Ingrown hairs occur in shaved areas such as your bikini line, your inner thighs and under your arms where the hair grows back into the follicle or fails to grow out of the follicle. When ingrown hairs occur, they are typically swollen, red, and painful. If you don’t treat ingrown hairs, they can lead to infections. Here are a few ways to treat and avoid ingrown hair problems!
1. Prevent ingrown hairs
One of the best ways to treat ingrown hairs is to prevent them. You probably know that ingrown hairs typically follow from shaving, so try removing hair without shaving it. You can try sugaring, waxing or laser hair removal. If that’s something you are not interested in and you prefer shaving, keep reading…
2. Exfoliate your skin
Exfoliating removes dead skin cells, oils, and dirt that might be trapping the ingrown hair. Try to exfoliate your skin at least twice a week and if you are shaving often, like in the summer, then try using a gentle scrub every other day. Exfoliating can really help you to avoid ingrown hair problems!
3. Make smart decisions when you shave
Never use a dull razor and a blade that has rust on it. If the hairs are quite long, go over your thighs and your bikini line with an electric razor first. This will decrease your chances of damaging the follicles when you shave with a razor. Make sure you do not shave too close and never tighten or pull your skin and do not press down too hard. Also make sure you shave with the shaving creams for sensitive skin and avoid anything that makes your skin dry.
4. Use products that contain salicylic acid
One of the best ingredients for treating ingrown hairs is salicylic acid. It makes them feel better and look better, so look for products that contain salicylic acid. Products that contain salicylic acid will help clean your pores, exfoliate it and prevent any infection.
5. Moisturize
Always keep the skin of your bikini line and your inner thighs moisturized, but make sure you do not apply too much of lotion. I use a lightweight lotion that contains salicylic acid, it works great for me!
6. Tweeze but don’t pluck
Take your tweezers and tweeze the ingrown hair, but don’t pluck it! Just lift the end of it out of the skin. I use the warm compress first and then tweeze the ingrown hairs. This makes the process much easier!
7. Try witch hazel
Try witch hazel, it is also very soothing. Keep witch hazel as a backup to the salicylic acid and douse a pad or cotton ball with it and dab it onto ingrown hairs. You can also use soothing agents that contain azulene or allantoin.
Hope these tips will help you. Do you know any other ways to treat and avoid ingrowing hairs? Share your thoughts, please!