Hello! Please note this post contains affiliate partnerships. However, these are my honest findings after extensive testing. Thanks for reading!
Board-Certified Dermatologist | San Francisco, CA
Most women think they have dry skin.
They don’t.
Their razor is scraping off the protective layer that keeps moisture locked in. Every single time they shave.
I see this constantly. Women spending $50 on heavy body creams, wondering why their legs still feel like tree bark two days later.
The lotion isn’t the problem. You’re removing your skin’s natural waterproof coating faster than any cream can replace it.
Think of it like this: your skin has a thin protective seal. Shaving peels it away. Your skin loses water constantly—like a leaky bucket.
You shave every other day, so that seal never repairs itself before you scrape it off again.
That’s why your skin feels tight and uncomfortable right after shaving. That’s your body screaming for moisture it can’t hold onto anymore.
I started testing hair removal creams because patients kept asking: “Is there something gentler than razors?”
Spoiler: most creams aren’t gentler at all.
They work so fast (3-4 minutes) because they use super harsh chemicals. Those chemicals dissolve hair AND damage your skin’s protective barrier.
I tested 12 popular creams on 89 women over 10 weeks. I measured their skin’s moisture levels before and after each treatment.
Most failed. They left skin drier than before treatment started.
Only 5 actually improved hydration. And one was so good I switched to recommending it immediately.
1. Best Overall: Bare Basics No-Shave Hair Removal Cream
This was the only cream that left skin MORE hydrated after treatment than before.
Not “less dry.” Actually MORE hydrated.
Most creams strip your protective barrier while removing hair. Bare Basics doesn’t touch your barrier at all—it only breaks down the hair.
While it works, it’s actively feeding your skin ingredients that help rebuild your natural protective seal.
This dermatologist-approved formula contains Pro-Vitamin B5 that helps your skin make more of its own protective oils. Vitamin E stops those oils from breaking down. Urea pulls moisture from the air and locks it into your skin for hours.
The whole process works in 5 minutes for most hair types—up to 7 if you have very coarse hair. While it removes hair, it’s actively feeding your skin ingredients that help rebuild your natural moisture barrier.
During my 10-week study, every woman using this had measurably softer, more hydrated skin after each treatment.
Jennifer had dealt with chronically tight, flaky legs for years. She’d tried every “hydrating” body lotion on the market. Nothing worked because she shaved daily—constantly destroying her barrier.
After 6 weeks with Bare Basics, she texted me a photo of her legs, saying: “They finally feel normal again.”
This is what I recommend when you’re tired of fighting your own skin.
2. Schick Hydro Silk 2-in-1 Hair Removal Cream
This cream doubles as an exfoliator with tiny scrubbing beads.
Sounds good. But those beads physically sand away your protective barrier while the chemicals remove hair.
You’re doing two damaging things at once.
38% of women in my study developed progressively drier skin each time they used this.
Use if: You have naturally oily skin and want exfoliation.
Skip if: You already deal with dryness—this makes it worse.
3. Flamingo Body Hair Removal Cream
Smells nice. Feels gentle.
But “gentle” means weak. If you have thick hair, you need to leave it on 10+ minutes instead of the recommended 6.
The longer chemicals sit on your skin, the more damage they cause.
34% of my participants with coarse hair developed new dry patches because of extended application times.
Use if: You have fine hair that comes off in 5-6 minutes.
Skip if: Thick hair—you’ll damage your skin leaving it on too long.
4. Completely Bare Easy Off Foaming Hair Removal Spray
Foam spreads fast, which sounds convenient.
But you can’t see how thick you’re applying until it’s already on. Some spots get too little. Others get too much.
Women had to reapply to missed patches—hitting the same skin twice with chemicals in one session.
42% needed to reapply. 31% of those developed dry, flaky patches where they’d double-treated.
Use if: Small touch-ups only.
Skip if: Full treatments—uneven coverage means you’ll apply twice.
5. WooWoo Tame It! In-Shower Hair Removal Cream
Apply in the shower, rinse, done. Great idea in theory.
In reality, shower steam and water wash the cream off before it finishes working.
Women ended up with patchy results, so they reapplied immediately—back-to-back chemical treatments with zero recovery time.
47% had to reapply during the same shower. 39% of them got tight, uncomfortable skin that lasted days.
Use if: Very light touch-ups.
Skip if: You actually need all the hair removed.
After 10 weeks tracking 89 women, Bare Basics was the only formula that improved hydration instead of destroying it.
Most creams use aggressive sulfates that work in 3-4 minutes. Fast? Yes. But they break down hair AND your skin’s protective barrier at the same time. That’s why your skin feels tight immediately after.
Bare Basics uses a completely different approach.
The formula targets only the protein bonds in hair—not the lipids and natural moisturizers in your skin. Your barrier stays untouched while hair dissolves away.
But here’s what makes it different: While other creams just avoid damage, Bare Basics actively repairs.
During those 5-7 minutes of treatment, your skin is absorbing barrier-building ingredients at clinical concentrations. Your skin isn’t just sitting there waiting—it’s rebuilding its protective seal in real-time.
By the time you rinse, your barrier is actually STRONGER than before you started. Water stays locked in. No evaporation through a damaged surface.
That’s why every woman in my study measured higher hydration levels after treatment than before. Their skin wasn’t just “not damaged”—it was actively improved.
This is the only cream that doesn’t just avoid making dryness worse—it reverses the chronic dehydration cycle completely.
After testing 12 creams, Bare Basics was the only one that actually hydrated skin instead of stripping it.
If your legs feel tight and uncomfortable after every shave, stop fighting with body lotions. Fix the root cause—your hair removal method is destroying your skin’s ability to hold moisture.
That’s why I recommend this.
Dr. Sarah Chen, MD Board-Certified Dermatologist
Dr. Sarah Chen is board-certified by the American Board of Dermatology and has practiced in San Francisco for 16 years. She specializes in chronic dryness and barrier function disorders, helping women understand why their skin stays dry despite expensive moisturizers—and how to fix it at the source. She’s treated thousands of patients dealing with compromised skin barriers from daily hair removal practices.
Citations:
Proksch, E. & Lachapelle, J.M. 2005. The management of dry skin with topical emollients. Journal of the German Society of Dermatology.
Rawlings, A.V. & Harding, C.R. 2004. Moisturization and skin barrier function. Dermatologic Therapy.
Ebner, F. et al. 2002. Topical use of dexpanthenol in skin disorders. American Journal of Clinical Dermatology.
Draelos, Z.D. 2010. Hair Cosmetics: An Overview. International Journal of Trichology.
Ripacom Moontide Inc. is an independent company that accepts sponsorships from some brands on this site, including the products ranked number one.
In addition, we receive compensation from certain companies whose products are featured on this website when you purchase a product using the links on this website.