- Ingrown facial hairs are curly or coarse hairs located, for example, on a man's beard or woman's eyebrows. These hairs usually become ingrown before breaking through the skin, so they may grow sideways or back towards the hair follicle. Ingrown hairs can be painful, and redness or swelling may be present around the follicle. If you have problems with chronic ingrown facial hair, there are several over-the-counter products you can use to eliminate them. If you are focusing on only one hair, your best option is to find a pair of needle-nosed tweezers and tweeze the hair from underneath the skin.
- Ingrown hairs usually occur when a hair is too coarse or curly to grow in one direction. Shaving is the prime reason for ingrown hairs because it slices the hair, leaving the strand at a sharp angle right next to the skin. If the tip of the hair is pointy, it may easily grow in the wrong direction, back into the skin. Wearing very tight clothing can also be the cause of ingrown hairs. A dull razor, dry skin and clogged pores are also leading causes of ingrown hairs. People of African-American descent or with very thick, coarse hair may experience the most problems from ingrown hairs.
- Over-the-counter ingrown hair products like Tend Skin are available at local drugstores and beauty supply stores (see Resources below). Topical liquids like Tend Skin are made with rubbing alcohol and aspirin to reduce swelling, allowing the hair follicle to release the ingrown hair. If you have a very red, irritated neck or other facial area, Tend Skin may work well for you, but for individual ingrown hairs, the best remedy is to purchase a pair of needle-nosed tweezers at your local drugstore and tweeze the hair. The tweezers should be brand-new and dipped in alcohol or hydrogen peroxide beforehand.
