Premium above 160 °F / 70 °C
Something not right?
Almost everything has the same handful of causes. Find your symptom:
It's tugging my hair instead of cutting it
Cause Not enough downward pressure, or strokes that are too slow and hesitant.
Fix: press harder than feels natural and make the strokes short and quick, about 2 to 3 inches back and forth. The shaver needs that pressure to catch the hair.
It's skipping patches and leaving stubble
Cause Same thing: light strokes.
Fix: more pressure, shorter strokes. If it's still patchy, your skin probably isn't slippery enough; add more lubricant and go again.
I nicked my knee / ankle / underarm
Cause A back-and-forth stroke over loose skin, or a sideways movement.
Fix: over those three areas use single-direction strokes only, either all up or all down. Everywhere else, back and forth is fine, but always lift the shaver to reposition rather than sliding it sideways.
My skin feels irritated afterwards
Cause Going over the same area too many times.
Fix: three or four strokes per area, then move on. Irritated skin is also what makes the next shave nick you, so it's worth breaking the habit.
It doesn't feel as sharp as it used to
Cause Usually clogged blades rather than dull ones.
Fix, in three parts:
1. Soak the OmniShaver in hot water for a couple of minutes, then rinse it under hot running water. When it's properly clean you can see through the blades to the other side.
2. Pick a hairless patch of skin about 7 to 8 inches across (the underside of your forearm is ideal) and lubricate it well with hair conditioner. Make 25 to 30 fast 5-inch strokes back and forth over it. This re-straightens the edges.
3. Rinse it out, lubricate and try again.
Watch: 4 important tips for getting the most out of your OmniShaver →
There are rust spots on the blades
Cause Two separate things put rust on stainless steel: water left sitting in the blades, and the cream you shaved with.
Water. A shaver put away damp, with lubricant still clogged between the blades, can spot within a few weeks. Rinse it in hot water until you can see through the blades, blow the water residue out, and store it somewhere dry rather than in the shower.
The cream itself. This is the one almost nobody checks. Most shaving creams, gels and foams contain Behentrimonium Chloride, Panthenol or Pantothenic Acid. All three oxidize steel. A thin film of it stays on the blades between shaves and the metal rusts from the cutting edge inward, which is also why a cartridge starts to feel dull long before it is actually worn out. If you rinse and dry religiously and still get rust, the cream is the reason.
Fix: rinse and dry after every shave, and read the ingredient list on whatever you lather up with. OmniShave Butter took over six months to formulate specifically to leave those three ingredients out, so it keeps the shave slippery without attacking the steel. Any lubricant free of them will do the same.
Watch it done
Leg shaving, start to finish. Four quick tips on tug hairs and skipped areas. A head shave, but it is the technique demo our printed instructions point to, and the same strokes work on arms and legs.
Shaving your head too? Same three rules, no one-direction areas to worry about. Read the head shave guide →
Still stuck?
Email support@omnishaver.com and tell us what's happening. We reply within 1 to 2 business days. The FAQ covers blade life, replacements and returns.