Why Does My Leg Hair Grow Back the Next Day? (We Have the Answer!)

After taking care of the chore that shaving one’s legs can be, sometimes finding it on the rise after a mere 24 hours is frustrating. You may be wondering, why does my leg hair grow back the next day?

Leg hair grows back the day after shaving due to factors that cannot be controlled such as medical conditions or genetics, and due to factors that can be changed, such as diet and choice of razor blades.

Let’s take a closer look into not only what causes hair to grow back the next day after shaving, but what can be done to slow the hair regrowth process down.

Why are My Legs Prickly the Day After Shaving?

Prickly legs are often the first sign, even as early as a day after shaving, that hair is growing back. This is because even after using a razor to remove hair from the legs, you are not eliminating it completely!

A razor’s job is to cut the hair shaft off close to where it grows out of the skin, much like cutting grass with a lawn mower doesn’t actually uproot the grass itself. Your hair follicles keep growing hair just underneath the skin.

The reason legs feel prickly or even itchy after shaving is because those follicles can become irritated with the razor’s close contact.

If your legs feel prickly consistently the day after shaving, it may be because you simply have sensitive skin or easily irritated follicles. For example, if your skin is used to staying sheltered under pants and you rarely wear shorts, it may be more prone to prickliness than most.

The best explanation for prickly legs is simply that your hair follicles are working to grow the hair you’ve just cut down back.

Why Does My Leg Hair Grow Back So Quickly?

Leg hair grows back quickly for more than one reason. Some of these reasons are beyond your control while other reasons leg hair grows back so quickly can be within your power to change.

Genetics

If you are genetically predisposed to have lush hair, that can include your legs as well as your scalp. Another example of genetics playing a role is that sometimes noticing hair growth soon after shaving is just the result of having dark hair. Light hair, especially newly grown shafts, does not often show up against freshly shaved skin.

Meanwhile, dark hair sticks out pretty clearly, and can make you feel like your hair is growing at an alarmingly fast rate.

Diet

If you are a big fan of red meat and dairy, your hair will be healthy and ready to bounce back soon after you shave it. This is because the proteins and lipids in hair actually work to strengthen the hair follicles responsible for growth.

Temperature After Shaving

Another factor that contributes to leg hair growth which can be changed is our legs’ response to cold air. Though hair doesn’t actually grow faster in the cold, it can wind up looking that way.

This is because hair grows through pores, which tend to respond to cold weather by tightening and shrinking back, leaving freshly-shaved hair to poke out on the surface of the skin again.

Medical Conditions

One more outside contributor to quick hair growth can be medical conditions that can be counterbalanced by medication.

A sudden increase in hair growth could be the result of a hormonal imbalance, where the body is producing more testosterone. This could also be linked to genetics, as it is a medical imbalance that runs in the family.

There is also a condition called hirsutism which causes women, specifically, to develop excessive hair growth. It can be caused as a natural affect of menopause or disorders of the adrenal glands and ovaries.

Hirsutism is treatable. Click here to read a study on the medical condition.

How Do I Stop My Leg Hair From Growing Back so Fast?

For whatever reason, if you’re experiencing leg stubble after a fresh shave, you may be wondering: how do I make my leg hair grow slower? Luckily, there are ways to counteract some of these pesky hair troubles.

Check Your Shaving Technique

Sometimes leg hair regrowth is simply the result of a few easy-to-make mistakes in shaving. Here are a few questions to ask yourself when you shave and notice more hair the next day:

Did I shave using warm water and lathery soap?
Were my legs completely wet?
Did I put on lotion after shaving?
Is my razor new and sufficiently sharp?

If the answer to these questions are all a resounding yes, its time to move on to more solutions!

Raise the Temperature in Your House

If your legs are being exposed to cold air soon after shaving, the pores will hug the freshly chopped hair shafts tightly. You’ll see stubble poking out where you just made your skin smooth. To avoid frustration, keep the air your legs come into contact with a little warmer!

Try Waxing

If shaving isn’t working out for you, waxing is sometimes even more effective. Apply hot wax to the legs, and then you’ll be pulling hair out by the roots! It will take the follicles in your legs longer to bounce back than a mere 24 hours, but remember, it is a painful process.

Click this link to learn more about waxing.

Take Vitamin E

If your leg hair is growing back because of a hormonal imbalance, it is a good idea to try increasing your intake of Vitamin E.

Vitamin E is an antioxidant that can slow down the increased levels of androgen or testosterone. Those hormones are the pesky culprits helping your leg hair grow back faster!

Another dietary supplement to try may be vitamin B6, which is considered to help lower testosterone and keep your body from producing so much of the hair-growing hormone, prolactin.

Summary

If you’ve been wondering, “why does my leg hair grow back the next day?” Don’t despair! Whether you are suffering from a hormonal imbalance, a genetic predisposition to grow hair faster, or just a house that is too chilly, there are ways to slow down the hair growth process.