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Abrasive facial scrubs + ingrown hairs = no more ingrown hairs?

ingrowns are where the hair is cut below the surface of the skin, and so has to burrow out (thus causing the irritation)

scrubs wont stop ingrowns, but I suppose they might make it easier for the hairs to tunnel their way out of your face
 
I've used a similar version of this product, made by Neutrogena as well. It didn't do anything.

These products did work for me, though:
AOS Nighttime Ingrown Hair Treatment- Very pricey, but works pretty quick.
Anthony Logistics Ingrown hair treatment.
MN Post shave treatment, Dries you skin, but works as well.

DE shaving has dramatically reduced this problem.




So, one of my friends was saying that if you get one of those abrasive facial scrubs, like http://www.neutrogena.com/econsumer...ducts/face/oil-free-acne-wash-daily-scrub.jsp , the sand in the product will uncover ingrown hairs and allow you to shave them. Anyone know if this is true?
 
I've never really had a problem with ingrown hairs on my face or neck, but I do get them quite often on my legs- no I don't shave my legs.

Cool "how to get rid of" article. Nice Proraso advertisement!
 
I always considered myself to have fairly good skin; I don't great breakouts and my skin is what you'd consider to be normal or slightly dry. I was therefore surprised when I started shaving using a DE that I began to get more ingrown hairs (and a closer shave). Being the kind of person I am I decided to do some research and find a solution - I have.

Ingrown hairs occur usually due to bad shaving technique, a coarse curly beard or a combination of the two. They occur when a hair is sliced off below the skin and it causes irritation as new skin cells form over the hair trapping it below the skin which it then proceeds to push through. This can cause a razor bump.

Luckily there are great products on the market; some don't market themselves as being good for ingrown but none the less work well due to their ingredients. Firstly, if you have ingrowns you want to start using a facial cleanser which contains glycolic acid. Glycolic acid is really the key to limiting the amount of ingrowns you get. Glycolic acid works by removing dead and loose skin cells thus preventing hair from becoming trapped in the first place. I use a cleanser made by a company called Menscience which contains Glycolic and Salicylic acid. The glycolic acid removes the dead skin cells and salicylic acid reduces inflammation and swelling.

I also use a very well known product called 'Ingrown Hair Treatment' by Anthony Logistics. Why? Because it also contains Glycolic acid. Before finding one that worked for me I tried a lot of the major known brands such as Art of Shaving and Kiehls. The Anthony product works for me because it contains the glycolic acid I need to keep my skin from quickly forming over my shaved skin.

Another bonus to using products with glycolic acid is the very obvious 'glow' and improved texture they give to your skin.

I hope that you find this information useful.
 
I always considered myself to have fairly good skin; I don't great breakouts and my skin is what you'd consider to be normal or slightly dry. I was therefore surprised when I started shaving using a DE that I began to get more ingrown hairs (and a closer shave). Being the kind of person I am I decided to do some research and find a solution - I have.

Ingrown hairs occur usually due to bad shaving technique, a coarse curly beard or a combination of the two. They occur when a hair is sliced off below the skin and it causes irritation as new skin cells form over the hair trapping it below the skin which it then proceeds to push through. This can cause a razor bump.

Luckily there are great products on the market; some don't market themselves as being good for ingrown but none the less work well due to their ingredients. Firstly, if you have ingrowns you want to start using a facial cleanser which contains glycolic acid. Glycolic acid is really the key to limiting the amount of ingrowns you get. Glycolic acid works by removing dead and loose skin cells thus preventing hair from becoming trapped in the first place. I use a cleanser made by a company called Menscience which contains Glycolic and Salicylic acid. The glycolic acid removes the dead skin cells and salicylic acid reduces inflammation and swelling.

I also use a very well known product called 'Ingrown Hair Treatment' by Anthony Logistics. Why? Because it also contains Glycolic acid. Before finding one that worked for me I tried a lot of the major known brands such as Art of Shaving and Kiehls. The Anthony product works for me because it contains the glycolic acid I need to keep my skin from quickly forming over my shaved skin.

Another bonus to using products with glycolic acid is the very obvious 'glow' and improved texture they give to your skin.

I hope that you find this information useful.

when do you use this? before the shave? after? daily?
 
I use my glycolic acid based cleanser after I've shaved. I figure it works better after I shave because the glycolic acid stays on the skin and prevents it from growing over the hair follicle quickly (thus trapping the hair). The ingrown hair treatment I use in the evening - ie. not after I've shaved. For me it's more comfortable that way. It just tingles in the evening but I can imagine it might sting right after a shave.

I also have a couple of other techniques that I use:

I always shave in the same way; it appears hair has a sort of 'memory' for this. First pass I lather my face and neck and shave only north to south on my face. I don't shave my neck at all - I just let the lather soften my beard. Second pass I lather my face and neck and again, shave only my face - north to south. Third pass I lather just my face and shave my neck south to north and only ever a single pass. Amazingly my beard is so soft at this point that it comes off in one stroke, feels incredible and I achieve BBS without ever consciously going XTG or ATG. I'm quite confident in my DE technique so I use a Merkur Futur razor with a Feather blade set at level 4. I change my blade every two shaves - even if it still feels sharp.

I use a rotation of normal creams and soaps; AOS Lemon / Sandalwood, Penhaligons English Fern soap, Castle Forbes Lavender, TOBS Eton College and Luxury. I always use a pre-shave oil (AOS).

I follow each shave with a spritz of Menscience Post Shave relief which contains amongst other things rosemary, aloe, tea tree, witch hazel, camphor and salicylic acid. It goes on whilst I clean up the bathroom and is followed by AOS Lemon aftershave balm.

For me, shaving is something I always wanted to enjoy and so I had to figure out my own 'system'. Since I've started using this process the ingrowns have disappeared, the razor burn is gone and everyday results in an enjoyable shave. Like I said before the glycolic acid also gives a visibly healthier glow to the skin. Why? Glycolic acid is the same product that is used (albeit in much higher concentrations of around 50-60%) in chemical peels. Don't less this put you off though - the products I use contain 5-6% glycolic acid which just gently dissolves the excess skin my body produces that causes me to be susceptible to ingrowns.

As I said in my first post here - this is a system that works for me and is based on a lot of research that I've done to try and find a solution to my shaving woes.

The end goal is to have a great shave everyday and enjoy some beautiful scents along the way. Best of luck!
 
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I don't suscribe to the idea of scrubs and instead use my usual Menscience Daily Face wash with a soft face buffing brush every 2 to 3 days. It is much more effective!
 
Scrubs will help you to exfoliate, but they will most likely not "free" ingrown hairs. Exfoliating will help you get a better shave, even though the act of shaving actually exfoliates to some extent. If you are going to use a scrub, I would recommend it, use one only 2 or 3 times a week or you will over-exfoliate and cause more irritation. It is important to keep in mind that when you use a scrub, don't rub hard! Just massage your face with the scrub. You might find that the scrub is too rough for your skin and there are varying qualities of scrubs too. Jack Black products are some of the best and there are plenty of others out there.

To avoid the ingrown hairs, make sure to shave WTG and reduce the beard before you go XTG or ATG. I wouldn't recommend ATG cause it will probably cause more ingrown hairs. Pressure is also essential. As in no pressure with the blade. If you stay concious of these issues and watch your technique you will see less ingrown hairs. A lot of people also recommend using a soft bristle toothbrush to exfoliate instead of using a scrub. As with all advice, YMMV. Hope this helps you to some extent.
 
I use an abrasive before I shave but the key to not getting ingrown hairs is technique and followup. Not going ATG will help not get ingrowns. Not doing more than 3 passes will help. I get more irritation with the more passes I get, which leads to more likely of my skin getting puffy which has led to me getting ingrown hairs. After shave balms also help me in the reduction of getting ingrowns. Balm have a tendency to cool and calm the skin while splashes (at least for me) cause more irritation, burn, and give my face that puffy look (along with a red face only a Mexican wrestler would love). Just my little ideas, hope it helps you.
 
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