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ENTITY gives tips on ingrown hair removal and prevention.

With summer in full swing, chances are you’ve shaved your armpits, legs and/or bikini area to be slicker in a swimsuit.

But that smoothness comes with a price, and for most of us, that’s an ingrown hair or two. Don’t panic: It’s more common and easy to deal with than you think.

Here’s how to do simple, at-home ingrown hair removal and how to prevent it in the future.

Ingrown Hair Removal

Put a warm, damp washcloth on the area for about three minutes to soften the hair and open up the pores in your skin. It’s relaxing and it brings the hair to the surface.

Then take clean and sterile tweezers (a tool you probably already own) and gently work them into the follicle to get the hair out.

Note: You’re not cramming the tweezers into your skin. You can see where it needs to be pulled out, and if it’s too deep and difficult to surface, DO NOT FORCE IT. Try the warm water again. Give it a little more time. It’ll be ready to handle eventually; there’s no use stabbing yourself for a single hair.

Once you get the hair to break the surface, you work with the hair from the outside. Gently, slowly pull it out. It’s not quite plucking, because ouch, you’ve been through a lot.

When it’s out, wash the area with simple soap to clean it out and calm it down.

That’s it! No big deal. But still, it’d be better to not have it in the first place. So here are tips on how to avoid ingrown hairs later.

Ingrown Hair Prevention

Soften your skin before shaving with steam and warm water. Usually that means just being in the shower for a little bit before shaving. Shampoo your hair first. Heck, even shampoo, rinse and add conditioner before shaving. Then (fun bonus) your hair can be extra soft and conditioned when you’re done shaving! Just give your skin some time to be less tight.

Exfoliate the skin before you shave.

Don’t use old, dull razors.

Shave in the direction your hair grows. Which is awkward. It feels wrong, but it helps.

Rinse your razor between each stroke. Yes, it’s time-consuming and tedious, but just do it more frequently to keep your razor from clogging.

Put cool, light pressure on your skin afterward. Pressing a cool washcloth on the skin after will reduce inflammation, but don’t rub it. Be chill.

Don’t shave every single day. It sucks if you want perfectly smooth skin all the time, but in the long run, it’ll help. And, in personal experience, hair won’t grow as quickly if you give your skin a break.

Avoid tweezing and waxing.

Finally, wear looser clothing. Lots of friction on your skin irritates the follicles. This is the perfect excuse to wear sundresses all summer!

Now, shave carefully and enjoy your smooth skin poolside!

Edited by Kayla Caldwell
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