What are Ingrown Hairs?
Ingrown hairs are basically hairs that do not reach the skin surface. They often show up a few days after hair removal as redness and irritational on the skin.
How You Can Prevent Ingrown Hairs
There are many ways to prevent ingrown hairs from occuring, or at least reducing the likelyhood and amount of ingrown hairs.
- Use a new blade: One the the most common causes of ingrown hairs is using a razor with a blunt or old blade which not only makes you use more pressure, but if not cleaned properly can allow bacteria to enter newly skaved skin.
- Try a different type of razor: If you are still shaving with cheap disposables, try using one of the new Gilette or Wilkinson Sword razors which have a higher quality and sharper set of blades. If this doesn’t help, try switching to an electric razor.
- Prepare your skin: Before shaving make sure you use a gentle scrub to remove dead skin cells and get a closer shave. Shave after you have been in the bath or shower so hairs will be softer.
- Shaving technique: ALWAYS shave with the grain of your hairs. Make sure you do not press too hard with the razor and do not go over the same area too many times.
How You Can Get Rid Of Ingrown Hairs
Ingrown hair removal is not neccessarily as difficult as you might think. Here are a few handy tips to help get rid of ingrown hairs if you haven’t managed to prevent them.
- Clean the area: Use alcohol or, even better, buffered fatty alcohol to kill bacteria in the affected area.
- Reduce swelling: Try a topical anti-inflammatory product to reduce the swelling caused by the ingrown hair. A purpose produced ingrown hair removal product should be used for a few days to get rid of the bumps and allow the hair to push through the skin.