COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE FOR INGROWN HAIRS

What are Ingrown Hairs 

An ingrown hair is a strand of hair that grows back into your skin after shaving, tweezing or waxing. They may be painful or itchy, and they commonly appear around your face, legs, armpits and pubic area. Ingrown hairs can sometimes called razor bumps, shave bumps or barber bumps.

What Causes an Ingrown Hair 

Ingrown hair is a common condition. It occurs when the far end of a hair grows back into the skin and causes an inflammatory reaction. Shaving, waxing, or plucking hairs can cause this condition.

How to Treat an Ingrown Hair

An ingrown hair often heals on its own. But for chronic ingrown hairs, treatment may include:

Remove an Ingrown Hair

• Using a warm compress to relieve the pain, swelling and let it come to a head.
• When the hair is visible use a sharp edge tweezer to extract the hair. Apply an antibiotic ointment on the extraction site. Be careful not to force or squeeze the ingrown hair worsening the inflammation. This can also cause scarring and hyperpigmentation. 
• If ingrown hair becomes infected and severe, seek medical care from a dermatologist.

Use Ingrown Hairs Serum 

An ingrown hairs serum soothes irritation and eradicates bumps, leaving skin clear and ingrown free. The serum exfoliates the skin to release the hair while calming and soothing the inflammation. This works best as a preventative and as an early stage ingrown hair treatment.

How to Stop Ingrown Hair

If you’re prone to ingrown hairs taking some care before and after hair removal can minimize and stop ingrown hairs. Shower before removing hair on any part of your body. Use an exfoliating face scrub for men to gently exfoliate the area before hair removal.  Follow with men’s aftershave with salicylic acid to soothe and help prevent ingrown hairs from forming. 

Shaving and Ingrown Hairs

Shaving is the biggest culprit of ingrown hairs.  Ingrown hairs in face can afflict all people who shave but is more common for Black people due to curly hair and coarse hair texture.  If you suffer from ingrown hair due to shaving try the following

Use a clipper instead of a razor and consider keeping your facial hair short and close to the face but not clean shaven.

If wet shaving, follow proper shaving steps to minimize ingrown hairs 

• Washing your face with best face wash for men
• Exfoliating with best men's face scrub before you shave
• Use Pre-Shave Oil to create a lubricating layer that helps reduce nicks and cuts that can cause dark spots and patches
• Use a natural men's shave cream to for glide protective cushion
• You should always use a new blade for a new shave
• Use safety razor & blades to cut hair at skin level to help reduce bumps and irritation.
• Shave in the direction of hair growth
• Use alcohol free aftershave with salicylic acid to soothe and calm the skin and prevent ingrown hairs

Ingrown Hairs Scalp 

The first step in treating ingrown hairs on the scalp is to try to prevent them from forming at all.it's important to use proper shaving techniques, including shaving in the direction of the hair growth, cleansing the skin, and wetting the hairs before shaving to make them softer. Other key preventative steps include washing your hair regularly and avoiding products that cause buildup on the scalp.

Cleanse with Salicylic Acid Shampoo

Salicylic acid is widely used in skincare products for its ability to treat acne. It has been found to reduce redness and inflammation in addition to serving as a chemical exfoliant.¹ Exfoliation is your best friend when it comes to getting rid of ingrown hairs, as it will help to remove skin cells and buildup.

Use a Scalp Scrub

The key to preventing ingrown hairs is regularly washing the scalp and occasionally exfoliating to minimize buildup. Exfoliants like scalp scrubs are helpful in treating existing ingrown hairs on the scalp and preventing future ones.

Avoid Scratching or Picking at Your Scalp

The temptation to pick at ingrown hairs is strong, but Nathan advises against doing so. "If you do get ingrown hairs on the scalp, avoid picking them as this can lead to more inflammation and possible scarring or hair loss," 

Pore Clogging Ingredients to Avoid in Hair Care Products

Many hair products are oil based, to impart softness and shine, which may trigger scalp acne in those who are already prone.  Ingredients high on comedogenic scale such as petroleum, silicone, cocoa butter, sodium lauryl sulfate, ammonium lauryl sulfate, mineral oil, jojoba oil, coconut oil, and lanolin that can trigger scalp acne, especially if left on the scalp or facial skin, so should be avoided.  Read the ingredient labels carefully!  If your hygiene is good but you’re still dealing with scalp acne it could be the pore clogging ingredients in your products. 

Ingrown Hair Infected

When an ingrown hair is left untreated it can become swollen and infected.  Steroid creams help reduce irritation and itching. Creams or pills to control infection. Antibiotic creams treat mild infections caused by scratching. Antibiotic pills might be needed for a more serious infection.

Ingrown Hair Boil 

An ingrown hair and a boil are two totally different conditions. A ingrown hair boil is a skin infection generally begins as an ingrown hair bump that is infected by the staph bacteria and then evolves into a boil. 

 

Although there is no way of preventing ingrown hairs 100%, using men's skin care products can help minimize ingrown hair.  urth has curated skin care kits for men to simplify men's skincare routine. These plant powered men’s skin care products are formulated with chamomile, green tea, ginseng and pure essential oils to cleanse, brighten, nourish skin and protect against signs of aging. Improved and better skin after every use. Perfect for all skin types - including men with sensitive, dry, combo, and oily skin.