Whether you’ve waxed, shaved, depilated or epilated, one thing’s for sure – your aim is to have smooth skin, for as long as possible, right? So there’s nothing worse than going to the trouble of getting fuzz-free, only to suffer from unsightly (and sometimes painful) ingrown hairs a few days/weeks later. The good news though is that ingrown hairs can be treated – prevented even. Here’s how…
ANTI-INGROWN TIP #1: USE AN ASTRINGENT OIL
Once you’ve finished getting fuzz-free, your hair follicles will remain open for a while (especially if you’ve waxed or epilated) so it’s important not to overload your skin with heavy product as it could clog your follicles, which will cause ingrown hairs later down the line. Your best bet is to invest in a light oil or cream that’s specifically formulated to be used after hair removal as it will act as a skin soother and astringent in one. We like:Waxaway After Waxing Oil as it removes excess wax and also contains antiseptics to help prevent the formation of pimples and ingrown hairs.
ANTI-INGROWN TIP #2: SCRUB SOONER THAN YOU THINK
While your skin may be slightly sensitive post-hair removal, that doesn’t mean you can forget about exfoliating it until you next decide to go fuzz-free. To help keep your skin smooth and remove any dirt or dead skin residue that may be blocking your follicles, give your skin a gentle scrub three to four days after your hair removal, and continue scrubbing regularly until the next time you shave or wax. We like:AHAVA Dead Sea Softening Butter Salt Scrub, which will effectively slough away dead skin cells and dirt, without being too harsh on your skin.
ANTI-INGROWN TIP #3: OPT FOR PRODUCT OVER PICKING
Although it’s pretty tempting to squeeze or pick at an ingrown hair or a pustule, the bacteria that’s transferred from your fingers to your skin can actually increase the infection around your ingrown hair, which is definitely not a good look. Instead, arm yourself with a hard-working ingrown hair eliminator (preferably before you remove your hair) so that if you do get an ingrown, you’re ready to treat it with the right product straight away. We like: Caron Laboratories Bump eRaiser Medi Paste – and so do our members (they’ve given it an overall five-star rating!) Not only does it reduce redness and swelling, but it also helps prevent infection within the follicle, eliminating existing ingrowns and minimising the risk of getting them in the future.
Do you suffer from ingrown hairs? What do you do to get rid of them? Are you guilty of picking or squeezing them?
