I am a 21 year-old guy with the most annoying ingrowing hair problem. Just under my jawline I get huge spot-like bumps that really hurt and are angry red. I wait until I can see the hair and pull it out but they always seem to come back. PLEASE help me out. What am I doing wrong and are there any products that will help? I am starting to get a lot of scars and I am really conscious
OK, the first thing is STOP PULLING THEM OUT! The hairs that are ingrown are growing from a follicle that is curlier than the rest. If you pull the hair out the hair is gone, but when it grows back, you are back to square one.
You need to let the hair out by cutting or shaving it, but not by pulling it out. I know there is nothing more satisfying than yanking it out but you will only encourage it to be stronger - so break the chain.
Once you have shaved you can use a drawing product like Decleor Baume Essential or Darphin Purifying Balm to help get the hair nearer the surface. There is also a great product by Anthony Logistics called Ingrown Hair treatment. These all get the hair to come clear of the skin surface over a month or so and allow you to shave them off.
Prepare your skin for shaving with a scrub and see if you can cut shaving to every other day. You also need to minimise the number of blades you use. Dermatologists maintain that you should not use more than a double blade razor. Each blade cuts a little bit more off and pretty soon you are cutting below the surface. Then as the hair curls it grows back on itself, becoming ingrown. Banishing this is going to take you a couple of months, but if you can be patient and stop pulling them out...your problem will be solved.
I say all this from experience as I used to have exactly the same problem. Mind you, once I got the problem sorted, my long-term solution was designer stubble!
Good luck mate, John
Hi, I was wondering if you could give me a few tips on how I can achieve a Katie Holmes look. I really love her make-up, and I would love to mimic her look sometime, but I can never really find the right eyeshadow. I hope you can help?
Thanks
Thanks ever so! Glad you enjoy the site and the Q&A page. Always nice to hear. Yes, Katie has been looking really polished lately. In fact, you can see her changing look here.
I had a look at a couple of recent pictures of Katie and it really doesn't look all that difficult. It seems there is a neutral colour close to the lashline and a soft grey with a sponge applicator right the way across the lid. Then a deeper version of the grey in the same place but more narrow and nearer the lashes. And then a dark line even thinner and closer.
Add a wet shadow line or a liquid or gel line if you're steady on top. Use softer shadow or pencil line to the lower eyeline - and how far you go depends on the size of you own eyes. Black mascara. Pretty blusher applied nearer the front of the cheek to keep it fresh looking and then a bold lipstick.
I have also seen a few pictures where she has opted for a pretty gloss instead. Mid toned. As far as buying shadow, look for a set that has three to four variations of whatever shade (grey or flat brown), or buy singles. And go for matte. Practice a few times and you should find that a softer version of this is also really nice for work.
Good luck, John
I think I heard you say once that satin pillowcases helped prevent lines on your face during the night. Am I mad or is this true?
I cannot comment on your mental stability. However, in the matter of whether I said that satin pillowcases prevented lines, you are absolutely correct! I actually heard this tip from a really well known dermatologist in the States when she was asked about ways to fight premature ageing.
Most of us do end up sleeping on our faces at some point of the night. The drag of even a lovely cotton pillowcase pulls at the skin and stretches it out. You can often see it on women who always sleep on the same side of their face and I point it out to a lot of clients when they complain about how they seem to be losing the war with gravity faster on one side than the other. When asked if that is the side they sleep on, they usually say, "Yes" with an astonished look on their face!
A satin pillowcase lets the skin slip instead of drag. It is so logical it is almost funny but who would ever think of it? Plus you don't wake up with "sleep creases" that take an hour to finally fade away. They are not as easy to find, but The White Company and John Lewis both do them for certain. I also have a lot of clients now who simply buy a small amount of satin that blends with any new set of sheets and they have them made up. It is really cheap that way. So there you go, you might be mad but at least you have an answer to your question!
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