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1. A bottle of Tend Skin Solution that’ll make ingrown hairs and other shaving-or-waxing-related unpleasantness a thing of the past. Regularly dabbing a little of this stuff on afterwards can soothe sensitive spots and help head irritation off at the pass — or, if you're already battling some ingrowns, it can help them heal in as little as 24 hours.
2. Or some First Aid Beauty ingrown hair pads, so you can swipe away swelling and inflammation quickly and easily. These pads use powerful yet gentle BHAs and AHAs like glycolic acid and salicylic acid to help soothe and heal bumps of all kinds — and since they’re, y’know, pads, you don’t even have to dispense anything to use them.
3. A Billie pre-shave body buffer bar, because when it comes to ingrown hairs, an inch of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Exfoliating before you shave can go a long, long way towards preventing ingrowns from starting in the first place, so giving yourself a scrub in the shower with a gentle exfoliating bar like this one before you pick up your razor is a habit worth developing.
4. A soothing serum for your more delicate bits that both moisturizes the area and helps skin cells turn over — key for avoiding ingrowns. From Gillette Venus and made specifically for intimate areas, this daily-use serum packs a dose of lactic acid to keep things moving, dermatologically speaking.
5. A soft silicone exfoliating brush to prep your skin for whatever your preferred hair-removal routine can throw at it. Use it daily before shaving or waxing to help cut down on ingrowns and irritation.
6. Or, an exfoliating shower mitt so you can encourage dead skin, would-be ingrowns, and other dermatological unpleasantness to go gentle into that good night instead of sticking around and getting all itchy. Softer than a regular ol’ loofah, yet still super effective, reviewers say it’s excellent even for sensitive skin.
7. A tube of Finipil Lait 50 antiseptic cream that’ll help stop bacteria in its tracks — which, in turn, will squash ingrowns lickety-split. Apply it to damp skin daily, or after you shave — whichever you prefer — to help banish infections and keep ingrown hairs at bay.
8. A Panasonic Close Curves electric razor reviewers love for its ease of use, its affordable price tag, and its ability to keep ingrowns and razor bumps to a minimum.
9. A tube of Bikini Zone’s classic medicated after-shave crème, because the old favorites usually become old favorites for a reason. I spent many a year using this stuff on sensitive areas; it’s also still my go-to when I travel, because the tube is so packable. Slap it on after shaving and it’ll work to keep ingrowns and razor bumps from getting too out of control. A little goes a long way!
10. A handy razor bump stopper roll-on that takes aaaaaaall the mess out of the ingrown hair treatment equation. As with many ingrown treatments, the key to this one is exfoliation in the form of glycolic and salicylic acids — but the application process couldn’t be easier, thanks to its roll-on form.
11. A bottle of sprayable Coochy Plus post-shave soother so you can keep your bits moisturized and help stop ingrowns from forming with just a quick lil’ spritz. Pro tip: Even though it’s designed for your intimate areas, reviewers say it’s great just about everywhere, including legs and underarms, too.
12. Some GiGi No Bump body scrub that’ll make your pre-shave- or-wax skincare routine more luxurious than you would’ve thought possible. You’ll have to plan ahead to use it — this scrub’s recommended application time is at least eight hours before your shaving or waxing adventure is set to begin — but reviewers say the fuss is absolutely worth it for the ingrown hair prevention it provides.
13. Or, a tube of Paula’s Choice Weightless body exfoliator cream, if chemical exfoliators work better for you than physical ones. You don’t even need to hop in the shower to use it; just smooth this 2% BHA treatment over wherever you need it daily and you’re good to go.
14. And finally, a pack of Peach Slices microdart patches to spot treat any extremely stubborn ingrowns. Although these patches are ostensibly for acne, many reviewers say that they helped degunk and resurface unusually persistent ingrown hairs, solving problems they’d been having for months once and for all.
The reviews for this post have been edited for length and clarity.