No More Ingrown Hairs

Summer Skin Care for Sistas Part 3

"Hair-Free & Scar-Free" by Dre Brown

I've been told that in every group of girlfriends there is one in desperate need of a hair removal intervention, and if you don't know who it is—sadly, it's probably you. But who could blame the poor girl? Sistas face so many hair removal headaches in achieving smooth skin, that it may make sense to some to just forget it and embrace the comfort of the "wild kingdom."

But personally, preserving the "wild" only gives me warm fuzzies when I think of saving adorable baby seals, not when the summer temps make showing skin inevitable and all too necessary. So, as a sista that knows well the dangers of ingrown hairs and hyper-pigmentation from shaving scars and waxing woes, I sought the wisdom of a guru, Ramon Padilla of New York City hair removal haven Strip Ministry of Waxing.

The Strip NYC founder welcomed my onslaught of brown girl-centric questions with truly refreshing tips and tricks every bikini-bearing sista should consider before becoming the hairy outcast in their crew.

Ramon and the Ministry of Waxing team's gospel

• Polish: Whether you shave, wax, thread, or tweeze, exfoliating your skin pre- and post- hair removal can help prevent ingrown hairs skin irritation. Just don't scrub immediately before or after your treatment. Beautylish recommends: Malin+Goetz Peppermint Body Scrub contains naturally antiseptic peppermint to cool inflamed areas and soothe skin.

• Treat: Soothing and treating freshly waxed skin in the weeks following hair removal can help lower the risk of irritation and ingrown hairs while protecting the skin at its most sensitive time. Beautylish recommends: X'ed Out treatment contains bromelain pineapple extract, which gently removes the top layer of skin to help keep hair from in-growing. Ramon suggests that sistas with curlier hair apply twice daily after hair removal for 2 weeks to achieve maximum results.

• Go Bare with Balanced Tone: Recognizing sistas' skin tendency to scar and darken following hair removal mishaps and irritation, Ramon recommends utilizing a tone balancing treatment to even pigmentation gently. Beautylish recommends: White, a skin lightening liquid that uses molasses, vitamin C, and mushroom extract (no bleach!) and is even safe for the bikini area.

STRIP's 24-hour waxing Aftercare tips

• No hot baths

• No swimming or sunbathing

• No heat or UV treatments

• No tight clothing

• No perfumed products (i.e. deodorant, self-tanner, makeup)

• No touching, scrubbing, or rubbing area

• Exfoliate every 4-7 days, starting 3 days after waxing

Driven to infuse each encounter with joy-inducing laughter, Dre Brown seeks to offer those she reaches both something for the eye and for the soul. Based out of New York City, Dre splits her time between makeup artistry, hair styling, strategic marketing, writing and entrepreneurship. Follow her exploits on her blog: a Dre in The Life and her Beautylish series "Confessions of a Nouveau Natural Woman"

Image courtesy of eatyouupspityouout