Ingrown hairs, or hairs that have become embedded into the skin, occur commonly as a result of shaving and other hair removal methods. There are some products available for purchase that may help get rid of ingrown neck hairs, but there are also ways to remove them with common household materials. There are a few steps one should take to safely treat and remove ingrown hairs on the neck without damaging or irritating the surrounding skin. They include removing obstacles such as dead skin cells that may be obstructing the hair's growth, gently removing the hair, and cleaning and disinfecting the hair follicle and the area surrounding it.
Skin specialists recommend gently exfoliating the affected area to see if the hair can be coaxed into uncurling from the skin. Some methods of ingrown hair removal state that over a period of days of exfoliation, most ingrown neck hairs can be removed this way. Then, it is a simple matter of plucking the hair out with clean tweezers. Even if the hair cannot be removed this way, gentle exfoliation helps prevent future blemishes by removing dead skin cells and other debris that may block pores and hair follicles.
Sometimes, ingrown neck hairs may become infected and develop pus at the opening of the hair follicle. These may be resolved with gentle squeezing, but to avoid skin damage, it is better to apply an acne medication such as salicylic acid to the follicle. This treatment will likely only be effective after a few days of regular application of the acne medication.
A faster method is to apply a warm, moist washcloth as a compress to the area for a few minutes, which has the dual benefit of softening the skin and hair and causing the hair to come closer to the skin's surface to be more easily removed using tweezers that have been sterilized. It is important not to skip the warm compress if the hair appears deep inside the skin, because digging around with tweezers in an attempt to find the hair can be painful and damage the skin. In all cases, after the ingrown hair has been successfully removed, one should clean the skin thoroughly with gentle soap and warm water and apply a drop of antiseptic ointment to the area. Keeping the skin moisturized and soft may help prevent future ingrown neck hairs. One should make sure, however, to use a moisturizer that will not clog the pores and hair follicles, or risk making the problem worse.
