Most ingrown hairs and ingrown toenails can be treated at home with a few simple steps. The approach depends on which one you’re dealing with, but both respond well to softening the skin first, then gently freeing the trapped hair or nail edge. Here’s how to handle each type and prevent them from coming back.
How to Treat an Ingrown Hair
An ingrown hair happens when a hair curls back into the skin instead of growing outward. It creates a red, sometimes painful bump that can look like a pimple. The goal is to soften the skin enough for the hair to release on its own, or to gently lift it free if you can see the loop of hair beneath the surface.
Start by applying a warm, damp washcloth to the area for 10 to 15 minutes. This opens the pores and softens the skin around the trapped hair. Repeat this a few times a day. In many cases, the warmth alone is enough to let the hair work its way out naturally over a day or two.
If you can clearly see the hair loop curling under the skin, you can free it with a sterile needle. Slide the tip of the needle under the visible loop and gently lift until the end of the hair pops above the surface. Don’t dig for a hair you can’t see, and don’t pluck it out entirely. Pulling the hair out creates a fresh chance for it to grow back inward. You just want to redirect it above the skin so it can continue growing normally.
After freeing the hair, clean the area with a gentle antiseptic. Avoid tight clothing or friction against the spot while it heals.
Chemical Exfoliants That Help
If you get ingrown hairs regularly, a chemical exfoliant can prevent the buildup of dead skin cells that traps hairs in the first place. Two ingredients work well for this, and they function differently.
Salicylic acid exfoliates the skin’s surface and also penetrates into pores to clear excess oil. It has mild anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties, which makes it particularly useful for ingrown hairs that are red and irritated. Products with 2% salicylic acid are widely available and effective without being harsh.
Glycolic acid is a smaller molecule that passes easily through the skin barrier. It sloughs off dead cells from the top layer of skin while helping retain moisture. Concentrations below 10% are gentler and less likely to cause irritation, making them a good starting point. Either acid can be applied to ingrown-prone areas (bikini line, neck, legs) a few times a week to keep skin smooth and reduce the chance of hairs getting trapped.
How to Treat an Ingrown Toenail
An ingrown toenail occurs when the edge of the nail grows into the surrounding skin, causing pain, swelling, and redness along one side of the toe. Mild cases respond well to home treatment over the course of a week or so.
Mix 1 to 2 tablespoons of Epsom salts into one quart of warm water and soak your foot for 15 minutes. Do this several times a day for the first few days, and dry your foot completely afterward. The soak reduces swelling and softens both the nail and the skin around it.
After soaking, gently pull the skin away from the ingrown edge using a blunt nail file. Then place a small piece of cotton or dental floss between the nail and the lifted skin. This keeps the skin separated from the nail edge and encourages the nail to grow outward instead of digging deeper. Replace the cotton or floss daily after each soak.
Going forward, cut your toenails straight across rather than rounding the corners. Rounded edges are more likely to curve into the skin as they grow. Shoes that squeeze your toes together also increase the risk.
When an Ingrown Is Infected
Both ingrown hairs and toenails can develop infections, especially if you’ve been picking at them, squeezing them, or popping a cyst that formed around the area. Scratching and irritating the bump introduces bacteria through broken skin.
Signs that an ingrown has become infected include:
- Increasing pain and swelling rather than gradual improvement
- Pus or cloudy drainage from the bump or surrounding skin
- Spreading redness beyond the immediate area
- The bump growing larger over several days
- Fever, which signals the infection may be spreading
A small amount of redness right around the ingrown is normal. But if the redness is expanding, you’re seeing pus, or the pain is getting worse instead of better after a few days of home care, that needs professional treatment. An infected ingrown hair can develop into a deeper cyst that requires drainage, and an infected toenail may need part of the nail removed to heal properly.
Preventing Ingrown Hairs From Recurring
The way you remove hair has the biggest impact on whether ingrowns keep coming back. Multi-blade razors cut hair below the skin surface, which gives a closer shave but increases the chance the hair re-enters the skin as it regrows. A single-blade razor removes hair at the surface level, reducing that risk significantly.
Shaving with the grain (in the direction your hair grows, usually downward) also helps. Shaving against the grain cuts hair shorter and at an angle that makes it more likely to curl back under the skin. You won’t get quite as close a shave going with the grain, but you’ll get far fewer bumps. Other practical steps: shave after a warm shower when hair is soft, use a shaving cream or gel to reduce friction, rinse the blade after every stroke, and never shave over dry skin.
If you shave a particular area regularly and still get ingrowns despite good technique, consider switching to a trimmer that leaves a short stubble rather than cutting at skin level. Laser hair removal and professional waxing are longer-term options that reduce ingrown frequency by changing how hair regrows or removing it at the root.