The One Product That Single-Handedly Got Rid of My Ingrown Hairs (2024)

I was so impressed by this serum in general, but when I saw it was less than $10 and available at nearly every drugstore, I started recommending it to everyone. It uses lactic acid to gently exfoliate your skin and prevent ingrown hairs. But where it really shines is how damn moisturizing it is. Jojoba oil, coconut oil, olive oil, and glycerin coat my skin and help lock in moisture, which keeps my skin feeling smooth and soft af.

• Key ingredients: Lactic acid (exfoliating); jojoba oil, olive oil, coconut oil, glycerin (moisturizing)

THE REVIEWS: “This product has been a life saver for me,” writes one tester. “Every day after shaving, the intense itching would drive me mad. I just grabbed this stuff hoping it would work, and OMG…game changer! No itching, no bumps, no irritation—just pure relief!”

"These ingrown-hair pads are soaked with AHA and BHA, which makes it easy to exfoliate anywhere anywhere on your body," says Dr. Chiu. Swipe one pad on dry skin a few days before your go-to hair-removal method, then again two to three days afterward to keep your pores and follicles clear. Then, if your skin feels a little tight or dry, smooth on a body lotion afterward.

• Key Ingredients: Glycolic acid, salicylic acid (exfoliating)

THE REVIEWS: “I am happy something finally works for my ingrown hairs,” one reviewer writes. “It’s like a pad with all these amazing ingredients that cleanses, smooths, and helps control pesky ingrown bumps! I no longer have to hide my bikini line!”

Overshare moment: I recently had an ingrown hair on my inner thigh that was so red and swollen that I didn’t even want to wear shorts—and it was an 80-degree day, y’all. But I remembered I had this soothing serum from Tower 28 in my closet, which uses hypochlorous acid, a gentle acid with major antibacterial properties that essentially “disinfects” your skin to help reduce inflammation. I dabbed a little bit of this on the bump in the morning and at night, and by the next day, I didn’t feel nearly as much pain and heat radiating from the spot.

• Key Ingredients: Hypochlorous acid (disinfecting and soothing)

THE REVIEWS: “After having great results for some acne and redness using the Tower 28 Spray, I decided to try the serum,” writes one reviewer. “It worked to heal stubborn acne along my jawline while helping the rest of my face look even toned, reducing redness—especially around my cheeks)—and just helps my skin to look calm.”

So, I actually bought this hot/cold water pack to soothe period cramps, but it’s also come in handy when I’ve had a v-inflamed ingrown hair. I just fill it with hot water, then press it against my clean, dry, ingrown hair to help calm inflammation. Or, when it legit hurts, I’ll fill it with cold water, then stick it in the freezer for 10 minutes and hold it against the bump to reduce some swelling. It’s truly so easy to use and take with me everywhere I go, and because it’s made of silicone, I can easily wipe it down with rubbing alcohol after every use to avoid bacteria spread.

• Key Ingredients: Water (warming and cooling)

THE REVIEWS: “This old fashion device is simply a great solution to providing warmth for achy tummies or sore backs,” writes one tester. “I appreciate that the pad is fairly large so it covers quite of bit of surface area. The warmth lasts quite a while.”

I’ve been using this exfoliating toner to help get rid of blackheads for years now, but I’ve noticed it’s also genius to wipe around my eyebrows two to three days after getting them waxed to help prevent ingrown hairs. Filled with a blend of glycolic, lactic, and salicylic acids, this toner helps dissolve dead skin and pore-clogging dirt and oils that can leave your ingrown hairs infected and inflamed. Plus, it uses niacinamide and allantoin to help soothe my skin, which is always v needed after shaving and waxing my lil bb face.

• Key Ingredients: Niacinamide (soothing); glycolic, lactic, and salicylic acids (exfoliating)

THE REVIEWS: “After using this product two to three times weekly, the texture on my skin has completely gone away,” writes one tester in a review. “My skin is softer and brighter. Definitely a staple in my skincare routine.”

I’ll try nearly anything Cosmo’s deputy beauty director Chloe Metzger raves about, including this body body lotion she loves for her keratosis pilaris, which I figured would also be a game-changer for ingrown hairs and razor burn (bc of course, I deal with both!). It’s loaded with exfoliating AHAs (6 percent lactic acid and 4 percent glycolic acid) to help smooth bumps and uneven texture, but is also spiked with urea, which draws moisture into your skin to keep it hydrated. I smooth this on once or twice a week at night, and that’s it—a one-and-done step.

• Key Ingredients: Urea (moisturizing); lactic acid, glycolic acid (exfoliating)

THE REVIEWS: “This product does the job so well,” writes one reviewer. “It treated the little bumps on my skin and smells incredible too.”

FYI: Retinol speeds up your cell turnover, which helps reduce pore-clogging dead skin, as well as smooths bumpy skin texture. Which is why this retinol body lotion is excellent for my ingrown hairs. It actually uses encapsulated retinol, which is a little easier to tolerate than traditional retinol, so it’s less likely to irritate my sensitive skin. Just know that I did have to start slow: I applied it once a week for one week, twice a week for two weeks, and now I smooth it on my ingrown-hair-prone areas three times a week.

• Key Ingredients: Retinol (smooths and boosts collagen); cocoa butter, squalane (moisturizes); vitamin E (soothes)

THE REVIEWS: “I absolutely love this lotion,” one tester writes. “Retinol, but actually affordable enough that you can use it on your whole body! It leaves your skin super soft and absorbs immediately. I can get dressed when I'm done w/o that sticky feeling other lotions always leave.”

So, I have access to about a bajillion body scrubs as a beauty editor…and yet I’ve used nothing but this scrub on repeat for the last month. It leaves my whole body so soft and smooth (thanks, shea butter) while also helping to prevent ingrown hairs with a mix of sea salt and acids (see: glycolic, lactic, and salicylic) to both chemically and physically buff away dead skin and bumps.

• Key Ingredients: Shea butter (moisturizing); glycolic acid, lactic acid, salicylic acid (exfoliating)

THE REVIEWS: “I'm stunned that they nailed the multitasking factor YET AGAIN!” writes one reviewer. “It's a wonderful exfoliant on dry skin and a luscious body wash on wet skin. The salt just melts. My skin feels hydrated and supple.”

The lactic acid in this gel from Soft Services is the GOAT for gently exfoliating my bikini line without leaving me irritated and dry. It helps get rid of pore-clogging dead skin that gets trapped in my hair follicles and causes ingrowns, as well as helps lighten the dark spots left behind. And because my bikini line is majorly sensitive, I love that this is also filled with some soothing aloe vera and cica.

• Key Ingredients: Lactic acid (exfoliating); aloe vera, cica (soothing)

THE REVIEWS: According to one tester, “I had bumps on my legs from ingrown hairs, and after three applications they are gone! My skin is thinner and more crepey, but this gel is THE BEST! In my 70 years, my skin has never felt better. It feels smooth and soft now—not tight.”

Yup, your pimple patches are actually a genius trick for helping to flatten and hide your ingrown hairs. These patches from Starface are made of hydrocolloid (an MVP material that soaks up excess oils and fluids) and are also formulated with 1 percent salicylic acid (to exfoliate dead skin from your ingrown), so you can treat your bumps while protecting them. Not to mention, but the opaque blue color helps hide your swollen, inflamed bump, making you less likely to try to pick at it.

• Key Ingredients: Salicylic acid (exfoliates); hydrocolloid (absorbs oils)

THE REVIEWS: “These are adorable,” one review reads. “They stick well and help to speed up the pimple healing process. I highly recommend these and pretty much any other products from this brand.”

After lots of trial and error, I’ve discovered that no hair-removal method can completely prevent ingrown hairs, but hair-removal creams are by far the least likely to give me bumps and inflammation. As a refresher, hair-removal creams “break down the tight bonds in our hair proteins, making them weak enough to break off,” as dermatologist Karan Lal, MD, has previously told Cosmo, which results in fewer jagged edges from waxing or shaving that can lead to ingrowns and irritation. Fwiw, I love this one because it’s so gentle on my skin—shout out to aloe vera and vitamin E—and the gel texture easily comes off in the shower.

• Key Ingredients: Aloe vera, vitamin E (soothing and moisturizing)

THE REVIEWS: According to one review, “I shaved previously the night before, but I went ahead and applied this on both pits and waited the allotted amount of time. The hair was very very small, but this product got it done! Using the included plastic scraper, I was able to remove all the teeny tiny hairs that were left over from the shave the night before.”

Basically, this toner is the best defense against dead skin and oil that can clog your pores and lead to ingrowns. How? It’s absolutely chock-full of BHAs (like salicylic acid) and AHAs (glycolic acid, lactic acid, trichloroacetic acid—TCA—and phytic acid), all of which help chemically exfoliate the top layer of your skin to prevent ingrowns. But with all of these acids comes potential irritation and over-exfoliation, so stick to swiping this on with a cotton round only once a week in ingrown-prone areas.

• Key Ingredients: glycolic acid, lactic acid, trichloroacetic acid, phytic acids, salicylic acid (exfoliating)

THE REVIEWS: One reviewer writes, “This is such a great peel. It leaves my skin soft, smooth, and glowy, and it’s so easy to apply. Wouldn’t be without it again.”

Meet this ingrown-hair treatment mist’s trifecta of chemical exfoliants: lactic acid, glycolic acid, and salicylic acid, all of which are legit excellent for chemically buffing away and dissolving dead skin that can cause ingrown hairs. Two to three days after shaving or waxing, I spritz this onto my skin in the morning and at night to help prevent and treat existing ingrown hairs. But I also totally plan to bring this on a trip to Europe this summer as my go-to ingrown-hair treatment since it’s so quick and easy.

• Key Ingredients: Lactic acid, glycolic acid, salicylic acid (exfoliating)

THE REVIEWS: “Yes, the price does initially sting a little, but this ingrown spray really works,” writes one reviewer. “I can’t imagine myself without it now.”

When your ingrown hair feels ultra swollen and inflamed, try 1 percent hydrocortisone cream, a topical, low-dose steroid that helps reduce inflammation. "Dab it on the bump twice a day for two to three days to help soothe your skin and bring down swelling," says dermatologist Hysem Eldik, MD. “Or you could smooth a thin layer all over areas you tend to get ingrowns right after shaving to prevent new ones from forming,” he says.

• Key Ingredients: Hydrocortisone cream (anti-inflammatory)

THE REVIEWS: “I find that this product works well,” according to one tester, “and it’s easy to squeeze out and apply and rubs in without leaving any sort of visible sign it was used. The cream has no scent other than a slight medicinal one and absorbs quickly without being sticky or greasy.”

This ingrown-hair treatment is packed with a bunch of exfoliating ingredients (see: salicylic acid, glycolic acid, and willow-bark extract) and anti-inflammatory ingredients (niacinamide, allantoin, and centella asciatica), making it great at both exfoliating follicle-clogging dead skin and soothing your inflamed ingrown hairs. The serum has an ultra-lightweight, thin consistency that absorbs quickly into your skin, so all you have to do is roll it onto freshly cleansed skin once a day, and you're good to go.

• Key Ingredients: Niacinamide, allantoin, centella asciatica (soothing); glycolic acid, salicylic acid, willow-bark extract (exfoliating)

THE REVIEWS: “My skin is super sensitive, and after shaving my bikini line, I always get ingrown hairs,” writes one tester in a review. “This has honestly saved my beach life! After shaving, I roll it on around my bikini line, and I have not had a ingrown hair or red bump since!”

The Fur ingrown concentrate "utilizes hair and skin-softening ingredients like coconut oil and grapeseed oil to moisturize and calm your hair and skin," says dermatologist Annie Chiu, MD. "It is also blended with antimicrobial tea tree oil to help ‘disinfect’ your skin and reduce inflammation," she says. Smooth this oil wherever your hair grows (i.e., pubic area, underarms, chest, legs, and even the face) daily or right after shaving, waxing, or laser hair removal to calm irritated skin.

• Key Ingredients: Tea tree oil (antibacterial and anti-inflammatory); coconut oil, grapeseed oil (moisturizers)

THE REVIEWS: “This stuff is a miracle,” one tester writes. “Used it after my laser hair removal on my armpits and got rid of my ingrowns within two days. UGH, life-saver!”

You should definitely consult with a doctor before picking at your ingrown hair. But if your doctor gives you the go-ahead to pull out an exposed hair, do so with these steel, pointed tweezers. Sterilize your skin and tweezers with rubbing alcohol. Then, with extreme caution, if the hair is visible and poking out above the skin, gently grab hold of the exposed hair with the tweezers, avoiding touching your skin.

But if the hair isn’t budging, make an appointment with your dermatologist and soothe your bump with some 1 percent hydrocortisone cream instead, as trying to prod or pop your ingrown can potentially cause an infection and scarring.

• Key Ingredients: Stainless steel (can sterilize and wipe down with alcohol easily)

THE REVIEWS: One review reads, “These babies do the job, consistently. They really grab those hard to hold fine and short sprouts that others can't handle. Even ingrown hairs. I just won't bother with any other brands anymore.”

Ingrown hairs are caused "when a hair curls back under the skin in the process of growing back after it’s been removed," says dermatologist Annie Chiu, MD. "The hair that has now curled back into the skin, instead of growing outward, becomes inflamed due to the skin treating it like a foreign body." (Think: a splinter getting stuck in your foot and then turning into a big welt.)

Note that all forms of hair removal will put you at risk of developing an ingrown hair. But ingrown hair can also form on its own as the result of heavy clothing, lack of exfoliation, hormones, or a genetic disposition—such as coarse or curly hair—explains Dr. Chiu. And though they can occur anywhere there’s hair growth, ingrowns are most commonly found in the armpits and groin area where the hair is thicker, coarser, and curlier, explains dermatologist Hysem Eldik, MD.

If you’re dealing with frequent and bothersome ingrown hairs, talk to your dermatologist about in-office treatment options, like cortisone injections, chemical peels, microdermabrasion, or laser-hair removal. Here’s a quick rundown of each:

• Cortisone injections are steroid-based shots that neutralize the inflammation in your ingrown hair to shrink it in about a week (versus what could take up to a month)
• Chemical peels will help dissolve and break up dead skin and oils, as well as smooth uneven skin texture and potentially fade hyperpigmentation
• Microdermabrasion uses gritty diamond-tipped devices to exfoliate the top layer of your skin, then sucks up all those potentially follicle-clogging dead skin cells with a vaccuum-like suction device to reveal smoother, brighter skin after multiple treatments
• Laser-hair removal directs specific wavelengths of light at your skin to heat up your hair follicle and destroy a little bit of it every treatment, which is why it can eventually lead to fewer hairs, a and thus, less of a chance for ingrowns