Cure 101: Ingrown Hairs

Dearest readers,

Nobody likes ingrown hairs. Infact, it's downright gross and sometimes painful. I've had ingrown hair on my legs for years, causing these ugly little bumps that never seemed to go away. I never knew what some of the secrets to getting rid of them were...until now. So I thought I'd share with you these effective tips!

1. Exfoliating definitely helps with ingrown hairs. Essentially, you're removing the upper layers of dead skin which is blocking the hairs from coming out. Do this regularly (about three times a week is enough) but if you have severe in grown hairs, use a gentle face scrub with glycolic and salicylic acid daily.
2. Use a soft-bristle face brush and liquid cleanser in a circular motion on the area of ingrown ahirs to dislodge the tips of ingrown hairs, eliminate dead skin cells and clear follicles to allow hairs to surface unimpeded.

3. You could also try using tweezers instead. Though be careful on this one. Carefully lift the ingrown end out with tweezers, but don't pluck the hair out; this will only make the hair regrow deeper.
4. Try using products that contain azulene, allantoin and witch hazel can help reduce the redness and swelling.

5. I can't stress this one enough. Avoid pants and stockings if you haven't shaved. These may cause the hair to snap and curl in causing ingrowns.

6. You can use salt mixed with any moisturizer as an exfoliating solution to treat the affected area where the ingrown hair is located.

7. Your affected skin areas need to be silky smooth in order to remove the ingrown hairs. You can use sugar mixed with moisturizer creams and essential oils that specifically fight ingrown hairs in the skin.

8. The Ayate Washcloth cleanses any body part and acts as an exfoliating solution to intensify the process of softening. Its results become visible after its continuous daily use for a couple of weeks.

9. Another effective home remedy is to use an Aspirin Mask. This mask consists of the following ingredients and can applied to the affected area by following these steps:

• Crush three to four uncoated aspirin tablets and mix it in a bowl with hot water, 1 tablespoon of honey, and ½ tablespoon of jojoba oil.
• Thoroughly mix the solution so that the solution is well mixed in its own; the mixture is meant to be thin and not thick.
• Apply the mixture in the affected skin areas, gently scrub it and let it dry for about ten to fifteen minutes. Once it is completely dry you can remove it with warm water, making sure all the solution is completely removed and washed off with warm water and dried with a towel.

10. You can also try taping a potato peeling to infected hairs has been known to work. It is the starch from the potato skin that aids in the removal of pus and infection.

11. You could also try using paste created from clay and eucalyptus oil, which is used to draw out the hair. It also works well as a disinfectant for infected ingrown hairs. This mask should be worn overnight and washed off in the morning

12. When ingrown hairs become excessively infected, a visit to the dermatologist is recommended. I suggest visiting them before you go online for help.


Take Care,

Alley