For the longest time, I was embarrassed to wear shorts because of my razor burn. No matter what I did, it seemed like my upper legs were always dotted with red angry bumps and I found it so frustrating.

I rarely wore shorts in the hotter months and when you live in Arizona, that's quite a feat. On the rare occasions I did wear shorts, I would make sure that they were 'board' shorts that covered me to my knees. I realize that they weren't the most fashionable thing to wear, but honestly, I was too ashamed to show my legs. The looks I would get from people or sometimes the blunt question of 'what is that?' made me extremely self-conscious.

It turns out, what I thought was just a simple case of razor burn was actually something called folliculitis. To put it simply, folliculitis is a skin condition where the hair follicles become inflamed, usually from a bacterial or fungal infection.

If you're like me and have a chronic condition that decreases your body's ability to fight infections (thanks, diabetes!), you're more susceptible to folliculitis.

There are a variety of types of folliculitis, each with their own set of signs and symptoms. However, small red or white bumps, itchy, inflamed skin, and a stubbornness to stick around are all trademark signs of folliculitis. Check, check, and check for me!

In my search to finally rid my legs of the unsightly red rash, I tried a variety of things to heal the infection or stop it from reoccurring. I tried a body wash by Neutrogena that was supposed to help clear up body acne, that did nothing. I stopped using anything heavily scented on my legs when shaving and switched to Johnson and Johnson's baby wash/shampoo... no help there either. I also tried dabbing tea tree oil on the spots after my shower and even apple cider vinegar and neither of those did much either. One ex-boyfriend commented that my I smelled like a salad after applying the apple cider vinegar. Awesome.

I began to scour the internet every night before bed for whatever crazy solution people had tried that actually helped their folliculitis and I remember stumbling upon a website that seemed pretty legit. The blogger, whose name, unfortunately, escapes me now, seemed to have the exact same thing I did and she found relief by exfoliating her legs in the shower with a bamboo washcloth and applying AmLactin lotion to her legs afterward.

I immediately went to Fry's the next day to pick these things up and try and was pleasantly surprised. Within two or three days of exfoliating and applying the lotion, my legs were starting to clear up pretty well and I was so excited. Up until this point, this was the best success I'd had so far in beating my folliculitis issue.

Once my legs started to clear up and I was finally able to wear shorts, I was hooked. It was so nice not having to make sure my skirt or shorts were long enough to hit my knees when I went out, or not looking down and seeing a bunch of red bumps that I hoped and prayed no one asked me about.

While my legs cleared up about 85 percent with the exfoliation and AmLactin lotion, the remaining spots that were left drove me insane. Now that I had a taste of having my legs clear, I wanted them 100 percent clear, 100 percent of the time. I knew there had to be a solution if only I could figure out what it was.

In June of 2017, I had to go for a laparoscopy for some health issues I was experiencing. As usual, the doctor sent me home with a list of instructions on how to prepare for the surgery. One of the items on that list was to purchase Hibiclens, an antiseptic skin cleanser that would ward off infection in the area where I was going to be cut. I used about half of the bottle in preparation for my surgery and then just left it in the corner of my shower, assuming it would just sit there for the next few months until I decided to throw it out.

Because this cleanser is meant to be used to fight off and protect against infection prior to operations, I figured the ingredients in it must be heavy-duty (chlorhexidine gluconate solution, just in case you're wondering). I then remembered that folliculitis is basically an infection of the skin and hair follicles usually caused by Staphylococcus aureus.

I decided to put some Hibiclens on my exfoliating glove and use that on my legs instead of just the Johnson and Johnson's baby wash. I had forgotten about the extremely strong smell and red coloring of the soap and that made me pause for a second, but then I decided to go ahead with it anyway. I figured the worst thing that could happen was it might make it a little worse or even do nothing at all, and I was okay with that.

Well, let me tell you: After that shower and using Hibiclens on my legs for the first time, I pretty much feel like I stumbled upon a miracle. I have been using Hibiclens every day now for almost eight months to exfoliate my legs with before shaving and my folliculitis has completely cleared up.

I am still amazed every day to look down and see completely clear legs because it's not something I've had for over five or six years. If I happen to skip a day or two, I might get a few stray bumps on my legs here or there, but as soon as I go back to using the Hibiclens, they disappear again.

Hibiclens has now become a staple in my home and probably always will be. I found a much bigger bottle of it available on Amazon than the size Walmart or Target carry and a little goes a long way. In the eight months I've been using it, I've only had to reorder it twice. TWICE.

Peace of mind for less than $16 a bottle? I'll take it.

Please note I am not a medical professional and this is just my personal experience finding something that works for me. If you are suffering from folliculitis or another skin condition, please consult your doctor before trying anything new!