Ingrown hairs

[HowsTheSerenity]

I have started waxing my bikini line again and I have developed the most horrific ingrown hairs. Red, pimply revolting bumps everywhere. I exfoliate and use tea tree oil cream but it does not work.
Any ideas to get rid of it and to make sure it does not happen again?

[Fluffycloudland77]

Tk maxx do skintend quite cheaply and I've heard quite good things about that in the past but you can prob get it mail order too.

[BelieveInLife]

I think you mean TendSkin fluffy? It is really good.

Skin Doctors do a similar one called IngrowGo but TendSkin is better.

What are you using to exfoliate? You should be using a grainy scrub with natural rather than synthetic grains. Do you moisturise as well?

Use the TendSkin as a preventative treatment even once they're gone. Just wipe over once or twice a week, perhaps more after waxing.

[BelieveInLife]

Oh forgot to add - whilst you're waiting for the TendSkin or whatever to arrive, for immediate relief you can try crushing up some aspirin into a little drop of water and applying that to the area.

[Fluffycloudland77]

Yes tendskin! Sorry op

[HowsTheSerenity]

I use an exfoliating brush thingy and a natural exfoliant as well. I will try and find the tendskin thing. Never heard of the asprin thing but I can see how it would work. Thanks!!

[stylenotfashion]

Prid cream from VictoriaHealth.com is what the models use when doing bikini shoots.

[cyrilsneer]

Make your own Tendskin! - cheap as chips and works brilliantly.

100ml isopropyl alcohol (available from smaller chemists - not Boots - about £1.50)

2 tbsp Witch Hazel (available from Boots or any chemist)

20 soluble aspirin

I put all three ingredients together in a Pyrex just, leave it until the aspirin have dissolved and give it a good stir.

I then divide it between two 100ml bottles (the sort they sell to decant stuff into when you travel - available from Boots/ Superdrug - mine came in a cheap pack of three for a pound with some pots too from Primark) and put one in my bathroom and one in my daughters' bathroom.

Saturate a cotton pad and swipe it over the area after shaving and a few times a week and red bumps/ ingrowing hairs are a thing of the past.

Hope this helps.

[cyrilsneer]

*sorry - said "shaving" because that's what my daughters and I do - I realise that you wax - it'll work the same. Cyril

[Havingkittens]

Ooh, I already have all of those ingredients. Thanks for the tip.

[Havingkittens]

Ooh, I already have all of those ingredients. Thanks for the tip. Actually just did a Google search on this. Adding glycerine would be a good idea too (which I also have ) as it moisturises the skin which helps prevent more ingrown hairs - and is also contained in Tendskin.

[Havingkittens]

Oops, I seem to have posted the first half of my post before finishing it

[MrsMc82]

Can I hijack to ask a question, have bought some tend skin as get horrid ingrown hairs after a brazilian and am having a wax tom afternoon so whah do u reccomend? Should I just wipe it on the skin each day after then? Will it stop the horrid itchy regrowth phase too??

Cheers :o

[BelieveInLife]

MrsMc I would use it tonight, tomorrow morning and then wait until morning after your wax and it might be a bit stingy tomorrow evening. You can moisturise tomorrow evening though.

BTW you really shouldn't be getting itchy regrowth if the therapist is properly trained.

[MrsMc82]

Really? Doesn't everyone get itchy when regrowth it gets to the horrid prickly stubly stage?? What's my (lovely!!) therapist doing wrong?

[BelieveInLife]

Nope, they really don't!

If the therapist is waxing using the right technique, they should be pulling the hair right out from the root. This is quite difficult to explain in writing, but if you imagine when you pull a hair out only partially or you break it off then you get an angle to the hair and when it comes back through the skin with that angle on it that's what causes the irritation. That is why irritation occurs from shaving, because the hairs are being shaved off at an angle.

If the hair is pulled out of the root it grows back with no angle on it, it grows straight back through and should cause no itchiness.

I could explain much better if I could draw you a diagram!

[MinginInTheRain]

my therapist swears by scrubbing daily in shower with exfoliating gloves and shower gel rather than body scrub. much more effective. and then loads of lotion to moisturise. she explained why ingrowns occur because hairs grow back finer and struggle to push through dry skin - if skin is scrubbed and moisturiser there isn't a layer of dead skin cells that need to be fought through.

the itchy stubble occurs when hair is struggling to break through. if hair cannot break through it will grow under skin or twist back down towards it's root.. hence the blight of ingrowns.

[MrsMc82]

Its ok I think I get what you mean!! That's interesting, I started getting waxed cos I thought it woukd be better than shaving and so worth the money...but maybe not the case with this girl..... Might try elsewhere next time then.... Cheers for the advice.... And sorry OP for the hijack :o

[mamaGool]

Sudocrem is also good (both soothing & preventative)

[BelieveInLife]

Yes mingin that's why the ingrown hair problem just gets worse the longer you wax for. I've been having my bikini line done since I was 16 (many years ago now :-)) and my hairs are now super fine. It's also the area it is, there's usually a fair bit of friction from clothes there which causes more irritation.

It is worth trying hot wax mrsmc as that technique is often better on bikini line.

[madhousewife]

I am not sure if this would work with a wax but after I shave I roll on deodorant and it seems to really work. If I don't I get the worst ingrown hairs. An old stripper trick apparently!

[BelieveInLife]

Really?! Wow never heard that one before! Maybe it's the alcohol in the deodorant.

Bet ingrown hairs weren't the reason strippers put deodorant down there

[madhousewife]

haha!

When I stop breast feeding I'm tempted to shell out the £300 on the boots laser hair remover - I'm skeptical but I've read a few reviews that make me want to give it a go.