Why do people get ingrown hairs?

Ingrown Hairs, as the name implies, occur when the end of the hair shaft is cut resulting in a sharpened edge that as it grows, curls back into the same hair follicle and results in an inflammatory response (redness, itchiness, and/or raised infected area). At times the small 閳ユ笅ngrown hair閳?hair itself can even be seen beneath the raised area. Thus the hair is 閳ユ笅ngrown閳?in that it does not penetrate the dermis as it grows, as it should.

Causes include:

Skin suffering from lack of moisture

Stiff hair

Embedded oil in the hair follicles

Build up of dead skin cells in the pores and on the surface of the skin can cause ingrown hairs - some are more prone to this than others due to genetics

Coarse curly hair growing in a curved hair follicle

Improper shaving technique with a blade such as too close a shave

Hair removal methods such as shaving, waxing, tweezing, electrolysis, often irritate the hair follicle.