How to Prevent Hair Bumps

Use a new razor blade every time you shave.

Hair bumps, or ingrown hairs, are an uncomfortable nuisance technically called folliculitis barbae. This inflammation can be accompanied by an infection, causing white pus-filled bumps, or can be indicated by redness and irritation alone. Without an infection it is called psuedofolliculitis, more commonly referred to as razor bumps. The only guaranteed cure for folliculitis barbae is to stop shaving or waxing altogether. If the hair is always kept at or above skin level, it cannot hook back under the skin causing ingrown hairs. If discontinuing hair removal is not an option, there are a few tricks than can help prevent irritation and ingrown hairs.

Things You'll Need

• Foaming face wash
• Cleanser with salicylic acid (optional)
• New razor blades
• Exfoliating scrub
• After-care product for ingrown hair prevention (optional)

Instructions

1. Prepare your skin before shaving. Always shave after warming up the skin with warm water, a steamy shower or a hot towel. Never apply soap or shaving cream to dry skin. Steaming softens the skin, which helps razors glide over the surface, and helps prevent unnecessary trauma to the skin. Hair also absorbs water, which softens the cuticle of the hair making it softer and easier to cut.

2. Shave in the direction of hair growth. Shaving against hair growth gives a closer shave, but can also irritate the follicles. Inflamed follicles are more likely to harbor infection and hairs are more likely to become ingrown if they cannot break through the surface of the skin easily. If you shave, start shaving in the direction of hair growth and always use a sharp razor. A dull blade will drag across the skin and irritate it. Older blades also carry bacteria which can infect the open follicles.

3. Cleanse the skin thoroughly twice a day. Deep cleansing your pores will draw out much of the infection causing bacteria on your skin. Foaming cleansers are particularly helpful for the men's beard area. Use a cleanser with salicylic acid if you have a tendency to develop pustules where you shave. Salicylic acid will help dry up pustules. Make sure to moisturize the skin after cleansing to restore the skin's natural pH level. Wash your face thoroughly after shaving to remove any residue from shaving products that might clog your pores and to help rid your skin of any bacteria on your blade.

4. Exfoliate. The best way to prevent ingrown hairs if you do shave or wax is to exfoliate the area regularly. Exfoliating with a gentle scrub on a daily basis will help keep dead skin from building up. Dead skin and oil buildup will clog the follicles, preventing the hair from being able to exit the surface of the skin and causing it to turn back inside the follicle.

5. Apply after-care products designed to prevent ingrown hairs daily after showering. There is a slew of after-care products designed specifically for the prevention of ingrown hairs. Some common brands of these include Hair Away and Prince Reins. The best of these come in a gel formula, which helps cool and soothe the irritated area while also allowing deeper penetration of active ingredients. Ingredients in these products typically include mild acids, to continue exfoliation all day, anti-bacterial agents to kill any infection-causing microbes left over after cleansing, and anti-inflammatory agents to calm any existing irritation.

References

• Mayo Clinic: Ingrown Hair: Prevention
• Healthy Skincare: Treating Ingrown Hair