How To Stop Ingrown Hair & Razor Bumps From Waxing & Shaving

Dr. Simi Adedeji shares her expertise:

Staying smooth

Ingrown hairs (pseudofolliculitis) are inflamed hair follicles caused by hairs growing back into the skin—common in coarse, curly hair areas such as the underarms, pubic region, legs, and face.

It can be caused by shaving, waxing, plucking, tweezing, and more—in fact, almost anything aside from “trim it or leave it be”. This is because most methods cause irritation by cutting or pulling hair in ways that make it more likely to re-enter the skin.

Normally, it’s just a case of rash or itchy red bumps appearing a few days after hair removal. However, it can also get more pronounced, in cases of bacterial infection (true folliculitis), hyperpigmentation, or scarring (keloid or hypertrophic).

There are two main kinds of ingrown hair to be aware of:

1. extra-follicular penetration: occurs after shaving—sharply cut hairs re-enter the skin beside the follicle, causing inflammation.
2. trans-follicular penetration: occurs after plucking, waxing, or tweezing—trapped hair grows through the follicle wall into the skin, creating lumps.

Treatment options include:

• Hydrocortisone: reduces inflammation and redness.
• Benzoyl peroxide: antibacterial effect for inflamed areas.
• Chemical exfoliants: help stop hair from getting trapped

How to stop it from happening in the future:

• First, reset things and let it all calm down—stop shaving, waxing, or plucking for about a month—when hairs grow 10 mm or more, irritation usually resolves.
• Next, consider alternatives, such as depilatory creams, which dissolve hair, leaving a blunt or feathered tip that can still ingrow, but is less likely to than the other methods we talked about above. However, this comes with the tradeoff that the cream itself may irritate the skin.
• Then, consider long-term hair removal methods, such as laser or IPL, if you have dark hair on light skin—this is because laser/IPL superheats melanin in the hair to destroy the follicle, which means it won’t work on light hair (no melanin to superheat), and can harm dark skin (superheats the wrong melanin)—or electrolysis otherwise, which doesn’t depend on pigment. Removing the hair permanently means stopping ingrown hairs permanently, because a hair can’t ingrow if it’s not growing back at all.

If you are going to shave or wax, though, then:

• Shaving tips: shave after a warm bath or shower (or pre-soak the area with a warm towel); use shaving cream or a gentle cleanser for slip; avoid stretching your skin; use a bland, fragrance-free moisturizer afterwards; wait 3–4 days before applying glycolic acid.
• Waxing tips: wax before showering and avoid moisturizers beforehand; taking acetaminophen and antihistamines 30–45 minutes before can reduce pain and inflammation, respectively. Ibuprofen will also reduce both things (pain and inflammation).

For more on all of this, enjoy:

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Take care!