(Skin)

How To Get Rid Of Razor Bumps Overnight, According To Derms

Bye-bye, bumps.

by Kelsey Stewart and Amanda Ross

Updated: May 18, 2022

Originally Published: March 28, 2017

Steve Mason/Getty

It’s summertime and the living’s easy — unless you’re dealing with those infuriating razor bumps that seem to only pop up when you have something really important to do. Nothing is so seasonally frustrating as getting ready for a pool party only to be plagued by a patch of angry, red, irritated bumps that feel as bad as they look. The thing about removing razor bumps is they fall into two distinct camps, and that determines how they’re treated. For the complete lowdown on how to get rid of razor bumps fast (of all types), TZR turned to the medical professionals for their expert-approved insight, tips, and tricks.

Before you start treating your skin, know that the terms razor bumps and ingrown hairs are often used interchangeably. “When someone says they have razor bumps, it means they have an ingrown hair,” explains Dr. Heather Woolery-Lloyd, dermatologist and director of the University of Miami Department of Dermatology’s Skin of the Color Division. An ingrown hair is more common in people that have curly hair, or areas where curly hair grows like the underarms and bikini area.

According to Dr.DiAnne Davis, board-certified cosmetic dermatologist at Houston’s Westlake Dermatology, those ingrown hairs are caused by close-to-the-skin hair removal methods like shaving. “The close shaving of hair causes the hair to penetrate the wall of the follicle and extend into the dermis as it grows back or to curve back on itself and pierce the skin,” she explains. Often forming pimple-like pustules, they must be treated carefully to avoid infection.

PeopleImages/Getty

Razor irritation, or razor burn, is another skin problem you might have experienced. “The other type of razor bump is more like an irritation and they are little red dots that occur usually immediately after shaving, and some people call that a razor burn,” Dr. Woolery-Lloyd notes. Razor irritations are treated a little differently because it's more like the skin is just irritated, she adds.

Regardless of if you’re trying to get rid of razor burn or treat ingrown hairs fast, these top-rated product picks will help you get poolside ready in a hurry.

Scroll on for the best razor bump removal products out there, complete with further insight from the doctors.

We at TZR only include products that have been independently selected by our editors. We may receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

How To Treat Razor Irritation: Use An Anti-Inflammatory

CVS Health

Aftersun Aloe Vera Cooling Gel

$3.19

$1.91

When you're experiencing razor irritations, Dr. Woolery-Llyod says to use an anti-inflammatory like hydrocortisone or a cooling gel such as aloe, which will aid in soothing the aggravated skin. This CVS-brand pick is not only one you pick up for a few bucks at most locations, but the infusion of pain-relieving lidocaine is a saving grace for especially irritated areas. | Pros: Affordable; accessible | Cons: Not for those with lidocaine allergies |

How To Avoid Razor Irritation: Use An Electric Razor & Shaving Cream

Gillette Venus

Pubic Hair & Skin Gentle Trimmer

$29.99

“You’re less likely to get it [a razor irritation] with an electric razor because they are theoretically less irritating,” Dr. Woolery-Lloyd advises. “Especially the wet ones, they have wet and dry electric razors, but the ones that are wet give you a little less slick and are less likely to irritate.” Gillette Venus’s relatively new wet-and-dry trimmer is a dream in the shower, gliding over hair for a smooth-every-time removal that’s designed to navigate even hard-to-reach public contours. | Pros: Wet and dry use; Great for pubic hair removal | Cons: Might need a larger-headed trimmer for larger body parts like legs |

EOS

Shea Better 24H Moisture Shave Cream

$4.99

Dr. Woolery-Lloyd suggests opting for a soothing shaving cream so the razor glides smoothly over the skin. Consider trying EOS’s Ultra Moisturizing Shave Cream, formulated with calming ingredients like aloe and shea butter for extra nourishment. | Pros: Widely available; hydrating formula | Cons: Thick texture can clog disposable razors |

Delmaine Donson/Getty

How To Avoid Ingrown Hairs: Laser Hair Removal

If you want to say goodbye to ingrown hairs long-term, laser hair removal is the most permanent solution. “Over time, these treatments reduce the number of hairs growing out of the follicle,” Dr. Davis explains. “After a series of treatments you enter into maintenance mode where you can usually keep the hair completely gone, as long as you keep up with maintenance treatments two to three times a year.” Laser hair removal is going to decrease the number of hairs, while also shrinking the hair follicle in diameter. Therefore, the diameter of the hair becomes thinner, finer, and less coarse, she says. “And when the hair is thinner, finer, and less coarse, it tends not to curve back on itself and cause the irritation that can lead to the razor bump.”

How To Treat Ingrown Hairs: Use Hydrocortisone

Basic Care

Hydrocortisone 1% Anti-Itch Cream Plus 10 Moisturizers

$3.60

If you're prone to ingrown hairs, hydrocortisone will be your best friend. “It's an anti-inflammatory, so it reduces inflammation,” Dr. Woolery-Lloyd notes. “If you have a lot of ingrown hairs and your skin is bumpy and irritated, hydrocortisone might help to soothe that.” Dr. Woolery-Lloyd explains that the over-the-counter options come in hydrocortisone 0.5% and hydrocortisone 1%, adding that it’s personal preference on whether to go for a cream ointment or lotion. | Pros: Instant relief; widely available | Cons: None |

How To Banish Ingrown Hairs: Gentle Exfoliant

Tend Skin

The Skin Care Solution For Unsightly Razor Bumps, Ingrown Hair And Razor Burns

$24.99

Dr. Woolery-Lloyd says that, in lieu of a physical exfoliant, some skin care products like Tend Skin’s top-rated razor bump solution, are specially designed for ingrown hairs. Thanks to ingredients like salicylic acid, bumps are calmed, dried out, and eliminated. | Pros: Can clear even large ingrowns; good for sensitive skin | Cons: Generous amount of product required for max efficacy |

Sarah Chapman

Professional Cleansing Mitts

$30

“Gentle exfoliation with an exfoliating mitt can be helpful because it can remove the very top layer of skin so that the trapped ingrown hairs can emerge,” Dr. Woolery-Lloyd says. Start things off easy with this doubled-sided Sarah Chapman mitt, created to gently buff away dry, dead skin. | Pros: Double-sided; washable | Cons: Pricier than a washcloth (though for a reason) |

Differn Gel

Adapalene Gel 0.1% Acne Treatment

$17.99

“[Use a] mild gentle exfoliant like Differn Gel, which is kind of an exfoliant that keeps the hair from getting clogged underneath the pores,” Dr. Davis says. It's a topical retinoid, but it prevents the top layer of the skin from getting clogged by things like hair follicles, dead skin cells, oil, and debris. “Should the hair need to grow directly up and out of the skin, it has a better chance of not getting caught underneath it.” Though it can be used on the face daily, the derm recommends only applying it two to three times a week to sensitive spots like the bikini area. | Pros: Powerful formula; accessible | Cons: Powerful formula should be used with caution |

How To Banish Ingrown Hairs: Use Clean Razors

Hanni

The Weighted Razor Kit

$42

To help prevent ingrown hairs, Dr. Davis notes the importance of using clean razors. “I'll tell patients you'll want to make sure you’re changing out your razors very frequently, like two or three times a week. You don't want to let it be an old dull razor.” Additionally, she says to make sure the razor is sharp, and a single blade option tends to be a tad better than razors with multiple blades. | Pros: Weighted for comfortable use; very sharp blades; reusable | Cons: Very sharp — proceed with caution, especially around sensitive areas |

How To Banish Ingrown Hairs: Shave In The Direction The Hair Grows

An easy way to avoid ingrown hairs is by shaving in the direction the hair grows. "A lot of times for the underarms we might think to shave in an upward fashion, but for someone who gets a lot of ingrown hairs in their underarm region I would say shave in a downward motion," Dr. Davis suggests. "The bikini area can be a little tricky because sometimes the hairs grow in several different directions, but you want to be very gentle. You don't want to pull the skin tight to help with the shaving, because that can sometimes be traumatic to the skin and lead to ingrown hairs or post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation."

How To Banish Ingrown Hairs: Don't Pluck

Whatever you do, don't pluck. Dr. Woolery-Llyod says plucking the hairs will make the problem worse, so hide the tweezers when it comes to ingrown hairs.

This article was originally published on March 28, 2017