An ingrown hair is a hair that's actually growing into your skin, which can be painful. If you have sensitive skin or are prone to ingrown hairs, there are steps you can take to prevent them from happening and treat them when they do.
Ingrown Hair Removal
There are many options for ingrown hair removal. Some of the most common methods include shaving, waxing, threading, tweezing and laser hair removal. While all of these methods have their pros and cons, if you're looking for a quick fix or something that's painless—you might want to consider laser hair removal as it is reversible but expensive.
While ingrown hairs are not dangerous in any way (though they can be quite painful), there are ways to prevent them from occurring in the future:
- Exfoliation: Regularly exfoliating will help your skin shed dead cells more easily so new hairs don't grow back into your skin as much as they would otherwise. Exfoliate at least two times per week using a gentle scrub such as the Rei-Freshed Exfoliating Sugar Scrub.
What Is Ingrown Hair?
An ingrown hair is a hair that grows back into the skin, either because it has been shaved or waxed too closely and has become trapped under the skin, or because it was cut by tweezers or depilatory creams.
Ingrown hairs can also be caused by ingrown hairs themselves. This is why they're so painful; they will continue to grow inward until you manually remove them with tweezers, which may cause more inflammation and pain on top of what's already happening at that point in time.
What Causes Ingrown Hair?
There are many factors that can cause ingrown hairs, including:
- Shaving, plucking and waxing. Any hair removal technique that cuts the hair at its roots (as opposed to just removing it above the skin) can lead to ingrown hairs.
- Genetic predisposition. Some people have genes that make them more likely than others to develop ingrown hairs. This is especially true for those with curly hair or coarse body hair.
- Skin type and sensitivity. People with sensitive skin are more likely than others to experience irritation when they shave their legs or armpits, leading to an increase in the formation of ingrown hairs on their skin surface over time as well as inflamed patches of pus-filled bumps called papules where they've been trapped under the surface
How to Prevent Ingrowns
- Use a gentle cleanser.
- Use a gentle exfoliant.
- Use a gentle shaving cream.
- Use a sharp razor and shave in the direction of hair growth, not against it!
- Shave with moisturizing shaving cream, not regular soap and water or body wash as they can be too harsh on your skin and cause irritation/irritation (and ingrown hairs).
Exfoliate
You can also exfoliate to help prevent ingrown hairs from happening.
Exfoliating removes dead skin cells and helps to keep the skin's surface smooth, making it less likely for hair to grow back into the skin.
Use the Right Shaving Products
You may have heard that shaving with a grain is the best way to prevent ingrown hairs, but it's not. In fact, this can lead to irritation and ingrown hairs. It’s better to shave against the grain (when you don't feel like yourself) and make sure your razor is sharp enough before each use.
Here are some tips for preventing ingrown hairs:
- Use a good quality shaving gel or cream. Avoid using soap because it dries out skin and hair follicles, which can increase the likelihood of getting ingrown hairs.
- Use a shaving brush if you have one—it helps work up lather in hard-to-reach areas such as underarms and around knees/elbows/feet.* Make sure you are using gentle strokes when shaving with both men's razors or women’s razors on sensitive areas such as underarms, legs or bikini line.* Shave in the shower with warm water running over your skin before applying shaving cream.* Rinse off after shaving and pat dry; don't rub!
Wait Until You Have Hairs Long Enough to Shave
If you’ve ever gotten an ingrown hair, then you know how frustrating they can be. The best way to prevent ingrown hairs is to make sure that your hair is long enough before shaving it off. Shaving when the hair is too short will leave a sharp edge at the base of the follicle that can cause irritation and inflammation, leading to an ingrown hair.
So how much time do you need? Well, let’s use some common sense here: if your goal is not an inch long beard, maybe just wait until this length has grown out for a week or so (at least). That should give you enough time for any potential issues with shaving down there before going on vacation or having sex with someone new.
Shave With Proper Technique
Shaving is a straightforward way to remove an ingrown hair, but it's important to do so with proper technique.
- Shave in the direction of your hair growth. Make sure you shave with the grain of your hair—this means shaving down on areas where light-colored or fine hairs grow upward, and up on areas where dark-colored or thick hairs grow downward.
- Use a sharp razor. Dull razors can cause cuts and nicks that lead to infections or scarring. To keep your blades sharp and clean, rinse them under hot water after each use, then use a good quality cleaning product such as this one from Schick (or any other brand).
- Use shaving cream or gel if needed! While some people find that they don't need it, others do—especially those who have very coarse hair growth patterns or sensitive skin that reacts poorly to friction between their skin and the blade. You can also try pre-shave oils like these ones from Anthony Logistics for Men before using shaving cream; these work really well because they soften up the hairs before you begin shaving them off so there's less pulling involved when you go through with your razor (not to mention fewer chances for irritation afterward).
Use a Chemical-Free Ingrown Hair Treatment Oil or Serum
An ingrown hair is a common problem. It's actually caused by a hair that grows back into the skin, which can be painful and even cause infections. If you have ingrown hairs, you might want to consider using chemical-free ingrown hair treatment oil or serum.
These tips will help you prevent and treat ingrown hair.
In-grown hairs are a common problem for many people, and it can be quite painful and annoying. This can be caused by shaving, waxing or depilatory creams getting stuck under your skin. It can also happen when you shave too closely to the hair root and cause the hair to grow back into your skin.
Ingrown hairs are not only unsightly but they also make things worse if left untreated as they may lead to infections on your body. To prevent this from happening, there are some tips that you should follow:
- Exfoliate before shaving: If you want to avoid ingrown hairs, exfoliate before shaving since this will help remove any dead skin cells which might clog up your pores after shaving (this also helps with acne prevention). You don't need anything fancy here - just use an exfoliating scrub or face wash everyday before bedtime!
I’m so happy you decided to read this article! Hopefully, it gave you some insight into ingrown hair and how to prevent it. I’ll leave you with one last tip: if at any point during your shaving routine or treatment process, something doesn’t feel right (whether there is pain or discomfort), stop what you’re doing immediately and address it before continuing on.