Ingrown hairs happen when a hair curls back and grows into the skin instead of rising out of the follicle. Your body treats that buried hair like a foreign invader, triggering inflammation that shows up as a red, painful bump. The good news: a few changes to how you remove hair and care for your skin can dramatically cut down on how often they appear.
Why Ingrown Hairs Form
After you shave, wax, or tweeze, the hair’s cut tip can be sharp enough to pierce back into the surrounding skin as it regrows. Shaving is the most common trigger because it creates a blunt, angled edge on each strand. Pulling your skin taut while shaving makes this worse, since the hair retracts slightly below the surface and is more likely to grow sideways once released.
Hair texture plays a major role. Curved follicles that produce tightly coiled hair are far more prone to this problem because the natural curl directs the growing strand right back toward the skin. Up to 83% of Black men in the United States experience chronic ingrown hairs (a condition called pseudofolliculitis barbae), and rates are also elevated among people of Hispanic and Middle Eastern descent. But anyone who removes hair can get them, especially in areas where skin folds or clothing creates friction, like the bikini line, neck, and underarms.
Better Shaving Technique
The single most effective change you can make is shaving with the grain, meaning in the same direction your hair grows. Shaving against the grain gives a closer cut, but it also lifts the hair and slices it at a sharper angle, which significantly increases the chance of it curling back under the skin. If you’re not sure which direction your hair grows, run your hand over the area: the smooth direction is with the grain.
A few other adjustments help:
- Use a sharp, clean blade. Dull blades require more passes and more pressure, both of which irritate the skin and increase the odds of ingrown hairs. Replace your blade regularly.
- Don’t pull the skin tight. Stretching the skin while shaving lets the hair retract below the surface, setting it up to grow inward.
- Shave after warming the skin. A warm shower softens the hair and opens the follicle, so the blade cuts cleanly with less force.
- Use a shaving gel or cream. Lubrication reduces friction and lets the blade glide instead of dragging across skin.
- Rinse the blade between strokes. Built-up hair and product on the blade force you to press harder.
If ingrown hairs are a persistent problem despite good technique, consider switching to a single-blade safety razor. Multi-blade razors are designed to cut hair below the skin’s surface for a closer shave, but that same closeness is what causes the hair to become trapped. A single blade cuts at the surface, leaving just enough length for the hair to grow outward.
Exfoliation Keeps Follicles Clear
Dead skin cells can seal over a follicle opening, trapping the hair underneath. Regular exfoliation clears that debris and gives the hair a clean path to the surface. You can exfoliate physically (with a gentle scrub or a washcloth in circular motions before shaving) or chemically, which tends to be more effective and less irritating.
Two ingredients stand out for chemical exfoliation. Salicylic acid is oil-soluble, which means it can penetrate into the pore itself. It clears dead cells, reduces redness and swelling, and has antimicrobial properties that help prevent the bump from getting infected. Glycolic acid works on the skin’s surface by loosening the bonds between dead cells so they shed more easily. Both also promote cell turnover, bringing fresh skin to the surface so hairs are less likely to get caught under old layers. Look for a leave-on treatment or toner containing one of these and apply it to ingrown-prone areas a few times per week, or daily if your skin tolerates it.
Alternative Hair Removal Methods
If shaving consistently causes problems, switching methods can help. Electric trimmers and clippers cut hair just above the skin rather than below it, which largely eliminates the sharp, sub-surface tip that causes ingrown hairs. The tradeoff is a slightly less smooth finish, but for areas like the neck or bikini line where ingrown hairs are frequent, it’s often worth it.
Depilatory creams dissolve the hair chemically rather than cutting it, which produces a rounded tip instead of a sharp one. They can irritate sensitive skin, though, so test a small patch first.
Waxing and tweezing remove the entire hair from the root, but they can still cause ingrown hairs because the new hair growing in may curl under the skin on its way up. Waxing is generally better than tweezing for larger areas since it pulls hair in a more uniform direction, but it’s not a guaranteed fix.
Laser Hair Removal as a Long-Term Fix
For people who deal with ingrown hairs constantly, laser hair removal is the closest thing to a permanent solution. The laser targets the pigment in the hair follicle and damages it enough to reduce or stop regrowth. A 2023 study found that 75% of participants saw significant reductions in ingrown hairs after just three sessions. A full course of six to eight treatments can reduce hair growth by up to 90%, and with far less hair growing back, there’s far less opportunity for ingrown hairs to form.
Laser works best on dark hair against lighter skin, though newer devices have expanded the range of skin tones that respond well. It requires multiple sessions spaced weeks apart, and maintenance treatments may be needed over time. The cost adds up, but for chronic sufferers, especially those with pseudofolliculitis barbae, it can be genuinely life-changing.
Treating Ingrown Hairs You Already Have
For a mild ingrown hair, the goal is to reduce inflammation and help the trapped hair reach the surface. Apply a warm, damp cloth to the area for 10 to 15 minutes to soften the skin. A product with salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide can calm the inflammation and keep bacteria in check. Resist the urge to dig the hair out with tweezers or a needle. Picking at it introduces bacteria and almost always makes the situation worse, often leaving a scar or dark spot behind.
If you can see the hair loop at the surface, you can gently coax it free with a sterile needle tip, but only if the hair is clearly visible. Once it’s freed, leave it alone and let the skin heal.
For stubborn or recurring ingrown hairs, a dermatologist may prescribe a retinoid cream. Applied nightly, retinoids accelerate skin cell turnover so trapped hairs can break free more easily. Results typically show within about two months. Retinoids also help fade the dark marks that ingrown hairs leave behind, making them a two-in-one treatment for both active bumps and lingering discoloration.
When an Ingrown Hair Gets Infected
Most ingrown hairs resolve on their own, but occasionally bacteria (usually staph) colonize the irritated follicle. Signs of infection include increasing pain, warmth, and swelling around the bump, along with pus that may crust over. The skin may turn red, purple, or brown depending on your skin tone, and the area can feel hard to the touch.
A single small infected bump often responds to warm compresses and an over-the-counter benzoyl peroxide wash. But if the area keeps spreading, feels increasingly painful, forms a deep boil, or you develop a fever, you need medical attention. Deep infections sometimes require antibiotics or drainage.
Fading Dark Spots After Ingrown Hairs
Even after an ingrown hair heals, it can leave a dark patch called post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. This is more noticeable on darker skin tones and can linger for months. Retinoid creams are one of the most effective treatments for this, both by speeding up cell turnover and directly helping to even out pigmentation. Glycolic acid and vitamin C serums can also help fade marks over time. Sun protection matters too: UV exposure darkens hyperpigmentation and slows healing, so applying sunscreen to affected areas speeds up the fading process.