Ingrown hairs happen when a hair curls back and grows into the skin instead of rising straight out of the follicle. The result is a red, irritated bump that can become painful or infected if left alone. The good news: most ingrown hairs are preventable with the right shaving technique and a simple exfoliation routine.
Why Hairs Grow Back Into the Skin
There are two ways an ingrown hair forms. Sometimes the hair never actually leaves the follicle. It curls sideways under the surface and pierces the wall of the follicle from the inside. Other times, the hair exits the skin normally but then curves back down and re-enters, creating a small puncture wound. Either way, your body treats the tip of the hair like a foreign object and mounts an inflammatory response, producing the familiar red, tender bump.
People with tightly curled hair are significantly more prone to ingrown hairs because the natural curl pattern makes it far more likely that a cut hair will arc back toward the skin. But anyone who shaves, waxes, or tweezes can get them, especially in areas where skin folds or clothing creates friction, like the bikini line, neck, and underarms.
How to Shave Without Causing Ingrown Hairs
The single biggest factor in preventing ingrown hairs is how you shave. A few adjustments to your routine can dramatically reduce how often they appear.
Prep your skin first. Thoroughly wet the area with warm water before you pick up a razor. Warm water softens the hair shaft and opens the follicle, making it easier for the blade to cut cleanly. Apply a shaving gel or cream and leave it on, don’t let it dry out before you start shaving.
Use a single-blade razor. Multi-blade razors are designed to pull the hair slightly up and cut it below the skin surface. That close cut is exactly what causes the hair to retract beneath the skin and grow inward. A single-blade razor cuts at skin level, leaving enough length for the hair to grow outward naturally.
Shave with the grain. Always move the razor in the direction your hair grows. Shaving against the grain gives a closer shave, but it also increases the chance of cutting hair at an angle that encourages it to curl back under the skin. Rinse the blade after every stroke to keep it clear of hair and buildup, and replace it frequently. A dull blade tugs at hair instead of cutting it cleanly.
Don’t stretch the skin. Pulling your skin taut while shaving feels like it gives a smoother result, but it allows the razor to cut hair even shorter. When you release the skin, the hair tip snaps below the surface, setting the stage for an ingrown.
Exfoliation: The Step Most People Skip
Dead skin cells accumulate on the surface and can block the opening of the hair follicle, trapping a growing hair underneath. Regular exfoliation clears that layer away and gives hairs a clear path out.
For prevention, a combination of physical and chemical exfoliation works well on the body. Dry brushing before you shower sweeps away surface buildup. A chemical exfoliant containing glycolic acid (an alpha hydroxy acid) goes a step further by dissolving the bonds between dead skin cells. A concentration of 5 to 7 percent applied two to three times per week is enough to keep the skin clear and help prevent new ingrown hairs from forming. If you’re using it on your underarms, limit application to once a week since the skin there is thinner and more sensitive.
If you already have active ingrown hairs, skip the physical scrubs. Rubbing a textured exfoliant over inflamed bumps can tear the skin and spread bacteria. Stick with a gentle chemical exfoliant until the bumps calm down. And never use any exfoliating product directly on freshly shaved skin. Wait at least a day.
Treating Ingrown Hairs That Already Exist
Most ingrown hairs resolve on their own within a week or two if you stop shaving the area and let the hair grow out. To speed things along, place a warm, damp washcloth over the bump for a few minutes to soften the skin. You can also use a soft-bristled toothbrush in gentle circular motions to help coax the trapped hair toward the surface.
Resist the urge to dig in with tweezers or squeeze the bump. Scratching or picking at ingrown hairs is the most common way they become infected with bacteria, turning a minor irritation into something that needs medical attention.
To calm inflammation and protect against infection, look for products containing soothing ingredients like aloe vera, chamomile, colloidal oatmeal, or tea tree oil. These won’t free a trapped hair, but they reduce redness and help keep the skin barrier intact while the hair works its way out.
Preventing Infection Before It Starts
If you tend to get ingrown hairs that turn into pus-filled, painful bumps, you likely have a pattern of secondary bacterial infection. Washing the area with a benzoyl peroxide cleanser (4 percent strength) before you shave can reduce the bacterial load on the skin and lower the risk of infection getting started. This is especially useful for the bikini line and neck, where friction and moisture create an environment bacteria thrive in.
Signs that an ingrown hair has become infected include increasing pain, spreading redness, warmth around the bump, and pus. A single mildly infected bump will often resolve with warm compresses and keeping the area clean. But if the infection doesn’t clear up within a few days, or if you deal with infected ingrown hairs regularly, that’s worth a visit to a dermatologist. Chronic, recurring ingrown hairs, particularly on the face and neck, are a recognized condition called pseudofolliculitis barbae, and prescription-strength treatments exist.
Dealing With Dark Spots Left Behind
Even after an ingrown hair heals, it can leave behind a dark mark called post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. This is more common in darker skin tones and happens because the inflammation triggers excess melanin production in the affected area. These spots aren’t scars, and they do fade, but the process can take weeks to months without any intervention.
Continuing to use glycolic acid on the area helps by accelerating skin cell turnover, bringing fresh, evenly pigmented skin to the surface faster. Wearing sunscreen on exposed areas with dark spots prevents UV light from darkening them further.
Hair Removal Alternatives
If ingrown hairs are a persistent problem despite good shaving technique, switching your hair removal method can help. Electric trimmers cut hair just above the skin surface rather than below it, virtually eliminating the re-entry problem. The tradeoff is a slightly less smooth result.
Laser hair reduction targets the follicle itself and reduces the amount of hair that grows back over time. It’s the most effective long-term solution for people with chronic ingrown hairs, particularly those with dark hair and lighter skin, though newer devices work across a broader range of skin tones. Results typically require multiple sessions spaced weeks apart.
Waxing and epilating pull hair from the root, which sounds like it should help, but the regrowth still has to navigate its way back through the follicle and skin surface. For people already prone to ingrown hairs, these methods can make the problem worse rather than better.