One of my least favorite things about summer is the need to shave my legs more often. Hair just grows more quickly in hot weather, and the option of camouflage via black tights has been eliminated until September or October.

When the temperature finally soared into the 80s in June, I resigned myself to daily shower sessions with the razor. However, something went wrong, and I somehow ended up with swaths of itchy red bumps down both my shins. I think the unfortunate combination of a dull blade, brand-X shaving cream, overly scented lotion, and a nasty heat spell was to blame.

I replaced the razor blade, bought some better shave cream, switched from fragranced lotion to plain jojoba oil…and things just got worse. I tried calamine lotion, cool water compresses, tea tree oil, witch hazel (one at a time, of course!)…and saw no improvement.

By this point I could barely keep from clawing the skin off my legs, but even the lightest rub made the irritation worse. And no, this is not an actual health crisis, but it was driving me crazy, and it looked horrid, too.

Mr. Tinsel and I took a long walk on the day after the 4th of July, to an organic market that’s just a bit too far away for us to visit on a regular basis. This store happens to have an excellent toiletries aisle. I scanned the labels of a few products and decided to pick up a bottle of ShiKai Borage Therapy Children’s Lotion — “fast relief for red, itchy skin.” I’d never tried it before, but the ingredients appealed to me: aloe vera, borage oil, safflower oil, jojoba oil, shea butter, and some emulsifiers and waxes. If it’s gentle enough for babies’ rashes, I figured, it’s gentle enough for me.

Twenty-four hours later: the swelling had gone down, the redness had diminished, and the itch had nearly disappeared.

Forty-eight hours later: the red bumps had dwindled to tiny dots, and the itch was gone.

Three days later, there are only faint traces of the inflammation and irritation that bothered me for several weeks.

This ShiKai lotion was just the right product at the right time. It also works beautifully as a “regular” lotion for dry skin on legs, arms, hands, etc., but I recommend it most of all for any heat rash or razor burn that might be plaguing you this summer.

ShiKai Borage Therapy Children’s Lotion is available at health-food stores and good drugstores with “green” personal care sections. It costs about $10.

Top image (altered) via VisualPhotos.