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Ingrown Hair After Waxing
You Don't Have to See Bumps

By Naomi Torres, About.com

An ingrown after waxing happens when the hair grows back into the skin. Most commonly it occurs in areas where there the hair is thick and/or curly, like on men or in the bikini line.

The goal in waxing is to remove the entire hair from the follicle, but often it breaks either above or below the skin’s surface. So now instead of a new hair forming and growing back having a beveled edge, it’s now blunt and sharp. A good example to turn to is shaving, as it often creates ingrown hairs because it leaves hair blunt from cutting it off.

Prevent Ingrown Hair After Waxing

  • Wax at home with know-how. Be sure to follow directions very carefully prepping skin, applying wax and removing it. You’ll have better chances of getting the entire hair out versus just breaking it.

    Learn More:
    Wax Bikini Line at Home
    Wax Your Legs Just Like the Pros
    How to Wax Eyebrows

  • Exfoliate before and after. LIGHTLY exfoliating with an ayate cloth or other mild exfoliator before ridding hair helps remove dead skin cells allowing a better and an easier wax. LIGHTLY exfoliating a day after the wax and continuing to do so, a couple times a week depending on your skin type will help keep dead skin cells out of the follicle. When the hair does start coming back, this helps it pointing up instead of going back into the skin.

  • Stay away from tight fitting clothes.If you have gotten any type of body waxing then you want the skin to be able to 'breathe' so to speak, rather than be constricted. Not only can tight clothes irritate freshly waxed areas, weeks later it can encourage the hair to grow back into the skin causing the ingrown hairs.

  • Stop them before they start. Many products are created to help fight and prevent ingrown hairs before they appear, containing exfoliating and moisturizing properties. Preventing ingrown hairs after waxing before they appear is much easier than tackling the redness and bumps later on. Tend Skin (compare prices) is a big favorite sold at many salons and spas. Apply the product for ingrown hair 48 hours after waxing once per day, or according to the product's directions.
Other issues from waxing like pimples, pain, bumps, bruising and more can also occur.
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