How to Treat Ingrown Hairs: What You Should Know

Knowing how to treat ingrown hairs properly will save your skin from irritation and prevent them from growing back again. Here’s what you need to know.

How to get rid of Ingrown Hairs
Whether it’s your first wax or your 50th, many women and men cope with the same pesky problem: ingrown hairs. Trapped under the skin, these tiny little gremlins can be uncomfortable, unsightly and even lead to infections when not treated properly. Our expert aestheticians at Nude Beautique have shared some insight about those finicky follicles.

Ingrown hairs are actually quite common
It’s not just you! Almost everyone will see an ingrown hair at some point in his or her lifetime. There are lots of types of ingrown hairs — you might notice bumps, dark spots or even a snake-like strand that’s trapped under the skin. These happen when the hair curls up, creating a bump, or other times the hair grows sideways at an awkward angle just under the skin. Either way, ingrown hairs tend to be itchy, uncomfortable and can even appear like a rash.

Clients with coarse, curly hair are more susceptible
Since ingrown hairs are caused by hair curling back on itself, the issue is more common among men and women with curly hair. At the same time, oily skin can also cause a higher occurrence of ingrown hairs. So as the hair tries to grow out, it hits a wall of excess oil and/or dead skin cells and gets trapped under the skin. That’s why it’s important to exfoliate regularly — this will scrub away dead skin cells, as well as dirt and oil that cause buildup.

Top Tip: The specialists at Nude Beautique recommend exfoliating 3 days after a wax then maintain at once a week for normal skin, or twice a week for clogged skin. Granular, sea salt-style scrubs are typically the most effective and leave skin feeling fresh. If you’re looking for something other than a scrub, ask about the Nude Exfoliating Mitt, which unclogs pores and works wonders on any part of the body.

If left untreated, ingrown hairs can become infected
Like pimples, many clients are tempted to take matters into their own hands at home, but if you dig at ingrown hairs it can cause an infection. It’s important to remember that the irritated area is full of bacteria and picking at any blemishes will likely lead to further infections and then scarring.  And if the infection happens to be around the Brazilian area, the unsightly scar will takes 3 times as long to heal compared to other parts of the body.