Woman shaving legs ingrown hair

Ingrown hair: How to get rid of ingrown hairs – and stop them coming back

27th March 2024 | Author: Victoria Woollaston-Webber

We explain what causes ingrown hairs, how to get rid of them as well as how to stop the annoying lumps from ever appearing


If you’ve ever had an ingrown hair, you’ll know they’re unnecessarily difficult to get rid of. Not only can they feel itchy, they cause red bumps to appear on the skin and are often accompanied by spots and pus – not a good look anywhere on your body.

The problem arises especially after shaving, which is why men typically get them on their face and neck, while women find them on legs and armpits and pubic region.

Despite the irritation they cause, an ingrown hair isn’t inherently dangerous – but if they’re left untreated they can become infected.

To get to the bottom of what causes ingrown hairs, how to get rid of them as well as how to stop them for good, we’ve spoken to Chanele Rosa, a Candela Medical Clinical Specialist for UK and Ireland, and Nada Ward, Founder of soap bar brand Beauty Kin.


Ingrown hair

An ingrown hair is a common condition where your hair curls back or grows sideways back into the skin, resulting in an inflamed, raised, red bump.

They can be painful, and some may form a boil-like sore. Ingrown hairs can be caused by some methods of hair removal such as waxing, tweezing or shaving, predominantly among people who have dense coarse hair.

In some cases, it may be caused by a lack of exfoliation in the area or a hormonal imbalance.

Ingrown hair after shaving, cream or epilator. Anatomy infographics of hair vector illustration. Beautiful legs.Getty Images/iStockphoto

“One of the first signs of ingrown hairs is itchiness around the suspected area, usually followed by redness,” according to Ward. “Another indicator is raised skin, or lumps that appear to be filled with pus, as the area has become inflamed.”

Sometimes you can see the hair that’s struggling to break through just beneath the skin. This can make it tempting to try to remove it or break the skin to help it escape.

People often think that if they don’t use any methods of hair removal, they won’t get ingrown hairs but this is not always the case.

Our hairs shed on a regular basis and when the hair grows back the hair follicle may be covered with dead skin preventing the hair from exiting the skin and resulting in an ingrown hair.

People with curly hair are more likely to get ingrown hairs but people with straight hair can also develop ingrown hairs.


How to get rid of ingrown hair 

It is best to stop waxing, shaving, or plucking your hair until the hair goes away. A warm compress can be applied to help open the follicle and you can gently exfoliate the area to help lift the hair above the skin.

Be careful not to over-exfoliate though. Removing dead skin can help reduce the number of ingrown hairs in an area but frequently exfoliating can also contribute to ingrown hairs because the skin regenerates quickly, and the hair follicles will be covered before they start to grow.

You shouldn’t ever tweeze the hair whilst it is under the skin because this may break the skin in the area and cause an infection. You also run the risk of leaving a fragment of hair under the surface of the skin.

Once the hair has lifted out, you can use a sterile tweezer to gently pull the hair out although your tweezers need to be strong and sharp, in order to successfully grab the whole of the hair.

If the ingrown hair is infected, you will need to see your doctor who may prescribe an antibiotic.

“The temptation to gouge out an ingrown hair with your fingernails or tweezers is almost too much to bear at times,” explained Ward. However, using dirty hands or tools can potentially lead to infection, or even scarring.

Once you have removed the ingrown hair, your skin should clear up and calm down. Make sure you then apply a moisturiser to prevent the skin from drying out.


How to stop ingrown hair

Beauty Kin soapBeauty Kin soap

Rosa recommends creams with ingredients that exfoliate the skin such as salicylic acid, glycolic acid or lactic acid. You can read more about these ingredients in our guide to the acids in your skincare.

“Exfoliation helps maintain healthy hair follicles, allowing your hair to grow back in a normal way,” added Ward.

This is because if you don’t exfoliate, and especially if your forget to moisturise after shaving your skin can become overly dry and coarse skin. This makes it thicker and harder for hairs to break through, which causes them to grow inwards.

Tea tree oil has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties and aloe vera will help soothe the area.

Do not pick or squeeze ingrown hairs as this may cause an infection and may result in a scar. Laser/IPL is a great solution for preventing ingrown hairs as it permanently reduces unwanted hair.

“If an ingrown hair has become infected, it could look more like a spot than a lump, and a whitehead could also be present,” said Ward.

Yet she stressed that even if you don’t like the look of ingrown hairs, they’re perfectly normal. “In a society that is so obsessed with skin being smooth and hairless, it is no wonder that ingrown hairs are extremely common.”


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