Aesthetically, people demand hairless bodies and tend to shave the hairs from any part of their body without knowing that many of them are there for an important reason and function such as avoiding ingrown hairs.
In the vast majority of men and women, they prefer a shaved pubic area, even though these pubic hairs are responsible for preventing the development of bacteria in the vaginal area, as well as avoiding rubbing in the area when walking, wearing tight clothing or during sexual intercourse so as not to irritate the area.
Even so, the waxing of intimate areas is more frequent to maintain a well-groomed bikini line to show it off, but shaving the pubic hairs can cause, in addition to the aforementioned ones, tiny traumas in the skin that depending on the person’s hygiene and care can increase until they become ingrown hairs or more severe problems.
What is an ingrown hair?
An ingrown hair is a hair that after being plucked grows back, but underneath the skin causing inflammation and lumps in the area to be shaved such as on the genitals and if shaved with tweezers, razors or wax.
After cutting and hair, the follicle swells and when it grows back the hair does so wrongly below the surface, creating small red or pus-filled pimples that cause itching and redness, like folliculitis.
That is why specialists recommend not shaving the genital area completely because many times it can in grow the hair depending on the method used.
What are the symptoms of ingrown hairs?
- Small red or pus-filled papules in the waxed area
- Skin darkens
- Tenderness to touch in the area accompanied by pain, itching, and irritation.
How to tell if a lump is an ingrown hair
A skin lump or bump usually contains fluid, but it doesn’t cause pain and sometimes doesn’t reflect any color or hole in the skin.
On the other hand, ingrown hair does produce mild pain and irritation, in addition to noticing changes in skin tone in the affected area, but to better differentiate them, ingrown hairs usually appear after a recent shaving.
How to Prevent Ingrown Hairs
Whichever hair removal method you use, we’ll show you below how to prevent them from getting ingrown.
Dilates pores
To achieve a successful shave, it is essential that you can open your pores so that the hair can be extracted more easily and avoid malformations when it regrows.
Use scrubs
Removing dead skin cells through exfoliation will prevent new hairs from getting trapped under the skin and turning into annoying ingrown hairs.
Therein lies the importance of exfoliating your skin a day before waxing, to do so you can choose any soap or special product for exfoliations that you can buy, or with natural ingredients such as sugar or honey with which you can massage the entire skin with a sponge or brush with circular movements to open the pores and remove impurities.
Use Hair Removal Cream
When you shave dry or with regular soap you can cause burning and irritation on the skin, opening up more possibilities for ingrown hairs, so it is important that when you are going to do it you always apply a special gel or cream to wax and moisturize the skin.
Change your razor or razor regularly
If you shave with a razor blade that has lost its sharpness after several waxing you will cause irritation in the skin and end up damaging it, so it is better that you change the razor blade at least after every 3 waxes, as well as not use the same razor to shave your private part as other parts of your body.
How to Remove and Heal an Ingrown Hair Lump in the Private Parts
If you have an ingrown hair on your private parts, apply one of these home remedies to eliminate the swelling and disappear the discomfort.
Apply mallow or chamomile infusion
Chamomile or mallow have anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties, so applying the infusion of one or both of them combined to the affected area will reduce swelling.
To prepare the infusion you can use the plant directly or the tea packets.
Use aloe vera gel
Aloe vera helps to clean the pores leaving them free of any accumulated residue that can prevent the proper exit of the hair, as well as soothing irritation and disinfecting.
You can apply the crystal or pulp of one of the plant’s stalks directly to the affected area to leave it on for a few minutes and wash it off, or buy a gel from a pharmacy that is suitable for your intimate area and apply it at night.
With baking soda
Baking soda acts as an excellent skin scrub to leave pores open, so you should apply it before waxing with gentle massages and for a few minutes.
So, to reduce inflammation, you should mix 2 tablespoons of baking soda with 4 tablespoons of water to make a cleaning solution.
Use apple cider vinegar
With the help of a cotton swab, dip it in apple cider vinegar so that it soaks and you can apply it to the area where the ingrown hair is so that it softens and disinfects so that after about 5 minutes you can lift and remove it.
Exfoliate with sea salt
Exfoliation allows you to remove all impurities from the skin and if it is added to the sea salt that dehydrates the skin so that hair can be extracted more easily, it is an excellent technique to get rid of this discomfort.
Add the sea salt to a little water and apply it to the area for a few minutes until the hair softens.
Apply black tea
Black tea reduces inflammation and redness in the skin, if you have ingrown hairs this is ideal to help remove them due to its tannic acid.
Prepare a simple infusion of black tea so that when it is warm you can apply it to the area and proceed to remove the hair.
Put aspirin in
Aspirin is used as an exfoliant to remove hair and reduce inflammation that occurs when hair gets into the skin and becomes ingrown.
Apply benzoic peroxide or salicylic acid
Using both products at the same time can create irritation on the skin, so you should use one of the two depending on your needs.
Salicylic acid is only responsible for cleaning the pores of traces of impurities to prevent ingrown hairs or to be able to loosen them for easier removal. On the other hand, benzoic peroxide is used in the case of an inflamed area or with pus-filled papules.
Apply a cream that contains steroids
Steroid creams or ointments reduce inflammation and prevent dermatitis, so it helps with the prevention of ingrown hairs.
Remove the hair
After washing the infected area with some of the home remedies mentioned above that will allow the area to soften and de-inflame to be able to remove the hair more easily.
Find a needle and sterilize it with alcohol and place its tip under the curl of the ingrown hair to carefully lift it from where it is embedded in the skin.
