Editor’s Note: This post was written before our faith-centered refocus, but we still stand by the message. Capital Femme is now a space where skincare meets Scripture 💛

Ingrown hairs can be itchy and plain annoying. In case your wondering what that is. An ingrown hair is hair that grows beneath the skin instead of the surface of the skin.

If you have thick, curly or coarser hair then you’re more likely to get them after removing body hair. This can include hair from your armpits, bikini area, arms and legs. Here are 4 ways you can treat those unwanted ingrown hairs:

1. Apply warm compresses.

This will help lift the hair to the surface of your skin.

2. Exfoliate the area.

Sometimes there is a build-up of dead skin cells on the skin’s surface causing the hair to grow beneath the skin. You should be exfoliating your skin regularly according to your skin type. Also, continuously wearing tight clothing can cause friction and result in ingrowns.

3. Gently pull out the hair.

You can use tweezers to pull out the visible hair. Please don’t dig into your skin.

4. Stop hair removal until ingrown hair is removed.

Continuing hair removal over an ingrown hair can make it worse and take even longer to go away so be a little patient. If it gets uncomfortable/irritated (red, swollen) then it might be infected. You can use an antibiotic ointment to help clear the infection or hydrocortisone cream for any itchiness in the area.

I hope these tips helped you in some way. Remember that ingrown hairs can also be prevented based on your hair removal technique and with consistent aftercare.