Ingrown hairs – home remedies and prevention tips
WHAT ARE INGROWN HAIRS?
Basically, ingrown hairs appear when your skin has been irritated in sensitive areas where there is coarse hair growth. It produces raised bumps that appear red and inflamed and can be compared to a pimple. I find that sometimes the ingrown hairs can be painful. Sometimes be less-painful but itchy and uncomfortable.
WHAT CAUSES INGROWN HAIRS?
Now we know what they look like, and you are probably realising that you may have seen a few appear in your *certain* areas, but what exactly causes ingrown hairs? First of all, everybody can get ingrown hairs, but they are more common in people who have hair that is curly and coarse in texture. Basically, all there is to ingrown hair is this: You cut/shave the hair and everything is good and dandy until the hair starts to grow back! Instead of the hair actually growing outwards, it grows back INTO the skin. This causes redness and inflammation.
Ingrown hairs are common.We get them around our private parts, our armpits, you may get it around your chin. I guess the issue is not necessarily there if you are growing one or two bumps every so often, the real issue is when there is an influx of these shaving bumps every single time you shave. Then that just means you are doing something wrong.
Exfoliation
This is vital when it comes to ingrown hair and razor bumps. I always do a scrub and i mix a few simple ingredients that i will list in a short while. What the purpose of this scrub is, it gently exfoliate the area and gets rid of the dead-cell build-up and this allows for the release of the trapped hair. Also, when we talk pimples and inflamed skin, we also need to talk infections! so by exfoliating the area, you are also cleaning it up and reducing the chances of infections.
INGREDIENTS FOR THE SCRUB:
One cup of himalayan pink salts (some people use sugar, I prefer salts because they are finer, if you want a more grainy scrub with sugar, knock yourself out)
mix in some extra virgin olive oil or any carrier oil of your choice (the consistency also depends on your preference)
Drop in about 5 drops of tea tree essential oil* (to dry up the pimples and kill any bacteria) as well as 5 drops of lavender (to sooth and calm the skin). *essential oils are optional
All you gatta do now, is step in the shower and clean the area and make sure that you are clean before using the scrub.
2. TEA TREE OIL
I mentioned it above, such a lovely essential oil that works as an antiseptic as well as an anti-inflammatory. So it cleans and treats, always great killing two birds with one stone! All you have to do here, if you have this oil at your disposal, is to add 5 drops of it into some 500ml distilled water or into a carrier oil of your choice. Apply to the area. Rinse after ten minutes with some luke-warm water.
3. SOME GOOD OL’ SEA SALT/ LAVENDER SCRUB
When i was little, my parents would make me apply some salt water to a wound to promote faster healing and this remedy has stuck with me. Mix some sea salt in some lukewarm water and use a cotton ball to rub over the infected area. You then have to rinse out the area after a couple of minutes. Do this as often as you need until the ingrown hairs resurface. Add some carrier oil and about 3 drops of lavender oil to a cup of sea salt, you have yourself a great scrub to use in your nether regions to fight those pesky bumps!
4. WARM WATER
Now, this is a tricky one because it needs delicate hands. Simply put a clean towel in some hot water and place around the area. You could actually do this even just after taking a warm bath or shower. All you are trying to do is get the area lubricated and to soften the hair follicles. When you have done that, take a clean tweezers (make sure it was sterilised). Carefully pull out the hairs out of the skin. This is how i deal with it (because i am an impatient woman) and it gives me instant relief. I find that the inflammation goes down a whole lot quicker once the hairs are out.
TIPS:
Always shave in the direction your hair grows in and not the opposite direction. Which sucks because it’s so much easier shaving against the hair.
Use a shaving razor with a more blades. The more blades the razor has, the easier it is to shave and you don’t keep going over the skin trying to shave again and again because that also irritates the skin.
Shave with coconut oil! Instead of shaving creams and hair removals creams, apply some coconut oil on your beard or nether regions before you shave. Not only is it an anti-bacterial, but it will leave you so super silky smooth! (If you’re acne prone and applying on your face, use unrefined castor oil instead)
Always wet the area you are shaving. and no, splashing it in water is not enough, immerse the area in water and make sure it is lubricated and soft.
DON’T SHAVE! yes, there are many alternatives to shaving like waxing – it removed hair directly from the root and that minimised chances of ingrown hairs!
Exfoliate your regions – exfoliating is not just limited to the face, you gatta take care of the other places, too!
Leave some breathing time in between each shaving session. I shave once a month, and that really does help minimize chances of bumps as compared to shaving every week.
Remember: All the remedies I post are based off of my experiences with them as well as research that i have conducted over a couple of years. I am no doctor and i am no and cannot diagnose any condition and my remedies also are not intended to do that. i hope, however, that things i post do help you when you are in need.
All love 🙂
