Ingrown hairs are not only unsightly and frustrating to contend with, they’re also one of those topics most women don’t want to discuss. While we all enjoy the silky smooth results of shaving, waxing, and epilating, the unpleasant reality is that ingrown hairs are often the unwanted side effect of these hair removal methods. Fortunately, there are easy ways to remove ingrown hairs. Featured here are quick and simple solutions for ingrown hair removal.

Ingrown Hair Removal Methods

Tweezing

If the ingrown hair is visible and laying just below the top layer of skin, it’s rather easy to extract. Start by applying a warm, damp washcloth to the skin (to open the pores). After a few minutes, using a slanted tip tweezer, gently scratch the skin to expose the end of the hair. Then use the tweezer to pull the hair out of the follicle.

Exfoliating

There are two basic types of skin exfoliation – chemical and physical.

Chemical exfoliants rely on acid skin care agents, like Alpha Hydroxy or Beta Acids, to encourage skin cell rejuvenation. Chemical exfoliants gently remove the top (dead) layer of skin, revealing newer, fresh skin below. In the process, the ingrown hair gets un-lodged naturally, as the skin that’s grown over the hair has now been removed.

Physical exfoliants utilize granular substances (like sugar or sea salt) to help the body shed dead skin cells (which are responsible for creating ingrown hairs). The upside of body scrubs is that they not only help the ingrown hair become exposed, they also help skin appear more radiant and healthy. Body scrubs need to be used with caution, however, as they tend to be more abrasive on delicate skin (like the bikini area or underarms).

Preventative Treatments

After shaving or waxing, it’s advisable to use an (alcohol-based) anti-razor bump solution. These chemical treatments help minimize redness associated with hair removal methods, reduce razor bumps, and prevent ingrown hairs from forming.

The key to preventing future ingrown hairs is to keep the skin regularly exfoliated. If ingrown hairs are a regular problem that you’re dealing with (as a result of shaving, waxing, or other hair removal method), you might consider doing laser hair removal, since that is not only a permanent hair removal treatment, it also doesn’t result in ingrown hairs.