If you’re like me, you probably have trouble with ingrown hairs, especially during the bikini season. You know how annoying these little guys can be and they pop up even when you’ve tried to be careful shaving.
Ingrown hairs usually pop up as small bumps and they can be pretty painful, that much is obvious, If you’ve ever wondered how to get rid of ingrown hairs in an easy, natural way, I am here to help!
Let’s face it, you’ve probably had to deal with these little buggers since you first picked up a razor but with the easy tips in this article you’ll get rid of ingrown hairs the easy, natural way and not only that, but keep them away.
Of course, you’re probably thinking that you’ve tried everything but let me tell you, there are natural ways to get rid of ingrown hairs that you’ve probably never tried.
Let me show you one of the ways I use to tackle those painful little bumps!
Things You Need
In order to get rid of ingrown hairs and soothe the bumps that you do have you just a few simple items.
Make sure you have these on hand or purchase your supplies in advance, you want to be prepared to do all the steps at once, once you start the routine.
Baking soda – you’ll be making an exfoliating paste using baking soda as the base, you may even want to have a dedicated box of baking soda in your bathroom for repeat applications
Honey – honey will be added to your baking soda base to make your exfoliate. Honey is also well known for its ability to improve your complexion and skin tone, in fact, honey has been used to beautify skin since the Egyptian empire!
Essential Oils (optional) – if you like a little extra fragrance or you dabble in essential oils, pick one that soothes and nourishes your skin. Adding an essential oil to the baking soda exfoliate mix will leave your skin looking fresh and healthy.
Aloe Vera – plain aloe vera gel works best and will be used after your exfoliating treatment to further soothe your skin. Aloe will help reduce redness and irritation too which also helps alleviate ingrown hairs.
Washcloth or Hot Compress – you’ll be using a hot compress after you apply the baking soda exfoliate to your skin. If you’re not happy with the heat from a washcloth you can also opt for a hot therapy pack from the drug store.
Tweezers – be sure you have a good pair of tweezers to grab any ingrown hairs that you currently have.
Let’s Get Rid of Ingrown Hair!
Ok, you’ve collected your supplies and now we’re ready to start the process. Follow these steps:
Step 1 CREATE AN EXFOLIATING PASTE WITH THE BAKING SODA AND HONEY MIXTURE
Use equal parts of the mixture and mix until you reach a consistency that is sticky but can still “flow” across your skin.
Add whatever essential oils or additives you prefer. The exfoliating paste works great on its own but feel free to make it your own. Just be sure to stay away from any oil or ingredient that will be too harsh on your skin
Step 2 EXFOLIATE YOUR SKIN
Exfoliate your skin and, if you have them, any current ingrown hairs. You want to be sure to focus on these bumps since the best way to get rid of ingrown hairs is to stop them early!
When you apply the baking soda exfoliator to your skin scrub to remove all the dead skin, don’t work it too hard but be sure to cover all the areas and focus on the current ingrown bumps.
Step 3 APPLY ALOE VERA GEL TO THE AREA AFTER YOU HAVE EXFOLIATED
This will help soothe your skin and keep irritation down. If you have to have an aloe vera plant you can even apply fresh aloe leaves to the area.
Do this step quickly and don’t let the aloe “soak” on your legs. You want to be sure to get the soothing power of the aloe without letting your pores relax too much.
Step 4 APPLY THE HOT COMPRESS OR HEAT PACK
By now you may be able to see a few hairs that are coming to a head. Apply the hot compress or heat pack (whatever you prefer) to the area.
Applying heat to the bumps means the pore will open up and this means it will be easy to tweeze the hair out completely.
Step 5 TWEEZING
Sterilize your tweezers with an alcohol swab or just dunk them in some isopropyl alcohol in a cup. Use clean, sharp tweezers every time you pluck ingrown hairs, this is the best way to keep them from coming back or getting the pore infected.
Step 6 APPLY A COOLING OR ANTI-INFLAMMATORY TREATMENT
Apply a cooling or anti-inflammatory treatment when you’re finished applying heat and tweezing.
Natural solutions such as witch hazel or tea tree oil are very effective but you can also use the aloe vera gel to reduce the chance of irritation.
Preventing Ingrown Hairs for Good!
Now that we’ve talked about how to get rid of ingrown hairs, you probably want to know how you can keep them away or prevent them altogether.
Actually, it is not as hard as you think and with the large array of skin care products on the market today, you can find many of these options at your local pharmacy.
The easiest way is to stop shaving altogether, but for many of us that is not an option. Of course you can look into laser treatments but they can be expensive and waxing is painful. No one wants to put themselves through that kind of torture every time a hair pops up.
SO HOW DO YOU PREVENT INGROWN HAIRS FROM COMING BACK?
It’s easy, first, you should always be sure you use a clean razor when you are shaving
If you do have to reuse a razor, be sure to soak it in alcohol or some other disinfectant prior to use.
A clean razor is key to keeping those little bumps away! You also need to be sure that your razor is sharp, you want to be able to cleanly remove the hair from the surface of your skin. Also…
Use shaving cream
This will help soothe and moisturize your skin from the moment you put it on.
Shaving cream is essential to preventing ingrown hairs when you shave and there are some fantastic brands available today.
Some of them even include “bump prevention” ingredients to reduce the chances of ingrown hairs.
Now that you have the shaving routine down, you should also be exfoliating your skin on a weekly basis
Exfoliating will keep the dead skin from accumulating when you shave and dead skin is part of the reason you get ingrown hairs since it clogs your pores. Be sure to exfoliate with a loofah, baking soda or other product that is designed specifically for exfoliation.
You may want to check other products for specific parts of your body too, like for your bikini area or legs.
Finally, do your research and find the right post-shave moisturizer or cleansing pad
There are many options available to you and you can find them at your local market or pharmacy. Look for pads that specialize in ingrown hair prevention, they usually include a combination of glycolic acids that work to keep dead skin from building up and causing irritation.
This means you’ll keep ingrown hairs from starting at all and it is an essential step in preventing them.
The good thing about using a wipe or pad is that you can use them every day and get the most bang for your buck!
If you follow these simple tips to prevent ingrown hairs, you’ll have flawless looking skin in no time.
On Your Way to Getting Rid of In Grown Hair!
I hope you found this article helpful and that it helps you get rid of ingrown hair in an easy and natural way. In the past I struggled with constant ingrown hair bumps no matter how hard I tried.
It didn’t matter if I used a new razor or reduced shaving altogether, fighting with ingrown hair was a constant battle and then I started applying these steps.
You can find relief too! All you have to do is use a few simple ingredients that you may even have in the house already!
Also, one of the best things about this list is that it involves natural ingredients which is important to me and I sure you like that too. Not only that but it has seriously cut down on the amount of time I spend in the personal grooming department which means I have time to do other things.
The steps and treatment in this how-to are also easy to use and are very economical so if you’re on a budget, this method will work well to keep you looking great and keep some money in your pocket.
Who doesn’t like that?!
