Question. Hi, i'm writing to you for a bit of advice ..... i'm a 26 year old male and always had the same problem ever since I first started shaving - Ingrowing hairs!! I have many scars on my face from old ingrowing hairs and every time I shave they turn a bluey colour which is really noticeable and makes me extremely self-concious. I also regularly get new ones which are sore and take an extremely long time to heal.
This is now killing my self esteem and I have tried nearly every over the counter product and home remedy and i'm now at my wits end! Have you got anything you could recommend?
Thanks in advance, Ryan.
Gemma's Answer: Hi there Ryan. Thanks for emailing us and just to reassure you this is an extremely common problem in both males and females. Prevention is the key with ingrown hairs and you can prevent them before they even appear or stop them in their tracks with a little help.
To prevent ingrowing hairs I would recommend following this easy routine:
1. Always using a soothing shaving gel when shaving - this lubricates the area and helps defend against razor burn. Dermalogica's Soothing Shave Cream is a good one to try as it calms the area before and after shaving and will help with your older scars and reduce the bluey colour, my boyfriend uses this one and swears by it.
2. Make sure you regularly exfoliating (about 3 times a week) - Lovingbeauty have a particularly good facial exfoliator by Australian Bodycare which is made from tea tree oil, the most natural antiseptic in the world, and will remove all bacteria from your skin. The tiny kernels in the exfoliator will cleanse the pores and remove dry cells, prevent ingrowing hairs and sooth your skin.
3. Finally make sure you moisturise daily to keep the skin soft and supple - this will also allow the current ingrowing hairs to easily work there way out. I would recommend a moisturiser such as Nivea For Men which can be purchased form most supermarkets.
For you current ingrown hairs apply neat tea tree to the infected area with a clean cotton bud, do this about 2-3 times a day and it will clear them up in record time. I always use Australians Bodycare Pure Tea Tree oil which is a high-octane action antiseptic made out of 100% natural Tea Tree Oil and as mentioned-above is the worlds most natural antiseptic and can be used on all minor skin troubles. This can also be purchased from Lovingbeauty.co.uk.
Hope this helps, please let us know how you get on!
xxx
