Tend Skin for ingrown hairs, bumps and more

A few weeks ago, when I discovered a 3+ inch ingrown hair from my... ahem, bikini area, I decided it was high time I found something to help with my terrible case of ingrown hairs. I use an epilator as my down-stairs hair removal method (a razor everywhere else), so obviously, my ingrown hairs are a problem. Epilating and waxing seem to cause more ingrowns than anything.

To remove the huge ingrown hair, I actually had to lance open the skin (just a tiny bit) and work to remove it. Afterward, I was so stunned at the length that I kept the hair in a baggy and showed it to my sister and partner, claiming that I must have broken some kind of world record here.  Never could figure out what the actual record for longest ingrown hair was, but I still have that hair! Ha Ha. I would post a photo, but I didn't want to gross some of you out. 

Anyways, so my journey to help my serious ingrown problem led me to Tend Skin and I got my hands on a few sample bottles and here we are. I'm going to share everything with you guys.

The Tend Skin sample bottles come with .25 fl oz.  each          

Directions for use: Apply at night and again after shaving until appearance improves. Do a test patch 1 hour on first use. Be sure to change razor blades after 2-3 shaves.

Cologne/moisturizer can be applied over Tend Skin, once it has dried. 

The instructions, expiry date and other information is on the label of Tend Skin.

It says Made in USA. The Tend Skin Company.

Warning: Flammable. Keep away from children and do not ingest. Do not use if allergic to aspirin. Avoid eye contact. Also, don't use Tend Skin within one week of having a medical/salon strength exfoliant treatment (AHA's, glycolic and Accutane), any other prescribed topical treatments or depilatories unless otherwise advised by your dr. The combination of agents can lead to chemical burning of the skin or skin discoloration.

Tend Skin is a clear liquid just like rubbing alcohol. I apply it by placing my finger over the hole on the bottle and dabbing it onto my skin. I considered using a cotton ball at one point, but it would just absorb the liquid instead, so you’re better to apply directly, using fingers. Since it’s so runny, it’s easy to apply and Tend Skin dries very quickly on the skin, so there’s no waiting before dressing or getting in bed. 

Tend Skin is very easy to use and takes less time and effort to apply than using a moisturizer.

Here you can see that theTend Skin product is a clear liquid (through the bottle)

Tend Skin is also available in a roll-on applicator.

What Tend Skin Does:

“Tend Skin – The Skincare Solution for “unsightly” razor bumps, ingrown hairs and razor burn for men and women.”

Those are the best things about Tend Skin – it’s effective for both men and women and works to take care of razor burn, bumps and ingrowns.

A lot of times, when you have one of those problems (razor burn, ingrowns or bumps) you tend to have all of them. I personally don’t have such big troubles with razor burn or bumps as I do ingrowns and ingrown bumps. This is because my hair removal method mostly consists of epilating (using an epilator that basically plucks hairs right out). In my experience, when you use a hair removal method that removes the entire hair from the follicle (waxing, epilating, etc.) you have far more ingrown hairs than if you used other methods such as shaving, which comes with razor burn and bumps! There always seems to be a downside to any hair removal method. Since I epilate my entire bikini area (I use a razor for other areas like my legs, arms and underarms), I have ingrown hairs and bumps daily. It’s a never ending thing, really. 

Plucking and digging ingrown hairs causes scars and little scabs, which all leave marks. This is what my biggest struggle has been, so I’ve been on a mission to try and at least reduce the number of ingrown hairs  I get  as well as reduce the appearance of all the discolored bumps and spots. However, I really appreciate an all-in-one kind of product, so this led to my big interest in trying Tend Skin. Most of the products I’ve used for these problems were either 100% ineffective and more like “novelty” products sold by adult product manufacturers (for a little extra cash) or products that didn’t give enough results for me to bother using it, much less continuing to buy it. Yes, I’ve tried the drugstore versions with very unsatisfactory results, so that’s when I started looking elsewhere and got my hands on all those products made my adult toy manufacturers, which gave me even less results and just angered me when I looked into the ingredients that showed the products were little or nothing more than a simple moisturizer! 

So, here we are. Almost week into using Tend Skin. To start off, I only applied Tend Skin to one side of my epilated area (bikini area) and I did this a few hours after epilating and before bed. The next morning, I noticed the skin I applied it to was softer and I had less of those tiny bumps down the side of my bikini line. The other side that I did not apply Tend Skin to, obviously was still red with little ingrown hairs and bumps. I wanted to see up-close the difference, so this is why I only applied it to one side before using it all over. I was happy with the results and was excited to see more, so from then on, I’ve been using it all over the area – everywhere needed. 

The skin looks better and is softer. It also seems the hairs come out slightly easier after applying it and allowing to dry. I’m not sure if this is my imagination or if Tend Skin is helping during the removal process too.

I’ve highlighted some of the details in the informative papers I have from Tend Skin and thought was important to include here.

Razor bumps (pseudofolliculitis barbae) occur on the faces of men with wiry, curly hair. 50-80% of African American men and 15-20% of Caucasian men suffer from this  daily. Beard hair tends to curl as it grows and can eventually burrow into skin adjacent to the hair follicle. 

Shaving sharpens the hair ends, making it easier to penetrate the skin. Razor bumps cause itching, burning and make shaving impossible. When applied regularly, Tend Skin Liquid effectively and safely reduces the appearance of unsightly razor bumps as soon as it’s applied. 

Ingrown hair

Ingrown hairs form under after the hair has been cut or removed below the skin’s surface. As the hair continues to grow it’ll curl over within the follicles and fail to reach the surface. The result is a bump on the skin. Women tend to get them after hair removal by shaving, waxing or electrolysis on their legs, bikini lines and underarms. Men get ingrown hairs on the face and neck. Regular application of Tend Skin Liquid will reduce the appearance of ingrown hairs for both men and women.

Razor Burn Redness  

Use TendSkin Liquid to reduce the appearance of redness after all hair removal procedures. 

Facials

You can use Tend Skin Liquid for a daily facial. Tend Skin cleanses the skin better than most cleansers and acts like a mild peel, and causes your skin to shine.

Foot/Underarm Deodorant

Tend Skin is an extremely effective underarm deodorant in addition to helping reduce the appearance of ingrown hairs and skin redness. Apply Tend Skin to feet before putting on socks and shoes or when removing them. 

Necktie Redness

Tend Skin customers have reported using Tend Skin to reduce the appearance of “cherry neck” caused from neckties rubbing the area and irritating it after shaving. 

Tend Skin can also remove ink from your skin. 

For ingrown Hairs

Apply to existing ingrown hairs to reduce the appearance within 48 hours. Apply daily to determine your level of maintenance and adjust application accordingly. Tend Skin recommends avoiding tweezing to reduce damage – increased ingrown hair formation can result. 

Shaving Razor Bumps

Apply before bed and again after your morning shave to dry skin. After skin has cleared, apply daily to determine your maintenance level and adjust application accordingly. 

For razor burn or tie-redness, apply after shaving to clear the skin, then daily to maintain.

Waxing

Instead of powder, use Tend Skin to keep the wax from sticking to skin. Apply before waxing and allow to dry, then perform your hair removal.

After waxing, apply another thin layer to treated skin to reduce the appearance of redness and post-wax bumps.

Electrolysis

Apply before procedure to clean and help protect skin during the procedure. After procedure, apply another thin layer to soothe skin, reduce the appearance of redness and to minimize appearance of next-day bumping. Apply several times weekly to determine maintenance level.

Laser Hair Removal

After procedure, apply thin layer to reduce appearance of redness and minimize appearance of next-day bumps. To ensure full penetration of laser light, do not use before procedure.

Facials

Apply to face to cleanse. For mild exfoliation, leave on overnight.

Tips: Make sure to use a new razor every few uses. Blades are made of low-grade steel. If you use a dull blade Tend Skin may not work to reduce appearance of ingrown hairs and razor bumps, so replace the blade when it loses its new-blade feel.

Epilators: Tend Skin advises against these devices. They say epilators cause injury to the skin that is than razor blade scraping.  They also say tweezing can damage follicles and make ingrown hairs worse – this is true. I say that from experience. I’ve tweezed for years (bikini area) and it does make my ingrown hairs far worse, but I’ve learned to catch them early and dig them from underneath the skin, which is a real pain!

Loofah Pads: Tend Skin also recommends against the use of abrasive scrubbing. They say it can lead to an increase of ingrown hairs and works against the product. 

There is a scent to Tend Skin. It smells just like rubbing alcohol, but the odor (not unpleasant anyways) dissipates soon after applying. It doesn’t leave my skin smelling of alcohol and even more important, it doesn’t leave any residue behind! Now that is something I love.  I remember in the past using a product that promised to “inhibit hair growth” so I bought the cream and used the spray-liquid version too. Both left behind a slimey residue and the spray left me somewhat sticky and I dreaded that feeling down stairs every day I used it! I expected Tend Skin to leave my skin dry since it smells of rubbing alcohol, so it was a lovely surprise to have seen no dryness, but my skin was replaced with a softer texture rather than the usual rough-like texture from so many years of hair removal.

PS. Tend Skin care’s brochure says “You will see results in 24 hours.” I mentioned above the softer skin, a few reduced bumps/redness I seen the first time I used it (the next day.)

USE

I apply Tend Skin to my bikini area after epilating. I apply it to my underarms after shaving and on other “problem areas” where I experience bumps or burn. 

As I said, I use it mostly on my bikini area, but I avoid getting it… you know, in any overly-sensitive areas such as the inner labia. I imagine it may burn there, so I wouldn’t encourage doing that. Not to mention, and this is really strange/interesting to me, but I never have ingrown hairs or razor bumps on the inner labia minora! The worst area for me is the vulva – very top and around my legs/bikini line. So the good thing is, I don’t need to apply it in the inner parts. 

Instructions

Test a small area before and again after hair removal. Allow 1 hour to test for a reaction. Proceed with full application if no reaction occurs. 

In all instances of use, only a thin layer of Tend Skin Liquid is needed. Use a cotton ball (or your fingers, if you’re like me). To prevent unwanted peeling of skin, wash hands immediately after contact. Apply only to dry skin. 

Ingredients: 

Water, Glycerin, Polyquaternium10,  Dimethicone Copolyol, Polysorbate 20, PVP/VA Copolymer, Parometachloroxylenol, Tetrasodium EDTA, Propylene Glycol, Diazolidinyl Urea, Mehylparaben, Propylparaben, Chloroxylenol, Fragrance, FD&C Blue #1.

*You might want to avoid use if you are sensitive to parabens and artificial coloring or other ingredients listed.

You can use moisturizer or cologne over Tend Skin, once it dries. 

More information that's included in the papers (note: I've not included every detail, but have focused on the information on Tend Skin Liquid) is troubleshooting, which I thought was a really nice bit of info to add. Here is what it says:

For ingrown hairs that don't want to lift: 

If ingrown hairs have been present for several months or longer, the product will need more time to show results.  Ingrown hairs will continue to grow even though they are under the skin. People have reported finding ingrown hairs up to an inch or longer -- like me! Like I said earlier, less than a whole month ago, I had one that was about 3 inches!! 

To remove these hairs, Tend Skin recommends using tweezers near the end of the hair and gently "teasing"  to expose the hair from under the skin and then pluck it. 

This is something I deal with daily -- removing my ingrown hairs. When I had the 3 inch long ingrown, I actually had to cut the skin a little bit to get to the hair and remove. I applied some aloe to prevent infection or bacterial (aloe vera is a natural anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and even more) and the thing healed up in no time with no scarring. 

What I usually do for my ingrown hairs is basically what Tend Skin says. I use my Tweezerman's (these are great tweezers! You can find knock-offs similar. They have a sharp, slanted tip and are amazing for ingrowns.) Then, I try to locate the end of the hair that's under the skin, not the top where it grows out of the follicle. Then I use the tip of the tweezers to scrap in an upward motion and it usually causes the end of the hair to protrude from the skin quickly and with no injury or blood, although I have had bleeding in some cases. Once the hair is showing, just pluck that sucker!