Prevention of Ingrown Hairs
Ingrown hairs can be annoying and sometimes embarrassing, especially with the Private Face (female genitalia). They occur when hair grows back into your skin instead of rising from it. You can also develop this problem after the hairs that have reached the surface curl back, pierce the skin, and grow underneath the skin. You may notice a raised, tender bump that is sometimes itchy and read.
Due to the coarseness of our hairs, Black women are at increased risk for this condition. So here are five simple tips to keep those ingrown hairs away:
Increase the Vitamin A in your diet.
Vitamin A reduces the buildup of dead skin cells and decreases the chance of hair embedding into the follicles. Try eating more spinach, sweet potatoes, and carrots.
Stop tweezing!
Tweezing can leave a hair fragment under the skin, which can lead to ingrown hairs.
Instead of shaving, try a hair removal cream.
Shaving is the number one preventable cause of ingrown hairs. A good hair removal cream causes minor trauma to the skin and will not leave a sharp end to the hair follicle commonly seen after shaving. A pointed tip to the hair follicle can easily pierce the skin and develop into ingrown hairs.
Exfoliate, Exfoliate, Exfoliate!
Dead skin cells can clog a hair follicle and force the hair to grow sideways underneath the skin. With exfoliation, you are removing the dead skin cells.
Hydrate the skin.
Anyone removing the hair from down there should use a moisturizer twice a day. Hydration helps prevent a buildup of dead skin cells and keeps the tips of new hair follicles soft.