Ingrown Facial Hair & How to Prevent it
An ingrown hair is hair that is grown back into your skin instead of growing out of the skin. This could be a result of dead skin clogging the hair follicle. When the hair follicle is clogged, it will force the hair to grow sideways under the skin instead of growing out.
Ingrown hair is common in areas where you shave including the face and neck, scalp, armpits, legs, and pubic areas.
Symptoms of ingrown facial hair
You have ingrown facial hair if you notice…
1. A raised red bump that looks like pimple on your face
2. A boil-like sore
3. Itching
4. Discomfort
5. Pus inside the bumps.
What Causes Ingrown facial hair?
Ingrown facial hair is the same as an ingrown hair that can appear on any other part of your body like the armpits or pubic area. The only difference is that the ingrown hair will be on the face. There’s no known cause of ingrown hair and/or facial hair. The problem is more common in people with very curly or coarse hair although anyone can have it. People with high levels of sex hormones can have more hair than usual, making them more prone to having ingrown hair especially after shaving.
Most ingrown hair will disappear on its own after some time. But if it doesn’t, then it’s possible you have an infection, darkened skin, or scarring.
How to Prevent Ingrown Facial Hair
1. Rub your face in a circular motion every day using a wet washcloth. You should also exfoliate your face on a regular basis to tease out the ingrown hairs.
2. Ensure you shave with a single sharp razor blade.
3. Always wet your skin with water before attempting to shave. A lubricating gel can also be useful for your shave.
4. Shave towards the direction where your hair is growing.
5. Rinse the razor blade with water after every stroke of a shave.
6. Do not shave too closely to your skin
7. Apply a cool washcloth to your skim after shaving to soothe your skin.
An alternative to preventing ingrown facial hair is by not shaving entirely. Grow out your beard, after all, growing beard hairs is amazing. When you stop shaving for a while, you will notice that the ingrown facial hair would reduce drastically.
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