Pants On Fire! A Solution For Your Ingrown Hair Blues...

As the summer months transition into autumn, chances are that you’re wearing more jeans, yoga pants, leggings, etc. You may also have noticed an upsurge in the severity of your ingrown hairs along your bikini line and even extending down your inner thighs. Since I began performing waxing services over 18 years ago, I have long noticed that the frequency of ingrown hairs along the bikini line seems to increase during changes in weather, particularly from warmer into colder months.



So many questions about this phenomenon have run through my mind...

...Is it me? ...Is it my waxing technique?

If so, why would there be more ingrowns at that time of year? And why would the frequency of my clients' ingrown hairs increase compared to other months? If this really was connected to my waxing technique, why am I noticing more ingrown hairs on the sides of the client's bikini line rather than all over? ...I also had to wonder why the ingrown hairs would also exist in those same outer/side-areas in people who had never even been waxed at all.

Instead of focusing on myself, I began to ask my clients about their ingrown issues.

When did your ingrown hair problems start?

-- "Before I started getting waxes at Daniela's Facial Studio."

Did you have ingrowns or breakouts when shaving the area before you started waxing services?

-- "Yes, and it was even worse then!"

(After noticing the ingrown hairs being worse on a particular side of the client's bikini line, I would then point to the direction where they might have been habitually crossing their legs.)

Do you cross your legs this way (pointing) when sitting?

-- "Omg, YEAH, how'dja know?!"

The evidence was mounting. 


I have since come to the conclusion that there has to be a connection between the formation of ingrown hairs (and even body breakouts!) and friction. Maybe even pressure, too. Considering that every skin problem starts with inflammation, various instances of friction and pressure must be subtly causing inflammation. 

What do we normally wear in the summer that we don’t wear in the fall and winter? Light-weight dresses, skirts, loose shorts, etc. Of course, in the colder months we're more likely to wear clothes that rub, bind, scratch, and hug the body. If the repercussions of friction and pressure were on the surface, we'd all be throwing our worn-out jeans and leggings into the garbage, but in this case, it’s the pores that must be bearing the brunt of the friction.

I have also come to another conclusion that 
the skin hates anything new happening to it.

In the friction process, little-by-little and bit-by-bit, pore linings on the skin's surface begin to swell, which obstructs proper hair growth.

In the worst case scenario, the body interprets the obstructed hair as an invasion and sends white blood cells to create a pus-filled breakout. In the best case scenario, the inflamed pore just stays swollen, which creates redness and pain.

So, what to do? There are essentially two steps to combat ingrown hairs.

• You must first lessen the impact of pressure and friction on the skin by making sure that smooth, 100% cotton material lies between your skin and your clothes, covering the most problematic ingrown areas.
• If your ingrown hair problem extends to outside your underwear seams, you may need to start wearing full "boy short"-type underwear. 
• If you notice that your ingrown hairs are happening in the area where seams rub or dig, you may need either better fitting underwear or a different cut. 
• Wearing thongs with jeans is an absolute no-no.
• Secondly, we have to help soothe, heal, and protect the skin from the effects of the friction and pressure.

The traditional approach to ingrown hair problems has always been exfoliation with salicylic acid. But we want to prevent ingrown hairs in the first place, not just continually treat them after they're already become an issue!

Salicylic Acid is a great ingredient in skincare and it can do a fantastic job in loosening impactions and slightly calming inflammation, but I personally think that it doesn't do enough to prevent or stop inflammation in areas of daily friction. I also recommend body exfoliation with spa gloves, but you have to be VERY careful to not aggravate the skin, since this can cause more inflammation and you’ll just perpetuate the ingrown hair cycle.

When it comes to ingrown hair prevention, FerroRosa FrictionFix® is your answer!

I invented the FerroRosa FrictionFix® anti-inflammatory body powder for this very reason -- to act as a barrier to the effects of friction while simultaneously soothing the skin. This revolutionary product is applied like a body powder twice a day to your problem areas with your hands or with a cotton-round. With continued use, you’ll experience relief in about a week! 

The powder can be used in conjunction with one of the best mandelic acid products I've ever seen, which is sold in my web store, and with exfoliating spa gloves. 

Please be aware that FerroRosa FrictionFix® is quite pink!  The powder may come off a little bit onto your clothes, but it will never stain.  No, it’s not pink because I made it for women -- in fact, both men and women are huge fans! :)  (Especially those working in the restaurant industry.) The reason for the powder's pigmentation is because the most anti-inflammatory ingredients -- Iron Oxides --  just happen to be pink in color. (Thus the name: Ferro=Iron Rosa=Pink that helps to Fix Friction.)

For your convenience, both my FerroRosa FrictionFix® and Salicylic Acid gel along with a pair of Spa Gloves are available in package form in two sizes here.  

Other fantastic products are available for various ingrown problems as well, so for further guidance please feel free to contact me!

Know anyone who might benefit from the above info?  Please share!