Removing hair by shaving, waxing or tweezing can cause ingrown hairs. New hairs grow from hair follicles under your skin. Shaving, waxing and tweezing only remove hair strands — they don't remove hair follicles. When new hair grows, it may curl back and enter your skin.
Other possible skin conditions
There are many skin conditions that can easily be mistaken for ingrown hairs. These include: keratosis pilaris ('chicken skin') – a common, harmless condition where the skin becomes rough and bumpy, as if covered in permanent goose pimples. acne.
Release visible ingrown hairs by inserting a sterile needle under each hair loop and gently lifting the tip that has grown back into the skin. Rinse your skin and apply a cool, wet cloth for a few minutes. Then use a soothing after-shave product.
To prevent scarring or infection, don't pick at, scratch or pop your ingrown hairs.
Over the counter products containing benzoyl peroxide, as well as exfoliating ingredients such as glycolic acid and salicylic acid, also can help in the treatment and prevention of ingrown hairs.
Experts recommend you stop shaving, tweezing, plucking, or waxing the area where you have ingrown hairs because they usually go away on their own in a couple of weeks. Severe cases may take several weeks. Trying to remove them can sometimes interfere with the healing process and cause them to last longer.
Signs and symptoms of ingrown hair include: Tiny, swollen bumps where you shave, tweeze or wax. Small bumps that look like blisters or are filled with pus. Small bumps that are darker than surrounding skin (hyperpigmentation)
While both can cause ingrown hair, waxing results in fewer ingrown hair because it removes the hair roots from the follicle. Shaving removes the surface hair, which means that the root could develop more hair stems in the same follicle, one of which could grow back into the skin.
Can Vaseline Be Applied on Ingrown Hair? Applying Vaseline to the skin can be beneficial as Vaseline acts as a moisturizer and protects the skin from friction and irritation, which can lead to ingrown hair.
The best antiperspirant deodorant for itchy armpits is also a great tool against ingrown hairs. Not only does it help soothe your skin and keep you fresh, but the active ingredients in antiperspirant also help to protect against those pesky ingrowns. If it gets worse, seek advice.
Nova Wax effectively adheres to hair to remove it directly from the root, so the chance of ingrown hairs are minimal. The high-quality ingredients in Nova Wax also prevent redness and irritation, so the skin doesn't totally *hate* the waxing process either.
Negative side effects of waxing can include uncomfortable problems like pain, ingrown hairs, breakouts, and infected hair follicles. Even so, many people prefer waxing because of its longer-lasting results and because it is relatively inexpensive and easy to do.
In darker skin types, ingrown hairs can leave behind pigmentation marks, but weekly use of topical glycolic acid (or lactic acid to those who are prone to sensitivity) will help soften the marks over time. Salicylic acids are useful too, as it helps to clarify the pores and minimise inflammation.
After waxing, give your skin at least 48 hours to recover to avoid irritation. Preventing ingrown hairs doesn't stop there! Make sure you're using moisturizer on your skin every day. We recommend a rich lotion for all-day hydration after showering, or right before bed.
Digging into the skin to pull the hair out can cause an infection. It is also important not to pluck the hair out, as this increases the chance that the hair will be ingrown again as it grows back. The inflamed area surrounding the hair needs time to heal completely before removing the hair again.
Try a different hair removal process – Things like depilatory creams (like Nair) have less likelihood of producing ingrown hairs since the hair is dissolved rather than cut.
Epsom salts are very effective as they open the pores, allowing ingrown hair to come to the surface instead of being trapped.
*Use products that contain azulene, allantoin and witch hazel to reduce the redness and swelling caused by the ingrown hair. *There are products available that fight ingrown hairs. Apply to the target area and the bumps should subside and the ingrown hair will point back to the skin's surface.