Five Home Remedies for Ingrown Hair

You’ve probably experienced it before. You shave your legs or underarm and at first, it looks great, but then you get ingrown hairs or what is commonly known as razor bumps. Instead of rising up, these hair curl around and it tends to grow back into the skin. It characterized by a raised, red bump that may contain pus and looks a little like a pimple. It may cause redness, swelling, inflammation and pain in the area. Although it’s nothing serious and the hair may eventually grow out of the skin, ingrown hairs are nonetheless irritating. If you’re looking for a quick fix that would also speed up the healing process, here are some home remedies you can try out.

1. Sugar

Sugar makes a great exfoliating scrub that is effective enough to slough off the skin that’s blocking the ingrown hair while also being gentle enough not to cause any irritation and even leave the skin feeling smooth. Just mix a cup of white sugar with half a cup of extra virgin olive oil. You can then optionally add 10 drops of tea tree oil or lavender essential oil if you like, or just use the mixture as it is. Apply the sugar and oil scrub on the affected area. Scrub in circular motions for a few minutes before rinsing off with warm water. Repeat the scrub once or twice a week and store any excess scrub in an airtight container for future use.

2. Acne Medication

Ingrown hairs usually have symptoms similar to that of pimples especially when it has pus. To relieve its symptoms, use the same medication you use for your acne. Apply benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid on the affected area several times a day and couple it with daily exfoliation to get rid of the ingrown hair. If you don’t have acne medication, you can make a paste out of crushed aspirin and water, leave it on your skin for 15 minutes, then wash off with lukewarm water. Alternatively, you can apply a dab of toothpaste on the ingrown hairs.

3. Baking Soda

Baking soda has anti-inflammatory properties that can get rid of the irritation caused by ingrown hairs while also soothing the affected area. It will also exfoliate the skin to release the ingrown hair from underneath and reduce the redness of the skin. There are two ways you can use baking soda as ingrown hair remedy. First, mix a one-to-one ratio of baking soda and water then dab it on the area using a cotton ball. Leave it for 5 minutes before washing off with cold water. Repeat two to three times daily. Second, you can make a scrub by mixing one teaspoon each of baking soda and ground oatmeal with one tablespoon of water until it forms a paste. Apply on the area and leave it on for a couple of minutes before rinsing off with warm water.

4. Hot Compress and Tweezers

You can also manually remove the ingrown hair using hot compress and tweezers. Apply the moist, warm compress on the area to soften the skin and hair, and to bring the ingrown hair closer to the surface. Leave the compress on your skin until you can see the ingrown hair just underneath the skin. Using a sterilized sharp item, such as a needle or tweezers or safety pin, tug on the hair lightly until it comes out. Don’t dig around your skin to force it out or else your skin might get cut which might lead to even more irritation.

5. Salt

Salt is another great exfoliating agent that would slough off the dead skin cells that are trapping your hair underneath your skin while also improving circulation and promoting healing. Just mix one and a half teaspoons of table salt with lukewarm water then gently rub the mixture over the affected area using a cotton ball. Leave for a few minutes before rinsing off with plain water. Repeat twice daily until the ingrown hairs clear up.

Total
11
Shares
Leave a Reply
Related Posts
Total
11
Share