What is an ingrown hair, and how to treat them?

I’ve been waxing for a while now, and have seen lots of ingrown hairs – when a hair grows back into the skin rather than out of the surface. Unfortunately, it’s a common waxing side effect, and can also happen after tweezing or shaving too. Not everyone gets ingrown hairs, but anyone can, and some have a higher tendency toward getting them – those with thick, coarser, and curly hair are particularly susceptible to ingrown hairs.

This isn't the news most ladies have been wanting to hear - after all, the waxing, shaving and tweezing we do down there is to make it look, and feel, nice. Smooth, and comfortable. But an ingrown hair does exactly the opposite! The ugly, red, painful bumps are not exactly what we signed up for when we wanted to go bare!

​What Exactly IS an Ingrown Hair?
An ingrown hair presents itself as a small round bump – sometimes painful, sometimes itchy, and sometimes it can become infected – this is because the body is responding to the hair as if it were an unknown object. Don’t squeeze the bumps as it could cause an infection or you could end up pushing the hair deeper into the skin.

Image source: https://dermatology.ca/public-patients/hair/ingrown-hair/

Why Does Waxing Make Ingrown Hairs Worse?
The hair follicle has a bulb that it grows from. When you are waxed, this bulb is often visible in the wax strip once the hair has been removed. On the one hand, it's good, it means the hair has come out right at the follicle and hasn't broken. However, on the other hand, the rapid pulling of the wax can disrupt the lining of the follicle, it's this lining that guides hair, when it regrows, up to the surface of the skin and out a hole that allows the hair to actually exit the body. Waxing over long periods will slow hair growth, which means less waxing, and in turn, fewer new ingrown hairs. 

Another cause of ingrown hairs can be dead skin cells blocking a pore that has a hair follicle trying to grow out of it. Since the pore is covered, the follicle cannot escape, and instead grows underneath.

How to Treat an Ingrown Hair?
Usually ingrown hairs will go away by themselves, but if you’ve noticed one for a while, and it doesn’t seem to be going away, you might need to take action.

Here are 5 tips to treat an ingrown hair:

1.  Remove dead skin cells   - one of the leading causes of ingrown hairs. Dead skin cells can clog follicles or trap hairs below the surface of the skin, and cause ingrown hairs. Gently washing and exfoliating around the ingrown hair will help the hair return to the surface of the skin. Sugar is a natural exfoliator, and can be mixed with honey to create a paste that will moisturize the skin and kill bacteria. You can also use exfoliating gloves which are a little more gentle on the skin. Exfoliate before each hair removal session and then once every two-three days. Follow exfoliation with a non-greasy moisturizer which can also help to get rid of dead skin cells. Chemical exfoliation is another option – especially if you suffer from very bad ingrown hairs. The most effective chemical exfoliators contain alpha-hydroxy acids or salicylic acid. These should be used less frequently because they can irritate the skin. They can also cause skin thinning so you should wait a few months before safely waxing.
2. Stop your hair removal routine until the ingrown hair has gone – whether that is waxing, shaving, or tweezing the hair.
3. When the hair emerges above the skin, use two Q-tips, and apply gentle pressure on either side of the area to gently roll the ingrown hair fully out without breaking the skin. Do not tweeze it out completely until the area is healed, or the skin will heal over the hair again. Never dig under the skin to get the hair out.
4. Tea tree oil diluted with water and applied with a cotton ball can be used to reduce swelling, or a topical steroid cream prescribed by a doctor can also reduce swelling and irritation around the hair.
5. If you commonly get ingrown hairs from shaving, try a different method of hair removal like hair removal creams, waxing or using an epilator – then follow the exfoliating steps above to ensure you reduce the likelihood of getting an ingrown hair.

If the ingrown hair gets infected and very painful, go see a doctor immediately.