CAUSES 1. Skin suffering from lack of moisture 2. Stiff beard hair 3. Embedded oil in the hair follicles 4. 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 5. Coarse curly hair growing in a curved hair follicle 6. Improper shaving technique with a blade such as too close a shave 7. Hair removal methods such as shaving, waxing, tweezing, electrolysis, often irritate the hair follicle. Dead cells can accumulate at the site of the irritation and form papule which can also contain pus while the skin heals. While this process continues any hair in the area can get trapped under the formation and is prevented from exiting the skin properly. Ingrown hair is the result. EFFECTS 1. Constant tenderness 2. Trapped, ingrown hairs cause inflammation which result in the body forming papule - a small, raised, abnormality on the skin commonly known as a bump giving rise to the term 'razor bumps' 3. The body can also respond by producing a pustule - a blister on the skin containing pus 4. An infected pustule can become ruptured resulting in bleeding 5. Itching 6. Tingling 7. Pain - mild or severe 8. Hard, prominent, irregular scar tissue in the skin in chronic cases http://ezinearticles.com/?Ingrown-Hair---Seven-Causes-and-Eight-Effects&id=77 Exfoliating every time you bathe and cleanse the face (as you would with Skin Biology's Exfol Serum or Exfol Cream, which contains beta hydroxy acid: salicylic acid) is your best defense against ingrown hairs and razor bumps. Gentle cleansing and keeping the skin smooth and supple works well to keep the hair follicles moisturized and growing in the right direction. http://www.skinbiology.com/ingrownhairs.html I am not promoting the products in the above site. Any exfoliating process would help as well as good cleansing and mosturizing.

One of the most frequent causes of ingrown hairs is from shaving incorrectly. Always shave WITH the grain of the hair, never against it. When you shave against the grain (in the opposite direction that the hair naturally grows) the hair will grow back with a sharp jagged tip that can curl under and puncture the skin and continue to grow into the skin, causing painful and unsightly bumps or pistules. For men, this generally means that you should shave in an upward motion on the bottom portion of your neck, and shave in a downward motion on the top of your neck and on your face. It took me until I was about 21 years old to finally grasp that I was shaving wrong, and I had always had a big problem with ingrown hairs on my neck from shaving. Look at your beard (or any hair that you will be shaving, for that matter) closely, and make sure you are shaving in the right direction, and only make one pass with your razor. You cant get as close a shave this way, but it's a very worthwhile trade-off to do away with the ingrown hairs. Another thing you should do is make sure you use a quality shave gel (King of Shaves is the best I have found- not the cheapest, but very good stuff - http://www.shave.com/sample/). And a good aftershave balm and moisturizer.

Ingrown hairs can be prevented by applying a warm towel to the shaved area twice a day and washing and massaging your face afterwards. What this does is opens your pores and softens the hair releasing any ingrown hairs that are beginning to become a problem. Even though you should never shave against the grain of your hair, if it becomes necessary in order to get a close shave, this is one method for preventing the ingrown hairs.