How to Avoid Bumps When Plucking Hair

Co-authored by Marlon Rivas

Last Updated: March 20, 2024

Plucking facial and body hairs can often lead to unsightly red bumps. There are several ways to prevent this. You should sooth your skin on a regular basis and before and after shaving. Healthy, moisturized skin will be less prone to bumps. You should also consider changing your hair removal practices. Not all skin types take well to plucking, so trying alternative methods may help. You should also change your daily habits. Avoiding tight clothes and harsh products will make your skin less prone to bumps.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Preventing Bumps in Different Places

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1
Soak your legs for 15 minutes before plucking them. If you pluck hairs from your legs, spend 15 minutes getting your legs wet before plucking. It is best to pluck leg hair after a bath, but if you prefer a shower wait until the end of your shower to pluck leg hair. This softens hair and opens follicles, making hair come out easier—it's also less painful.^{[1] X Research source}
- Strive for no more or less than 15 minutes. Any longer than 15 minutes can leave your skin wrinkled, making it more prone to irritation and red bumps.
2
Treat your skin with baby oil after plucking pubic hair. The skin around your genitals can be very sensitive. It needs to be treated with soothing products just after plucking the area. After plucking pubic hair, wash the area in a lot of warm water, removing any loose hairs and shaving creams. Then, rub soft baby oil into the skin anywhere that you plucked.^{[2] X Research source}
- You should not use products other than baby oil, especially products like aftershave. Aftershave will string, irritating your skin and making bumps more likely.
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3
Wash and soak your face prior to plucking facial hair. If you pluck hairs from your face, you want to soften the skin and open follicles first. Wash your face as you normally would, using any of your regular facial cleansers. From there, rinse a cloth in warm water. Press the cloth over the areas you're going to pluck.
- Hold the cloth in place for a few minutes. This will help open your pores, making plucking easier.
- When plucking facial hair, do it the night before you have somewhere to be, because your skin will end up red for a few hours, no matter how careful you are.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Altering Your Plucking Routine

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1
Remove hair less often. The more often you remove hair, the more likely you are to cause skin irritation. This can lead to an increase of red bumps. Instead of removing hair every day, cut back to every two to three days.
- If you're plucking hairs exclusively, you probably do not need to remove hair every day anyway. Hairs that are removed with tweezers should not grow back for three to eight weeks.
Red bumps may get infected if you're using dirty tools. Rub down your tweezers with rubbing alcohol prior to use. This will protect you from getting infected red bumps, which will be more visible.
Regardless of where you're plucking, you should always pluck in the direction your hair grows. This will make the hair come off more easily, preventing red bumps.
4
Do not wear tight clothing after plucking. Tight fitting clothing, especially when worn just after plucking, can make red bumps more likely. Strive for loose clothes on the areas that you shave. For example, avoid tight jeans the day after you pluck your legs.
- If you pluck your pubic hair, try not wearing underwear for half an hour after the process. This can help prevent red bumps.^{[3] X Research source}
5
Try a different hair removal technique altogether. If you have a lot of red hairs after plucking, your skin may be sensitive to the process. Try switching up your hair removal technique and see if this lessens red bumps. You can try shaving or waxing instead of tweezing and see if makes a difference.
- Shaving should be done with shaving cream and you should always shave with the grain of the hair and not against it.
- Hair removal creams and waxing kits should be used according to instructions. Most removal creams are placed on the area you want to remove hair and then wiped off. Waxing involves placing wax over unwanted hair and pulling it off with strips of paper.
- Keep in mind, you should still moisturize skin regularly, as well as after hair removal techniques, regardless of the method you use. Make sure to get skin wet before removing hair.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Soothing Your Skin

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1
Use cream on your skin regularly. In areas where you remove hair, regularly use skin cream. The more healthy and moisturized your skin is, the less prone it will be to bumps when you do pluck hairs. Do not moisturize only before and after hair removal. Do it daily to keep your skin strong.^{[4] X Research source}
- Opt for a mild daily moisturizer. Avoid harsh chemicals or abrasive options.
- Hydrocortisone cream works well if you do have bumps you need to treat. It prevents swelling and inflammation, both of which can lead to red dots.
2
Exfoliate regularly anywhere you pluck. Exfoliation gets rid of dead skin cells, leaving skin fresh and soft. Exfoliating a few times a week, focusing in particular on areas where you pluck hair, can help prevent red bumps.^{[5] X Research source}
- You can exfoliate using exfoliating gloves, which you can buy online or at a beauty supplies store. These are gloves with textured fabric that you rub on your skin while showering to remove dead skin cells.
- You can also opt to scrub exfoliating soaps and creams, which are more grainy than regular products, into your skin to exfoliate. Most department stores and drug stores sell exfoliating creams.
- Remember, you should always moisturize after exfoliating.
3
Moisturize your skin after plucking. You should also be strict about moisturizing after plucking in addition to doing so regularly. This is especially important if you do things like wax and shave before plucking your hair, as your skin will be very sensitive and more prone to damage. Moisturizing can help minimize irritation.
- You can apply your regular moisturizer after plucking. However, there are many moisturizers specifically designed to be used after shaving. Stop by a local drugstore or salon and pick up a cream designed for use after shaving if you're very prone to red hairs.

Community Q&A

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Question

What is an ingrown hair?

Community Answer

Ingrown hair is a small hair that has skin grown over it. It can look like a small bump with a little, scab-like dot on it.

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What should I do if I popped a bump and now it looks infected?

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Treat it like you would any other cut. Wash it with warm, soapy water and air dry. Then apply antibacterial cream and cover it with a bandage.

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How can I relieve discomfort after plucking ingrown hairs?

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Put some ice or a soothing aloe gel on the area to reduce discomfort.

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Tips

The more you baby your skin, the less sensitive it will be. When selecting exfoliating agents and daily moisturizers, opt for products that limit the use of chemical ingredients and alcohol.

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If you are very prone to red bumps, you should talk to a dermatologist. They may have ideas for new routines specific to your skin type.

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If you do end up with red bumps, wait for them to heal before shaving again.

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