Ingrown Hair

 – Men’s Grooming Guide

Ingrown hair, wherever they are, are like shadowy black sheep. They either grow sideways or right back into the skin. They can be on your scalp, under arms, legs and pubic regions. Symptoms like itching, pain, irritation, redness, hyperpigmentation, red bumps and folliculitis are indicative of ingrown hair.

rakning-irritation

What causes ingrown hair?          

  • Coarse or curly hair type
  • Wrong shaving method
  • Tight clothing
  • Dead skin cells
  • Lack of natural skin exfoliation

One or more of the above factors can cause you to develop ingrown hair. Now that we’ve satisfactorily identified the reasons behind this annoying grooming problem, the next pertinent question is how to cope with it in an equally acceptable manner.

Here’s how it's done:

Pluck or reposition with a pair of tweezers: The first thing that comes to any man’s mind is picking up a pair of tweezers and starting to pluck out those unwanted hair. Tweezing is a bit painful, but helpful nevertheless. Or else, you can only pull up those hairs to the surface and leave them in place instead of plucking them out.

Try physical or chemical exfoliation: Simply put, exfoliation is how you remove dead skin cells. First, you can do it with the aid of some scrubs, special gloves, or brush. But if the problem is a serious one, chemical treatment with salicylic acid/alpha hydroxy acids does help. These are easy DIYs that can be practiced at home. 

Shave it the right way: Shave in the direction of hair growth to avoid scratches, razor burns or scars. Otherwise, it will pick at normal hair. Never use dull blades to shave. Use the best if you’re to shave at all. Dull ones put extra pressure on the skin and lead to irritation due to repeated shavings.

Have a vigorous bath: Scrub your entire skin vigorously with an exfoliating sponge or a towel when you take a shower. The hair in your genital area is curlier than facial hair, and hence the chances of encountering troubles with the ingrown hair there is greater. Follow a regular exfoliation regime for such areas.

Use loose clothes: Tight clothing leads to friction between the fabric and the skin, and puts unnecessary pressure on hair follicles. The result is that the hair under continual pressure will begin to curl back and grow inwards instead of moving upwards naturally. So, make it a point to wear only loose and comfortable garments.

The final words

If you’re lucky enough, your ingrown hair will vanish on their own, which sometimes they do without you having to do anything in particular. However, if it becomes a persistent issue, then that’s when you should start doing something worthwhile to eradicate the pain. Follow the treatment options we just discussed above to get rid of ingrown hair once and for all.