These two small words can make anyone cringe. Ingrown. Hair!!
Ingrown hairs are ugly, red, and they hurt! They can hurt anywhere on a scale from one to ten and sometimes step into dangerous territory when they create infections, but do we know why they actually happen. Yes – When we wax, the goal is to remove the entire hair from the follicle. However, sometimes the hair breaks off just above or below the surface of the skin. Now, the hair has a blunt edge instead of its natural, beveled edge. This will cause it to struggle to cleanly break through the surface in its regrowth. It’s unnatural for hair to curl back into the follicle or grow into the side of the follicle, as broken strands tend to do, so the body treats this as a foreign object if it can’t grow out, making you prone to bacterial infection.
So, what can you do after your waxing treatment to avoid these horrible red bumps?
- Avoid the sun. Stay clear of the sun’s direct rays for at least 48 hours or until the redness has gone away. After waxing you can be more sensitive to the sun and end up with dark skin spots, especially if you’re taking certain medications.
- Let your skin breathe. This is very important. Do not slip on skintight clothing because this will cause upset skin at the very least, and possibly ingrown hair. Also, don’t touch the area. Yes, we know, it’s very tempting to touch our hair-free skin. However, we use our hands to do almost everything and those germs would love to jump onto our freshly waxed skin and live happily causing irritation, pimples or infection.
- Soaking and steam are’t good. When hair is removed, the empty follicle is more prone to bacteria entering. Shower, but please do not take a bath or get in any type pool for the rest of day after the service, as any bacteria or chlorine in the pool water can cause irritation. The extreme heat of saunas and steam rooms can also disturb skin and need to be avoided for at least the next two days.
- Exfoliate. The bikini area is notorious for getting ingrown hairs after waxing. Keep that dead skin from ruining your bikini wax by clogging pores and causing ingrown hair. Exfoliating also helps skin look healthy and encourages hair to point up, growing in the correct direction.
With so many hairs and only one of us, we’re bound to be outnumbered by ingrown hairs from waxing from time to time – but don’t worry here at nkd ( ) we’ve got your back AND your legs, your brows, your bikini line and whatever else you’d like us to wax.
To book your next waxing treatment at nkd ( ) get in touch with us on:
Nottingham 0115 775 0292
Leicester 0116 430 0332
Or book online plus you can keep up to date with all our special offers and nkd ( ) news by following us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
