The Ingrown Hair Bible

Ingrown Hair Bible

Ingrown hairs are by far one of the most frustrating parts of the whole hair removal process. Men and women alike struggle with this all too common skin condition. Some people don’t get it as frequently (lucky!) while others sneeze and get a new one (my life, yours too?) for no reason. So what is causing us to get these frustrating unwanted bumps? Are all bumps after hair removal an ingrown hair? What can we do to prevent them? Can they be treated at home? What can we do to treat them?

What is an ingrown hair?

As suggested by the name, an ingrown hair is a hair that has been trapped or ‘ingrown’ in the skin. In the beginning stages it may look like a small pimple, that could be red, with a hair on the surface. If left untreated and if the hair doesn’t go away, it may turn into a larger cyst.The cyst can look red, white or yellow, very large and quite painful to the touch.

What causes ingrown hairs

There are different factors that can cause ingrown hairs. The main reasons include:

Shaving or hair removal in the wrong direction
Curly hair getting stuck inside the hair follicle instead of growing straight out.
- The hair is being blocked from growing out correctly due to an excess of dead skin. These pores sometimes grow out at an angle and therefore the hair curls back inside the pore. This is what causes inflammation, red bumps and pain.
- a buildup of dead skin that in turn clogs the pore and blocks the hair from growing after waxing or shaving
- Using pore clogging products

Other factors that play a part in the birth of bumps after hair removal

Tight clothing

I’ve noticed in my practice that many of my clients that get frequent ingrown hairs usually get them on one side of the skin or in one area. When asked, they inform me that they are either wearing a girdle or often wear clothing that may be tight. Wearing clothing that is tight will rub on the skin and cause chaffing or a rubbing irritation which may cause an irritation. Also be mindful that things such as girdles are not often washed or cleaned as often as they should and bacteria will also play a part in the creation of ingrown hairs, cysts or acne in the area of hair removal. So always be mindful of the clothing you are wearing.

Build up of bacteria

Bacteria won’t always create an ingrown hair but will create folliculitis which is often confused for ingrown hairs. Folliculitis is also known as Pseudofolliculitis Barbae (PFB), Pseudofolliculitis Pubis (pubic area), Barber’s Itch or Razor Bumps. It is quite common on men’s beard areas. Some people get them on their underarm after a wax or shave and confuse these with ingrown hairs when in fact they were created by the bacteria from their sweat.

Lack of hydration, moisturizing

I can’t say this loud enough, dehydrated/unmoisturized skin (even if it’s oily) will always struggle. If you’re not drinking enough water you’re not giving your skin the opportunity to be its best and glow. Dehydrated skin will break out more.

No exfoliation

Skin doesn’t stay on our bodies for its whole existence. We are always shedding skin on a daily basis, but to get to beautiful glowing skin we need to help the shedding process.The skin that we see as the top layer is considered to be dead skin cells. To reveal beautiful glowing skin, though, we must exfoliate regularly. This applies even more for those of us prone to ingrown hairs. Removing the top layer of dead skin cells is essential to treating and preventing ingrown hairs. An excess of dead skin will clog the pore and be a primary reason for ingrown hairs. Physical scrub exfoliation should be done 1-3 times a week while chemical exfoliation can be done from 1x per week to daily depending on the strength of the product.

Using wrong products

Some products are full of junk ingredients and can end up doing more harm than good. When ingrown hairs are a problem you must take a look at the products you are using in the problem area including soaps, oils, butters and lotions, ect. When selecting products make sure to check their comedogenicity levels which translates to, how well they rate in pore clogging levels. Pro tip: some low comedogenic ingredients are shea butter, kokum butter, jojoba oil, meadowfoam seed oil, aloe vera gel, and witch hazel. The soap you use also makes a huge difference and can clog the pore so much so that it creates its own layer of skin (tips hat to bar soaps including those with white birds on it, or as I like to call it ‘he who must not be named’).

Waiting too long before a wax

In my experience I’ve noticed that sometimes getting ingrown hairs, although can be due to a mixture of different reasons, more often than not, is a sign that it is time for your next wax.

Are all bumps after hair removal ingrown hairs?

Cysts

A cyst is a large bump that extends from the skin’s surface and deep underneath it.

In some instances, an ingrown hair can cause a cyst, resulting in an ingrown hair cyst.

Other types of bumps, such as pseudofolliculitis barbae and pimples, may also be mistaken for ingrown hair cysts.

Pseudofolliculitis Barbae (PFB) aka Pseudofolliculitis Pubis (pubic area) aka Barber’s Itch or Razor Bumps

A good, clean shave leaves your skin feeling so smooth and soft at first — but then come the red bumps. Razor bumps are more than just an annoyance; in some cases, they can cause permanent damage if they’re not treated. These can be identified by small groups of red bumps that may look like tiny pimples and may have a white head to it. They may also look like oozing or crusty blisters that have broken open. They can also be red areas of skin that are swollen and tend to leak pus.

Symptoms in recently removed hair area include itchiness, pain, darkening skin, small papules which are solid flat-ish often red bumps, or pustules which are pus-filled, blister like lesions.

Causes of these annoying little bumps include curly hair getting stuck inside the hair follicle instead of growing straight out. The hair is being blocked from growing out correctly due to an excess of dead skin. These pores sometimes grow out at an angle and therefore the hair curls back inside the pore. This is what causes inflammation, red bumps and pain.

Tinea Barbae

Tinea barbae is a fungal infection of hair-bearing areas and can look very similar to PFB on visual examination. Tinea barbae requires different medication for treatment in the form of oral and topical antifungal medications

Pimples or Acne

Yes you can get acne in intimate areas. Our skin is ridden with these tiny hole looking things that we call pores. Pores are essential to our skin to protect it, and is where hairs grow out of. When the pores get clogged with oil, dirt, bacteria, and dead skin cells then acne is born. It is possible to have acne + an ingrown hair in an area of hair removal.

What you can do to prevent

Drink plenty of water
Cleanse with wholesome products
Exfoliate 1-3 times a week
Moisturize with low comedogenic level products
Wax if possible
Use products that won’t clog pore
Wear loose clothing
Getting facials or vajacials in problem areas (see below for more)

Treatments for PFB

You can treat at home with products that include, aloe vera, tea tree oil, and an exfoliating scrub. If you shave, do it in the direction of hair growth instead of doing it against the grain preferably with an electric razor, and a quality shaving cream. Exfoliate with retinoids, glycolic or salicylic acids, or benzoyl peroxides to help clear the follicle opening. Products to check out:

Treatments for cysts

Warm towel compresses can help the inflammation go down. Dabbing it with a mixture of oils that includes tea tree oil is a great option to reduce inflammation and swelling. iGB Beauty’s ingrown hair oil is a great option. This will assist in the cyst going down in size so that any ingrown hair can be extracted once the inflammation is gone. Some tools that are also great include High Frequency or LED Light Therapy. High Frequency is a painless tool that kills bacteria on contact and induces collagen production on the skin. LED Light Therapy has different colored lights that upon contact with the skin has different benefits to the skin. the most popular LED Light are red or blue. The red lights speed up collagen production to the skin while the blue lights assist in the killing of bacteria that produces acne, cysts, ingrown hairs and folliculitis.

Treatments for ingrown hairs

Start off with a great cleanser that is paraben free, sulfate free with alpha hydroxy acids to gently remove dead skin cells. Continue with something that will moisturize but not clog the pore. Products to check out:

Extractions by a dermatologist or esthetician helps alleviate them. If your esthetician offers vajacials it is a good idea to do these regularly to help treat and prevent as they know what products to use for your particular skin needs. Waxing every month will also help prevent ingrown hairs. Some tools that are also great include High Frequency or LED Light Therapy. High Frequency is a painless tool that kills bacteria on contact and induces collagen production on the skin. LED Light Therapy has different colored lights that upon contact with the skin has different benefits to the skin. the most popular LED Light are red or blue. The red lights speed up collagen production to the skin while the blue lights assist in the killing of bacteria that produces acne, cysts, ingrown hairs and folliculitis.

Treatments for acne

Make sure to cleanse your skin with a gentle soap that will rid the skin of oils and dirt. Moisturize with non comedogenic products. Don’t pick at the blemish as it will scab, scar or get further infected. Do not touch it. Don’t wear tight clothing. Using products with salicylic acid is best in this case. Some tools that are also great include High Frequency or LED Light Therapy. High Frequency is a painless tool that kills bacteria on contact and induces collagen production on the skin. LED Light Therapy has different colored lights that upon contact with the skin has different benefits to the skin. the most popular LED Light are red or blue. The red lights speed up collagen production to the skin while the blue lights assist in the killing of bacteria that produces acne, cysts, ingrown hairs and folliculitis.

Ingredients that can help

When making your own DIY products keep in mind that any water in it or that may potentially get in it will cause it to grow gross bacteria that will be harmful to your skin, therefore when making your own concoctions please make sure not to make a huge batch so that it doesn’t go bad before you can use it all. Contrary to popular belief Vitamin E does not work as a preservative and will not prolong the shelf life of your home made product. The following ingredients will help treat and prevent ingrown hairs and therefore products that include them are great if this is something you struggle with. When selecting a quality product make sure to look out for anything with these ingredients.

Glycolic acid with its alpha hydroxy acid magical powers will exfoliate the skin by ridding dead skin cells.
Tea tree oil reduces inflammation and opens pores to loosen ingrown hairs. It is a natural antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial.
Salicylic acid helps to remove dead skin cells so that ingrown hairs sprout out less likely
Lavender oil is anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial to shrink any swelling and help skin get rid of bacteria.
Neem oil may help the skin rid the bacteria and certain fungal infections which make it great on folliculitis
Lemon oil (always rinse off well and wear SPF after)

DIY Scrub

In a bowl mix 2 tbsp sugar to 1 tbsp jojoba oil and add a few drops of tea tree oil and lavender oil. Apply to wet skin and scrub for up to 5 minutes. Rinse well. Do this once per week for best results.

Highly recommended lab tested products for ingrown hairs

Recommended Cleansers

Recommended Moisturizers

Recommended Serums

Recommended Oils

Exfoliating

Tools

As a thank you for downloading this eBook, I’d like to offer a

$10 discount

to you at our NYC studio for an in person Brazilian wax + vajacial if you are a first time customer.

At checkout make sure to include in the notes: “ingrown free”

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