An ingrown hair happens when a shaved, waxed, or plucked hair curls back and grows into the skin instead of out of it, causing a small, often itchy or tender red bump. They are common wherever hair is regularly removed, the face, legs, bikini area, and underarms especially, and while most clear up on their own, picking or digging at them almost always makes things worse.
How to Tell It Is an Ingrown Hair
Ingrown hairs typically appear as a small, raised, red or skin-colored bump, sometimes with a visible hair looped just under the skin’s surface. They can be itchy, mildly painful, or occasionally develop a small amount of pus if irritated further. This differs from a pimple, which usually lacks a visible trapped hair, and from folliculitis, which tends to involve multiple inflamed bumps rather than one isolated spot.
How to Treat Ingrown Hairs: Step-by-Step
1. Stop Removing Hair From the Area Temporarily
Give the area a break from shaving, waxing, or plucking while it heals. Continuing hair removal on an already irritated ingrown hair delays healing and increases the chance of infection.
2. Apply a Warm Compress
Hold a warm, damp washcloth against the area for 5 to 10 minutes, once or twice a day. This softens the skin and can help the trapped hair work its way toward the surface naturally.
3. Gently Exfoliate Around the Area
Use a soft washcloth or a mild chemical exfoliant containing salicylic or glycolic acid around, not directly on, an actively inflamed bump. This helps clear dead skin cells that can trap hairs, without irritating the bump itself further.
4. Resist Picking, Squeezing, or Digging
This is the step most people get wrong. Using tweezers or fingernails to dig out the hair risks pushing bacteria deeper, causing infection, and often leaves lasting dark marks or scarring, especially on darker skin tones.
5. Apply a Soothing or Antibacterial Product if Needed
A product with benzoyl peroxide or a gentle antibacterial ingredient can help if the area looks irritated or slightly infected. For very stubborn or recurring ingrown hairs, a dermatologist can safely extract the hair with sterile tools if needed.
When It Needs More Than Home Care
See a dermatologist if a bump grows larger, becomes increasingly painful, develops significant swelling, or shows signs of spreading infection like warmth, red streaking, or fever. Deep or chronic ingrown hairs, especially in the bikini area, sometimes benefit from professional extraction or a prescription treatment.
How to Prevent Future Ingrown Hairs
Exfoliate the area regularly, a few times a week, to keep dead skin from trapping new hairs. Always shave in the direction hair grows, not against it, and use a sharp, clean single- or double-blade razor rather than a multi-blade razor that can cut hair below the skin’s surface. Apply a moisturizing, alcohol-free product after hair removal to soothe skin, and consider waiting a day or two between shaves in areas that are especially prone to ingrown hairs.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do ingrown hairs take to heal on their own?
Most clear up within a few days to two weeks with gentle care and by avoiding further irritation to the area.
Is it ever okay to pop an ingrown hair?
It is best avoided. If a hair loop is clearly visible right at the surface, a sterilized needle can sometimes gently lift it out, but digging or squeezing risks infection and scarring.
Why do I keep getting ingrown hairs in the same spot?
Curly or coarse hair is more prone to curling back into the skin, and repeated irritation in one area can also thicken skin in a way that traps future hairs more easily.
Does shaving cause more ingrown hairs than waxing?
Both can cause them. Shaving cuts hair at a sharp angle that can pierce skin as it regrows, while waxing sometimes breaks hairs off below the surface, leading to regrowth that curls under the skin.
Can ingrown hairs leave permanent marks?
Repeated picking or squeezing significantly increases the risk of dark marks or scarring. Left alone and treated gently, most ingrown hairs heal without lasting marks.