Ingrown hair may be caused by a wide range of factors including dry skin, hair removal procedures, curly hairs, oily skin or close cutting of hairs. It is important to know what causes ingrown hair in your case, to be able to prevent this problem. Ingrown hair may be prevented, but not in all cases, as people with curly hair are more prone to developing ingrown hair. Below are some tips to preventing ingrown hair.
Moisturize Skin
Many people get ingrown hair due to dry skin. If you have dry skin, you will have an excess of dead skin cells, which can be partly removed during showers. But, they may also cover the skin pores and can cause ingrown hairs.
Keeping your skin moisturized can reduce the amount of dead skin cells you shed. Choose moisturizing creams that are suitable for your skin type and are effective in keeping your skin soft and moisturized. Use these creams for your entire body. Get a special cream for your face, which has more sensitive skin and requires a softer formula moisturizing cream.
Regular Skin Peeling or Exfoliation
A regular skin peeling or exfoliation can prevent the occurrence of ingrown hairs. Using a peeling cream and a mesh sponge will remove the dead skin cells and allow the hairs to grow normally. Don’t exfoliate when you have an open wound or broken skin, as this can cause complications such as skin infections. Don’t exfoliate your skin more than 2 times per week, as using this procedure too often can result in dry skin.
Hair Removal Basics
Many hair removal procedures can lead to a number of ingrown hairs. The hair removal procedures may extract hairs entirely (waxing, tweezing, depilation) or may cut the hair short (i.e. shaving). Until the hair starts growing, the pores can get covered by dead skin cells or new skin cells, resulting in ingrown hairs. To prevent this, you can exfoliate your skin right before you get a hair removal procedure. This will remove all dead skin cells and will also soften the skin, so the hair will be easier to remove and skin infections are less likely to occur.
During the shaving procedure, you should make sure you shave in the direction the hairs grow, which will make the hair ends less sharp and less likely to reenter the hair follicles. This technique has been proven to reduce the amount of ingrown hairs. The same technique can be applied in the case of other hair removal procedures. This will help the hairs to grow straight and not curly. Curly hairs are more likely to grow under the skin.
After each hair removal procedure, make sure to apply a towel soaked in lukewarm chamomile tea, which can soothe and soften the skin. Never attempt to remove the ingrown hairs from under the skin using tweezers or needles, as you can cause infections and even permanent scars.
