Those pesky little bumps that just won’t go away, our worst enemy! There are two main causes for this: either the hair curls downward and spirals back into the skin, instead of growing out of the pore. Or the hair grows sideways underneath the skin because of dead skin cells on the surface. As stubborn and unruly as these situations can be, there are ways to safeguard your skin and help prevent the bump in the first place.
Shaving
If you’re going to shave, use a moisturizing shave creme to help soften the hairs. A fresh/new razor helps too, otherwise when using a dull blade you are scraping the skin, leading to irritation. Although you’ve probably been doing the exact opposite all these years, shave WITH your hair’s natural growth. When you shave against the grain, this pushes the hair backwards, making it that much easier to get trapped under the skin when it grows back. The same goes for waxing! Always make sure your waxer is pulling WITH the hair growth, never against.
Exfoliate
Whether you are doing electrolysis, laser, waxing, shaving, or just plain tweezing — exfoliating is so important. If you want to avoid ingrowns, you should be exfoliating about twice a week. Using a mold-resistant washcloth or loofah is great, even a Clarisonic brush every once in awhile can be helpful. Try not to over scrub, as this can be too irritating. Just make small, gentle circles to slough away dead skin cells. Another trick is dry brushing! Which you can read about in our blog post here.
Clothing
This one seems to often be forgotten. Wearing clothing that is too tight, such as skinny jeans, can aggravate ingrowns. This also goes for synthetic clothing like nylon leggings and polyester under garments. Try to wear breathable fabrics like cotton, this especially is important for those who exercise heavily.
Picking
We know it’s hard to stop messing with your own skin, but it’s pretty important to just stop 🙂 If you insist on ignoring this advice: use a cotton ball with an antiseptic on it, like alcohol, and gently cleanse the area. With sterilized tweezers you can gently remove a hair that is VISIBLE right on the skin’s surface. Do this right after showering when your skin is soft and your pores are open. No picking, and no digging with tweezers! Never mess with an ingrown that could be infected. This can be extremely dangerous, so please see your local doctor or dermatologist.
It can be time consuming to go the extra mile and change around your routine. But If you suffer from ingrowns and follow these rules regularly, you will find yourself with smoother skin and less of the bumps.