How to Remove Ingrown Hairs Painlessly
Ingrown hairs have plagued the human race since the beginning of time and can occur for a variety of reasons. You can get them from shaving, tweezing and waxing, or even when your skin rubs against something else (such as more skin, clothing or jewelry). An ingrown hair is essentially a piece of hair that is trapped underneath a layer or two of skin. Since it can't penetrate the surface, it usually creates a red bump that often has pus (white or yellow and mucus-like in appearance). Fortunately, the itchy, painful bumps can be removed without causing you any more pain than you are already experiencing.
Things You'll Need
- Exfoliator/sugar
- Washcloth
- Ice
- Dry cloth
- Rubbing alcohol
- Tweezers
- Anti-scarring cream
- Bandage
Instructions
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1
Exfoliate the affected area often, especially after removing hair. You can purchase exfoliators at most stores or beauty marts, or you can create your own by adding sugar to your body wash. Apply the exfoliator to a washcloth and massage the area where ingrown hairs exist or may occur. This is both a preventative measure and a way to remove hairs that are already ingrown.
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2
Locate the ingrown hair(s) and apply a pack of ice. Leave the ice on for three to five minutes to numb the area. Don't leave the ice on for more than five minutes. Apply ice to numb the area as often as you want throughout the removal process. Removing ingrown hairs with tweezers is not especially painful, but numbing the area ensures a painless process.
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3
Wipe the area dry with a dry cloth.
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4
Apply rubbing alcohol on the affected area. Also, dip your tweezers in the alcohol. This will sterilize both your skin and the tweezers.
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5
Use the pointy part of your tweezers to rub across the ingrown hair. Do not pinch the tweezers yet -- simply rub the end over the area. This will help remove the thin layer of skin covering your hair. If the hair becomes loose, pluck it with the tweezers. If not, move on to the next step.
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6
Press the area down around the ingrown hair. Do this with your thumb and forefinger.
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Gently pull the ingrown hair out with the tweezers. Make sure to hold the tweezers firmly, but not tightly enough to cut the hair off.
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8
Apply an anti-scarring cream and cover with a bandage when you have removed the ingrown hair. This prevents an infection and any potential scarring (which is not common, but possible).
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