Getting rid of an ingrown depends on whether you’re dealing with an ingrown hair or an ingrown toenail, but both follow the same basic principle: free the trapped hair or nail edge from the surrounding skin without causing infection. Most mild cases resolve at home within a few days to a couple of weeks. Here’s how to handle each type safely.
Treating an Ingrown Hair at Home
An ingrown hair happens when a hair curls back or grows sideways into the skin instead of rising out of the follicle. You’ll usually see a small, raised bump that may be red, tender, or filled with pus. The goal is to coax the hair out gently without digging into your skin.
Start by applying a warm, damp washcloth to the area for 10 to 15 minutes. This softens the skin and can sometimes free a shallow ingrown on its own. If you can see the hair looping under the surface, sterilize a needle or pair of pointed tweezers with rubbing alcohol, then carefully thread the tip through the exposed loop. Lift gently until one end of the hair releases from the skin. Don’t pluck the hair out entirely, as that can trigger the cycle all over again when a new hair grows in.
If the hair isn’t visible yet, don’t try to dig for it. Instead, use a chemical exfoliant to speed up skin turnover and bring the hair closer to the surface. Salicylic acid clears dead skin cells, unclogs pores, and reduces redness thanks to its anti-inflammatory properties. It also has antimicrobial effects that help keep bacteria from making the bump worse. Glycolic acid works differently: it loosens the bonds between dead skin cells so they shed faster, giving the trapped hair a clearer path out. Both are available over the counter in body washes, serums, and spot treatments. Apply one (not both at the same time) to the area daily until the bump flattens.
Treating an Ingrown Toenail at Home
An ingrown toenail develops when the edge or corner of a nail digs into the soft skin beside it, causing pain, swelling, and sometimes infection. The big toe is the most common site. Mild cases respond well to a simple soaking routine.
Mix 1 to 2 tablespoons of unscented Epsom salt into one quart of warm water and soak your foot for 15 minutes. Do this several times a day for the first few days. After each soak, gently lift the nail edge and tuck a small piece of clean cotton or waxed dental floss underneath it. This creates a tiny buffer between the nail and skin, training the nail to grow above the skin edge rather than into it. Replace the cotton or floss with fresh material after every soak to prevent bacteria from building up. You can also apply an over-the-counter antibiotic ointment to the area after soaking to reduce the risk of infection.
This lifting technique typically takes 2 to 12 weeks to fully redirect nail growth, depending on how deep the nail has pushed into the skin. During that time, wear shoes that give your toes plenty of room. Tight footwear presses the nail further into the skin and slows healing.
Signs of Infection to Watch For
Whether you’re dealing with an ingrown hair or toenail, infection changes the situation. With an ingrown toenail, warning signs include pus or liquid draining from the toe, skin that feels warm or hot to the touch, redness or darkening that spreads beyond the immediate nail area, increasing swelling, and pain that worsens rather than improves. An infected ingrown hair looks similar: the bump grows larger, becomes more painful, and may develop a visible pocket of pus.
A minor infection around an ingrown hair often clears with topical treatment and warm compresses. An infected ingrown toenail is more serious because the warm, enclosed environment inside shoes gives bacteria ideal conditions to spread. If you notice pus, extreme redness, or pain that makes it hard to walk, that’s beyond home treatment territory.
When Home Treatment Isn’t Enough
For ingrown toenails that keep coming back or are too painful to manage at home, a podiatrist can perform a minor procedure to remove the problematic section of nail. If only part of the nail is removed, healing takes about six to eight weeks. If the entire nail needs to come off, expect eight to ten weeks. In recurring cases, the doctor may also treat the nail matrix (the root where the nail grows from) to prevent that section from growing back at all.
People with diabetes or conditions that cause poor circulation in the feet face a higher risk of complications from ingrown toenails. Reduced blood flow means slower healing, and nerve damage can mask pain signals, so an infection may progress further before you notice it. If you have diabetes, check your feet daily for early signs of ingrowns and have a podiatrist handle nail trimming rather than doing it yourself.
Preventing Ingrown Hairs
Most ingrown hairs are caused by hair removal, especially shaving. A few technique changes make a significant difference. Always shave in the direction your hair grows, not against it. Use a sharp, clean razor every time, as dull blades tug at hair and increase the chance it snaps below the skin surface. Don’t pull your skin taut or press the blade down hard. Let the razor glide with minimal pressure.
Between shaves, regular exfoliation (physical or chemical) keeps dead skin from trapping new hairs. If you get ingrown hairs frequently in the same area, consider switching to a method that doesn’t cut hair below the skin surface, such as an electric trimmer, or explore longer-term options like laser hair removal that reduce hair density over time.
Preventing Ingrown Toenails
The two most common nail-trimming mistakes are cutting toenails too short and rounding the corners. Both encourage the nail edge to curve downward into the skin as it grows out. Instead, cut your toenails straight across, leaving the corners slightly above the skin line. This keeps the edges elevated so they grow over the skin rather than into it. Use a clean, sharp nail clipper and trim after a bath or shower when nails are softer and less likely to crack.
Shoes matter just as much as trimming. Footwear that crowds the toes, particularly narrow dress shoes or heels, pushes the nail sideways into the skin fold. Choose shoes with a roomy toe box, and if you run or play sports, make sure your athletic shoes fit with at least a thumb’s width of space between your longest toe and the front of the shoe.