5 Tips To Help You Avoid Post-Hair Removal Horrors

Getting rid of unwanted hair is only half the battle. Keeping your skin smooth and rash-free after the hair is gone is another feat to take on! To help you achieve complete victory, keep these tips with you as ammo.

Don’t touch it!

No matter how you got your hair removed – whether it’s through waxing, epilating, threading, plucking, shaving, sugaring, or laser – the first rule to follow is to avoid touching your skin right after you get the procedure, especially if you haven’t washed your hands. Touching the area soon after hair removal might lead to pore clogging or, worse, pimples or infections due to the bacteria found in your hands.

Also, don’t wash the area or put any product on it for a few hours. For waxing and plucking, let your skin rest for 24 hours. For sugaring, wait at least eight hours. For threading, you can start applying moisturizer around the area or filling in your brows after a couple of hours.

Delay any sweaty activity

You may want to re-schedule your gym time after having your hair removed. Excessive sweating can make the skin prone to pimples and infections. Plus, the skin can feel doubly itchy when sweat interacts with open pores.

Exfoliate to avoid bumps

When you’re ready to take a shower, make sure to exfoliate! It helps you avoid getting little red bumps and ingrown hair by removing dead cells on your skin’s surface. Use a product that doesn’t have a strong fragrance about twice a week, as some fragrances might be too harsh when applied directly to the skin. You can also try our DIY green tea sugar scrub for an all-natural exfoliating option.

Pamper and treat

If you can, indulge yourself with an oatmeal bath. Oatmeal contains anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, which help in soothing your skin and preventing further irritations. Simply add a few scoops of uncooked oatmeal into a fine cloth bag, allow it to soak, then apply the oatmeal water to your skin.

Moisturizing is also key after any hair-removal procedure as it helps reduce the chances of getting ingrown hair, razor burn and rashes. Slather on skin-soothing products like aloe vera lotion, witch hazel or hydrocortisone to avoid or calm inflammation.

If you went for a threading, don’t be scared if your skin is a bit red after the procedure. It will go away after a couple of hours. To make the redness subside faster, apply a cool compress.

Don’t skip sunscreen

We all know how important it is to use sunscreen, even when indoors. But did you know that the skin is more sensitive than ever after a hair-removal procedure? So make sure that you don’t get sun-related skin problems – uneven skin tone, heat rash, sunburn and more –  by slathering sunscreen on as part of your regular morning routine.

What's your preferred method for hair removal? Have you tried any of these tips? What about new ones that you can share?

Sources: Refinery29, Pure Clover, StyleCaste