How to Heal Ingrown Hairs From Waxing

Ingrown hairs are often a side effect of waxing. When hair is pulled from the skin at an angle, as it is with waxing, it can grow back in at the same angle and infiltrate the follicle, thus becoming an ingrown hair. Once this happens, you will often get a rash-like reaction or in extreme cases, an infection. There are some remedies that can help heal this irritating condition.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Refrain from waxing for a couple of weeks, which allows the hair to grow out naturally. In many cases, this will cure any ingrown hair issues without the need for special procedures.
2. Exfoliate (gently) your skin before your waxing, as well as on a daily basis. This process gets rid of dry skin cells and prevents hairs from growing back into the skin. You can use either a loofah or a gentle body scrub to massage the various areas of your body.
3. Wash the affected area twice a day with an anti-bacterial soap, which can help with inflammation and any infection.
4. Apply Tend Skin Liquid, which is a formula used to treat the skin for ingrown hairs (see Resources below). It can be applied on a regular basis, as well as directly before a waxing treatment to loosen the hair for removal or after the treatment to reduce redness and prevent ingrown hairs.
5. Apply a warm compress to the skin until the skin is softened (this should only take a few minutes), which can raise ingrown hairs. With sterilized tweezers, you can pluck out the hairs you find, and then apply an antiseptic cream or a specialty product such as Tend so that skin can fully heal.
6. Rub on a cortisone cream to aid with soothing of the skin, as well as for inflammation and redness. You can order it at Drugstore.com (see Resources below).

Tips & Warnings

• Wear loose-fitting clothes for a few days around the areas you have waxed. This prevents the garments from rubbing against the skin, which can cause hair to burrow back into the skin, thus causing ingrown hairs.
• See a physician if your condition worsens over a couple of weeks. You may need to be treated professionally in order to heal some extreme cases of ingrown hairs.