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What are the Different Types of Ingrown Hair Products?

Autumn Rivers
Autumn Rivers

Ingrown hairs can be painful and unsightly, which is why there are many products available that can treat them. One of the most effective ingrown hair products is an exfoliating scrub, which gets rid of the dead skin that usually clogs the area. Lotions that contain salicylic acid can also help get rid of ingrown hairs quite easily. Finally, there are certain tools that can be used when treating ingrown hairs, such as loofahs and tweezers.

Most ingrown hairs are caused by a buildup of proteins blocking the hair follicle. For this reason, exfoliating products that are meant to slough off dead skin cells are often helpful in curing the issue. These are typically supposed to be used in the bath or shower, as they should be applied to the body with a washcloth or by hand, and then rinsed afterward, hopefully taking with it the dead skin cells. Ingrown hair products that are meant to exfoliate usually feature tiny particles that feel like sand, as this kind of rough texture can help scrub the skin cells off easily in order to unplug the ingrown hair follicles.

An ingrown hair.
An ingrown hair.

Among the most commonly used ingrown hair products is lotion with salicylic acid as an active ingredient. This is typically a smooth cream that can be applied by hand to dry skin after a shower, in contrast to exfoliating scrubs, though this kind of cream does have the same purpose. Making sure the skin is clean, free of dead skin cells on the surface, and kept moisturized can go a long way toward avoiding ingrown hairs. Both exfoliating scrubs and creams with salicylic acid can be used since they are usually applied differently, but one of these ingrown hair products is usually enough to get started on getting rid of this issue.

Exfoliating with a wet sponge may help prevent ingrown hairs.
Exfoliating with a wet sponge may help prevent ingrown hairs.

There are various tools that are meant to help prevent and treat ingrown hairs, as well, and most can usually be found around the house. Since shaving with a dull razor is one of the main culprits of this issue, a sharp razor is a necessity when it comes to avoiding ingrown hairs. Additionally, using a loofah in the shower can help with exfoliation, as this kind of sponge is known for being soft yet rough enough to slough off dead skin cells quite easily. Finally, tweezers are among the most well-known household ingrown hair products, as they allow for easy elimination of the hairs in question without causing additional ingrown hairs.

Discussion Comments

turquoise

@literally45-- I just started using an ingrown hair cream that I got from the pharmacy. It's very good, I just apply it on the ingrown hairs. The cream softens the skin and helps get the hairs out with exfoliation.

If you are shaving, waxing or using an epilator regularly, you need to exfoliate right before to prevent ingrown hairs. You don't have to use exfoliating creams. I get better results with an exfoliating brush or loofah, but I use it with a salyclic acid cleanser. This helps get rid of all the dead skin cells which cause ingrown hairs.

literally45

@MikeMason-- There are special tweezers for ingrown hair that have narrow, thin ends. This type of tweezers digs a little bit into skin and removes ingrown hair that way. But you have to make sure it's sterile and that your skin is clean, otherwise you might get an infection.

I had a ingrown hair tweezers a few years back. It was useful, it removed ingrown hairs close to the skin easily. It was harder to remove deeper ingrown hairs with it though. I lost the tweezers and now I'm looking for another ingrown hair remedy. The exfoliating scrubs are good for prevention, but they seem to do little for existing ingrown hairs.

stoneMason

I don't understand how people use tweezers for ingrown hair treatment. The hair is under the skin, so how will a tweezers get it out?

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    • An ingrown hair.
      By: F.C.G.
      An ingrown hair.
    • Exfoliating with a wet sponge may help prevent ingrown hairs.
      By: Africa Studio
      Exfoliating with a wet sponge may help prevent ingrown hairs.
    • Ingrown hairs can be removed with sterilized tweezers.
      By: Photographee.eu
      Ingrown hairs can be removed with sterilized tweezers.
    • A dull razor can cause razor bumps and ingrown hair.
      By: April Cat
      A dull razor can cause razor bumps and ingrown hair.