How Do I Prevent Ingrown Hairs?

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Shaving is my preferred method of hair removal, but I keep getting ingrown hairs on my legs (and elsewhere, ahhhhem). What’s the best way to prevent ingrown hair before it starts?

Ouch! An ingrown hair happens when a hair curls backward or sideways into the skin rather than out the way it’s supposed to. Not only are these quite unpleasant, they can also result in potentially harmful conditions such as folliculitis, wherein the hair follicle becomes infected or unsightly ones like razor bumps. They affect both men and women, with the former often experiencing them in the beard area and the latter getting them from shaving their legs, pubic area, and underarms. Basically, wherever you choose to shave or wax, you run the risk of these happening to you.

As with most problems, prevention is the best way to fix this problem. Ingrown hairs can be a real pain, so stop them before they start with these easy tips.

1. Exfoliate, exfoliate, exfoliate.

Just as is the case with your lips and face, the rest of your body needs exfoliation, too. Exfoliation, the removal of dead skin cells, is always important to the health and appearance of your skin, but it also helps to prevent ingrown hairs from occurring, as well. When you have a layer of dead cells atop your skin, your hair might not be able to break the surface and instead retreat back down into the skin, thus forming an ingrown hair. You can easily do this with a body brush, a loofah, or a DIY scrub using salt or granulated sugar. Apply the mixture in a gentle, circular motion to the skin, then rinse completely.

2. Use a chemical exfoliant.

Personally, I have found the most success in preventing ingrown hairs via a combination of pre-shaving exfoliating (#1) and using beauty products with alpha-hydroxy acid or salicylic acid to most effectively exfoliate my skin after, as well.

Recommendations:

• Jack Black Bump Fix Razor Bump & Ingrown Hair Solution ($25, Sephora)
• Tend Skin Razor Bump Skin Care Solution ($20, ULTA)
• Uni K Wax Ingrown Hair Roll-On (Uni K Wax)
• Shave Works The Cool Fix ($11 – $25)

I typically apply one of these after shaving, have found that both razor bumps and ingrown hairs don’t affect me nearly as badly anymore.

3. Don’t shave against the grain.

It’s tempting (and arguably easier) to shave against the grain, and you never see a woman in a Venus add shaving downwards, so it makes sense that we would all think it’s easier to just go upwards with your razor. However, this can force the hair back under the skin and irritate the follicle, leading to razor burn and ingrown hairs.

4. Rinse your blade during shaving.

When you’re shaving quickly, it can be tempting to just zoom through and only rinse every few strokes, but this can clog up your razor and negatively affect its functionality. Go slowly, rinsing your razor after every single stroke, and don’t be too quick about it.

5. Replace your razor as needed.

Speaking of having effective razor strokes, always make sure your razor-sharp and clean. Having a clogged or dirty razor can lead to razor bumps, and a rusty one just plain isn’t safe. The sharper and newer your razor is, the better your overall shaving experience will be.

6. Stop removing your body hair–or at least slow down.

Look, if you keep getting ingrown hairs and nothing you’re doing to prevent or treat them is working, you have to decide between two options: continue getting them and living in semi-misery that isn’t even all that smooth nor silky, or just stop shaving altogether. I know it’s a little scary, but you can do it!

Our society has long imposed the overbearing, offensive idea that female body hair is somehow necessary to remove, lest women become dirty, masculine, and/or unkempt. There have been innumerable ads featuring women with body hair being alone forever or–in a slightly ironic twist–becoming actual men, which is apparently the worst thing ever to…well, the men marketing the products. In reality, women can be feminine, sexy, and beautiful with body hair; after all, how can it be unfeminine if it literally grows on women?

If you still wish to remove your body hair, you can look into alternatives such as laser hair removal. A less permanent, expensive, and painful route you can take is to simply not shave the parts of your body most prone to ingrown hairs. My slightly TMI example: I don’t get razor burn or ingrown hairs along with the, ahem, “full bush Brazilian”-style areas, but I do get it on my upper pubic bone, so I simply leave it alone there and let it chill. I also get the occasional ingrown hair on my thigh, so I stick to removing the hair from my shins and knees when I opt to shave my legs. It minimizes the potential damage while also giving me the desired results. The more you experiment, the better you can determine the solution that works best for you.

How to Prevent and Treat Ingrown Hairs – Ingrown Hair Facts & Prevention

What are ingrown hairs?

Simply put, an ingrown hair is a hair that gets trapped underneath the skin. This can happen to anyone, but it occurs more often in people who have curly or tightly curled hair follicles from which hair grows.

Why you might get ingrown hairs

When hair follicles are oval-shaped or flat, the hair tends to be curly or tightly coiled. The hairs will emerge from these curved follicles and grow parallel to the skin surface instead of out and away from the skin.

Hair that is cut will create a sharp, pointed tip that can curl back and puncture the skin and start growing inward.

In women, ingrown hairs are common in areas that have coarse hair, such as the bikini area, armpits, and legs. Women with curly and kinky hair are especially at risk for developing ingrown hairs when removing hair from these areas.

You might see a small bump with dark brown or black pinpoint underneath the skin or get multiple bumps around the hair follicles where the skin has been frequently shaved, tweezed, or waxed.

While not considered a serious medical condition, ingrown hairs can lead to uneven skin tone, post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, skin infections, scarring, and sometimes even keloid scars.

The ingrown hairs can irritate and inflame the skin, causing a raised reddish or tan bump or multiple bumps that are sometimes itchy and can get infected. This condition is called pseudofolliculitis barbae (PFB) or razor bumps. The condition is common in black and Latin men, but sometimes women, especially those who shave, can get PFB.

When women of color tweeze or pluck facial hairs, the hair can break below the surface and also produce this inflammatory response.  Other hair removal methods like electrolysis and waxing can also cause ingrown hairs. 

Other Causes of Ingrown Hairs:

Women with excessive hair growth can also be prone to ingrown hairs.

Ingrown hairs can be caused by the hair follicles being clogged by dead skin cells, dirt, and sebum.

Treatment

When ingrown hairs and bumps develop, don’t squeeze or scratch them, or you could leave a scar or cause discoloration.

Soak a washcloth in one part white vinegar to one part water and soak (or hold the cloth on) the affected area(s) for 10 minutes.

If you are able to extract ingrown hairs on your own, wipe the area with alcohol and use a sterile needle or tweezers to gently lift out the ingrown hair. If done incorrectly, however, this can damage the skin. Don’t pluck the dislodged hair or cut with a scissors. Instead, apply an antiseptic such as tea tree oil to the area.

You might want to consider having a dermatologist remove ingrown hairs, especially if it has become a chronic or more serious problem. A dermatologist can also prescribe treatments that include anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial agents, as well as treatments to improve skin tone:

• Topical antibiotics which are sometimes used with benzoyl peroxide to relieve infections caused by scratching.
• Oral antibiotics are usually prescribed for more severe infections.
• Corticosteroids –  topical steroid ointments can help control inflammation.
• Retinoids to remove dead skin cells and pigment changes.
• Skin lighteners (like hydroquinone) are often used in conjunction with retinoids to fade discolorations caused by inflammation.

Ingrown Hair Prevention

1. If hair growth is minimal and doesn’t bother you, leave it alone. Sometimes an ingrown hair will dislodge on its own if you regularly exfoliate and take care of the skin.
2. Avoid hair removal methods that pull the hair from the skin. You may need to switch to using a depilatory (cream hair remover).
3. Do hair removal after showering to soften the hair and make it easier to remove.
4. It’s also a good idea to exfoliate before shaving.
5. Regularly exfoliate the skin and keep the skin moisturized.  Gently exfoliating the skin will help remove dead skin cells and keep the ingrown hairs from developing.
6. Cleansers and washes containing salicylic acid or glycolic acid help the skin shed dead skin cells, although you should be careful using these acids if you have sensitive skin.
7. If you have sensitive skin, don’t over-exfoliate, as this will just irritate the skin. 
8. Don’t use loofahs to exfoliate the skin, as they can breed bacteria.
9. After cleansing and exfoliating the skin, use an antiseptic like tea tree oil, witch hazel, or aloe vera gel to sooth the skin and protect it from infection.

Got a trick for ingrown hairs? Share it in the comments!