Using a hair depilatory cream is one of the easiest ways to rid yourself of unwanted body hair, but what about after you wash off the cream? The skin underneath all that hair needs some attention too, especially since depilatory creams can do different things to your skin depending on your sensitive your skin is. So if you're looking for some tips or tricks for caring for your skin after using hair removal cream, then here's what you need to know.

Wash Carefully

You don't have to use hair removal cream in the shower if you don't want to, but you should always wash off the area afterward, no matter how small — not just remove the cream with a towel or something like a napkin. Simply wiping off the cream removes the visible part, but leaves behind chemicals that can burn and otherwise damage your skin.

For best results, wash with lukewarm water — hot water can scald the newly sensitive skin, and cold water is just unpleasant and doesn't wash off the cream as well.

Pat, Don't Rub

Washing off the cream is a necessary step in using a hair removal cream, and so you're going to have to dry off the area too. When you do, pat the skin gently dry with a clean towel — making sure not to just rub the moisture off in impatience. Rubbing it will not only irritate the skin and make red, bumpy marks more likely, but can also raise your chance of clogged pores (and thus ingrown hairs).

If your skin has been damaged or opened up by the cream, in addition, rubbing will just help rub dust, loose fabric, and other things that might be on your towel into the open wound, which can result in infection. Remember, a little care and patience here will save you a lot of trouble down the line.

Skip the Accoutrements 

Lotion, perfume, self-tanner, deodorant, sunscreen — the list of things that you put on your body at some point in the day is nearly endless. However, that list is also your strictly-avoid list for the next 24 hours after you use hair removal cream. The cream can make your skin much more prone to damage, and so slathering the area in chemicals — even useful chemicals, like those in sunscreen — is a bad idea.

Try using the cream when you get home for the night (but not right before you sleep, so you'll have fewer hours the next day of chemical-avoidance), on a weekend where you don't have to be anywhere, or, if you really have to use something like deodorant before the 24 hours are up, apply sparingly and carefully.

For more information, contact your local dermatology clinic. 

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