Ingrown hairs: 10 ways to help you enjoy a bump-free shave

Few of us have escaped the discomfort of an ingrown hair.

The Doctors’ Book of Home Remedies offers these tips for a clean shave:

• If you can see the troublesome bristle lurking beneath the skin. apply a warm, damp compress to soften the skin before plucking it out with a pair of sterilised tweezers. Apply an antiseptic to head off any further trouble.
• If you can’t see the hair, be careful in case it ISN’T one at all. Apply the warm compress until you can see a hair there. Follow steps as above.
• The curlier your hair, the more likelihood of ingrown hairs. If you are a curly-top, consider growing a beard.

• Prepare the hair for shaving by washing thoroughly with soap and warm water for two minutes. Rinse and apply a shaving cream or gel. Leave for another two minutes before shaving.
• Don’t aim for too close a shave – use an electric shaver and leave some sexy designer stubble.
• Beware of twin bladed razors. The first blade cuts and sharpens the hair, while the second cuts below skin level. This may cause the sharpened hair to curl around and go back into the skin.

• Try to train your beard to grow out straight by shaving down on your face and up on your neck. You should see an improvement in a matter of months.
• Use a creamy aftershave lotion as opposed to an astringent one. This will soothe the skin and keep the hair moistened.
• If an ingrown whisker becomes infected. apply a 10 percent benzoyl peroxide solution to help kill the bacteria.

And one for the ladies:

• Don’t shave from ankle to knee – this is against the grain and can cause ingrown hairs. Rather shave from knee to ankle.

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