Shaving my legs with a DE razor and I keep nicking my knees and ankles. How do you do the bony bits?

Switched from a pink cartridge razor to my partner's spare DE about a month ago, mostly because I was fed up with the price of refills. Shins and thighs are honestly better than they ever were with the cartridge. Smoother, less rash.

But knees and ankles are a bloodbath. Every time. Two little nicks on the kneecap last night and one on the ankle bone that wouldn't stop for ages. I'm doing it in the shower, standing on one leg with my foot up on the edge of the bath.

Is there a trick or do DE razors just not suit legs?

They suit legs fine, my wife has used one for years. The bony bits catch everyone out because there's no flat surface for the head to sit on. A cartridge has a pivot that follows the bumps for you. A DE doesn't, so your hand has to do it.

Graham is right, the razor's fine. It's geometry. On a shin the head sits flat and the angle takes care of itself. On a kneecap or an ankle bone the surface curves away under the blade, so the edge meets skin at a much steeper angle than you think, and a steep angle is what nicks.

What helps, in the order I'd try it:

Bend the knee. Sit down with the foot on the bath edge and the knee bent so the skin over the kneecap is pulled tight. Tight skin is flatter skin. Ankles the same: point the foot to stretch it.

Short strokes, a few centimetres at a time, with the handle moving to keep the head flat on the curve. Don't do long sweeps over a bone.

Shave with the hair growth first. On the legs that's usually downwards, but around the knee it can swirl, so feel it with your hand before you start.

Re-lather the knees separately. By the time you've done a shin the lather on the knee has gone thin.

Standing on one leg in a wet shower is also, with respect, how people slip with a blade in their hand. Sit down for the knees and ankles. The guide on wet shaving for men and women has a section on knees, ankles and other awkward spots that's worth a read. And for the ankle one that wouldn't stop, how to stop a shaving nick bleeding covers what works. A cut that keeps bleeding after ten minutes of firm pressure, or one that gets hot and sore over the next few days, is one for a pharmacist.

Also fresh blade. Legs are a lot of surface and a blade that started the shave sharp is not sharp by the time it reaches the second ankle.

Marcus Webb said:

Standing on one leg in a wet shower is also, with respect, how people slip

Fair. In my defence, it's a small bathroom.

Ten days on and I've done three full leg shaves sitting on the edge of the bath with the knee bent, short strokes over the bones, and a separate blob of lather for the knees. Zero nicks on the last two. One tiny one on the first, which was me rushing.

The bit about the angle getting steep over the bone made it click. I hadn't realised the razor was basically standing up on the kneecap. Thank you, and my partner is now asking for his razor back.