A rash looks like little red dots and can be an irritation from the waxing service and usually disappears within 24 hours. You may also experience an allergic reaction to the wax or any before and after products used on the skin. Although this is very uncommon, anyone can be allergic to anything.
Ingrowns usually appear within a week or so of the waxing appointment and can last for up to 7-10 days. There are several different looks to an ingrown:
- “The under-grounder” usually feels like a hard nodule and can sometimes be painful and feel like it has its own heartbeat. You can use a heat compress to soften them up so they can release the fluids. You can also then try and dry them out at the core, meaning get the puss and blood to release out of the ingrown or hope that the fluids dry up which causes that uncomfortable throbbing to go away.
- “The black dot”, this ingrown is harmless and if you gently push on it, it will come out sort of like a blackhead. This type of ingrown is the hair coiling under the skin but not becoming infected.
- “The little red ingrown” these usually happen from friction and men are more susceptible because they wear jeans and belts which can rub on the area (butt cheeks and top of groin area) and cause the skin to get chafed and then the hairs have a hard time growing back out of the skin.
Ways to alleviate ingrowns or deal with them once they have appeared.
1. Tea tree oil on wet (w/water) cotton ball or pad 1x per day until sign of irritation is gone. Apply over affected area. You can also use products that have Salicylic acid in it which you can usually find in drugstores in the face wash aisle.
2. Exfoliating using loofah gloves or a sea salt or sugar scrub. Men are the worst at taking care of their skin but skin is skin it sees no gender so you must attend to it or you will experience these problems. You should do this at least 3x per week, this will give you the optimal result with waxing.
3. Moisturize!! When the skin gets dry and flakey it does not allow the hair to properly grow back up through the skin. I don’t promote any certain brand but usually scent free and or plain old coconut oil, it’s scent free, inexpensive and it’s also an anti-inflammatory. You can even use the kind you cook with, just emulsify it in your hand and rub on the area that has been waxed, better yet moisturize your whole body!
4. Last case scenario but works like a charm is AMMONIUM LACTATE 12%. You can only get this by prescription but it’s very inexpensive and the bottle usually lasts 6 months. This cream is odor free and does not stain clothes. It has been used primarily for the red bumps that people get on the back of their arms which is follicle related. Apply once a day to waxed area about 24 hours after your service and use continuously if you have visible problems.
5. Lastly if you have a rash and not any ingrowns then the best thing is Hydra-cortisone, especially if you’re itchy or if you are rashy but it does not itch A&D ointment which you can find with the diaper creams is soothing to use after waxing. Make sure it says ointment and not cream, also I have only use the A&D brand and not one of the many other ones so I can’t speak on those.