This month we have an exciting topic up for discussion. Drum roll *please and thanks* IT’S INGROWN HAIRS!
I know it may sound odd, but as a sugarista, one of my favourite things to do is remove people’s ingrown hairs. It’s SO satisfying. In fact, I may or may not have been watching videos on YouTube of ingrown hairs being removed before writing this. May or may not… you’ll never know. Before we delve into how to take care of them, let’s go over exactly what an ingrown hair is/how and why they are formed.
By removing your hair every 4-6 weeks, we will catch your hair at the perfect time in its growth cycle to damage and therefore weaken the hair follicle. The aim of this is to eventually (when being done repeatedly) ruin the follicle’s ability to grow with the strength of a thousand suns. This will reduce the amount of hair you grow. You may notice that after your first sugaring appointment your hair, if once coarse, will grow in WAY softer than it originally was. I noticed this BIG TIME.
One sad side effect of this can be that because your hair has been weakened or softened, it may find it more difficult to break through your skin and thus the ingrown hair is formed. OR sometimes some people are just prone to getting an ingrown hair based on their texture.
There are, generally speaking, two different types of ingrowns: Sometimes your hair has just enough strength to break through the skin, but it can no longer hold itself upright. This type of ingrown hair will schlump over (just like when you’ve had too many mimosas at breakfast) and grow back into the skin again, creating a little loop-like shape. The second kind (and these ones fluster me to no end because you can see them, BUT YOU CANNOT RETRIEVE THEM) don’t poke through the skin in the first place. They just stay under your skin and grow horizontally.
Just to let you know, SOO many people get ingrowns. I have a lot of new clients who come in and feel the need to clarify that, “It’s just an ingrown, nothing else!” Don’t worry. We will usually see it’s an ingrown and think, “An ingrown! Fun!” Not, “Uhhhh… is that a STI??” That’s not what we think! Literally… I’d say at least 50% of people have noticeable ingrowns when they come in. If not more. As previously mentioned, it can be totally down to your hair texture. Sometimes, however, the make or break for ingrowns is how you look after your freshly sugared area. It’s super simple, and definitely makes a massive difference in the health and appearance of your skin.
There are two things that are very important to remember: EXFOLIATE and MOISTURIZE! And yes… this includes the Brazilian area too. By buffing away dead skin cells then softening the skin with a moisturizer, it makes that little hair’s job way easier. Now it can grow and make its way through your living skin cells, not the old, hard ones hanging out on the surface. If you’re unsure what products work best, we offer some awesome solutions in the store:
Supracor Spacell sponges are an excellent way to exfoliate the area and keep your skin super healthy. It eliminates toxins in the skin and is antifungal, antibacterial, and allergen free. Because they are reusable and can be machine or hand washed, they are also environmentally friendly! YAY!
My Skin roll-on is another fantastic liquid solution that helps get rid of pesky little ingrowns. If you find that simply exfoliating and moisturizing isn’t doing the trick for you, you can easily add this to your routine.
I Love My Muff is an entire line of health products for your… well, your muff area. It is plant based, cruelty-free, vegan, and has environmentally friendly packaging. This line offers a wash, lotion, spray (all made in Canada!) and wipes, too! You can use the wash with an exfoliating mitt, and the lotion won’t clog your pores. The wipes and mist are an excellent way to keep clean and refreshed throughout the day!
All in all, find whatever works best for you and just remember to exfoliate and moisturize 3-4 times a week.
Happy exfoliating, queens!