About Ingrown Hairs
Ingrown hairs occur when a hair gets trapped beneath the surface of the skin and continues to grow inward. Ingrowns can take several growth patterns, either burrowing straight down into the skin, growing parallel to the skin, or the hair can coil and curl upon itself as it grows.
Ingrown hairs can be painful, and when they become infected with bacteria, they can turn into swollen, red bumps or boils. These problematic hairs can happen anywhere on the face or body where hair follicles are present, but they’re most common in the beard and pubic regions because the hairs in those places are often curly. People with naturally curly hair are more likely to experience ingrowns because their hairs can easily coil away from the surface as they grow.
How can Almond Clear help ingrowns?
Almond Clear gently exfoliates the top layers of skin and removes dead skin cells, oil, and clogged material from the hair follicles. This allows buried hairs to come to the surface of the skin, where they can be removed with sterilized tweezers or a needle.
Mandelic acid also has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties that helps to reduce the swelling and redness in angry-looking bumps and boils.
Almond Clear can be safely applied to the bikini area, but avoid contact with the inner labia. Our Level 1 Face & Body Clearing Serum is the best choice for getting rid of ingrowns.
Ingrown Hair Tips
- If you have a painful red bump or boil, then do NOT pick at it! A raised, red bump means that bacteria are present in the follicle, and picking at it will only spread the bacteria and pus further into the surrounding tissue and create further inflammation. Leave the hair alone until the boil has completely calmed down. In the meantime, start using Almond Clear twice daily to exfoliate the top layers of skin and reduce inflammation.
- If you shave the area of skin where ingrowns are occurring, then be sure to replace the razor regularly. Old, dull razors are a huge cause of ingrown hairs. For African American men, use a single blade razor that cuts hairs slightly above the surface of the skin. Bevel razors are a great option.
- It can be helpful to gently scrub the area where you get ingrowns with a clean washcloth or buffing sponge. Gentle scrubbing helps to remove any flakes of dead skin sitting on the surface, which is important because these flakes can trap hairs. It is not helpful to scrub harshly because this will aggravate and inflame existing ingrown boils.
- Deep ingrown hairs that are very inflamed and painful may have to be removed by a doctor. Call your doctor if you have a painful ingrown that hasn’t responded to self-care treatments. A quick surgical procedure can remove deep ingrowns.