Why Ingrown Deodorant is the Missing Step in Your Shave Routine

If your armpits end up red and bumpy after shaving, an ingrown deodorant might be able to ease your pain. Ingrown deodorant is a new innovation designed to gently exfoliate and soothe the skin to unclog follicles and combat ingrown hairs.
Using a deodorant for ingrown hairs can really shake up your shave routine. Since deodorant is swiped on as the last step of your routine, it means it continues fighting ingrowns all day and night. Here’s everything you should know about ingrown deodorant and what it can do for you.
What is Ingrown Deodorant?
Ingrown deodorant helps to reduce the occurrence of ingrown hairs by gently exfoliating the skin. An ingrown hair can form when the hair follicle gets clogged with dead skin cells, forcing a hair to grow sideways. Ingrown deodorant harnesses the exfoliating powers of alpha hydroxy acids to prevent the buildup of dead cells on the surface of the skin and ultimately ward off ingrowns.
Excess sweat and oils can infect and irritate the hair follicles, leading to itchiness, bumps, and redness. Ingrown deodorant keeps the area clean and fresh with antimicrobial ingredients, which can help prevent ingrown formation. You can use ingrown deodorant after shaving or as part of your daily personal care routine to keep your pits fresh, smooth, and ingrown-free.
Benefits of Ingrown Deodorant

Do you get bumpy, red pits after shaving? Ingrown deodorant might just be the missing step in your shave routine. Here’s why you need to start swiping on ingrown deodorant asap.
Unclogs Hair Follicles
Ingrown hairs are caused by hair that grows back into the skin after shaving or waxing. When the pore becomes blocked due to dirt, dead cells, or excess sebum, the hair can’t make its way out, resulting in a trapped hair.
Ingrown deodorant uses exfoliating ingredients like AHAs and BHAs to gently remove dead skin cells and unclog hair follicles, allowing ingrown hairs to surface. It also prevents ingrowns from forming in the first place by keeping the pores clean.
Minimizes Sweat and Bacteria
Sweat and bacteria can irritate the hair follicles, resulting in ingrown hairs. Ingrown deodorant typically contains antimicrobial, antibacterial ingredients that reduce sweat and bacteria to prevent ingrowns.
Besides its ingrown-fighting powers, ingrown deodorant also combats odor-causing bacteria, keeping your underarms smelling fresh.
Reduces Inflammation
Ingrown deodorant helps to prevent post-shave irritation with a lineup of hydrating, anti-inflammatory ingredients. These work to soothe the skin while calming existing bumps. Some of the best ingredients for reducing inflammation include shea butter, coconut oil, vitamin E, and aloe vera.
Supports Skin Barrier Function
Ingrown deodorant contains hydrating ingredients that help support the skin barrier. Maintaining healthy skin barrier function protects skin against moisture loss and external irritants that can cause redness and dryness.
Emollients and humectants like shea butter, mango butter, glycerin, and coconut oil help to keep the skin barrier intact for enhanced skin health.
Best Ingrown Deodorants
Ready to make the swap from traditional deodorants to clean, ingrown-fighting deodorants? We’ve found the best ingrown deodorant to leave your underarms feeling, looking, and smelling their best.
Truly's Coco Cloud Deodorant
A clean, multitasking deodorant that combats ingrowns, body odor, and discoloration in one swipe. Exfoliating mandelic acid unclogs hair follicles to prevent ingrowns while bacteria-fighting coconut minimizes body odor. With a fresh tropical scent of creamy coconut and warm vanilla.
Key Ingredients: Mandelic Acid, Coconut Oil, Mango Butter | Scent: Creamy Coconut | Size: 3 OZ (85g)
How it Works:
✓ Unclogs pores with mandelic acid
✓ Deeply moisturizes with mango butter
✓ Combats odor-causing bacteria with coconut oil
✓ Fades dark spots and discoloration with mandelic acid
✓ Leaves underarms bright, smooth, and fresh for hours
Truly’s Unicorn Fruit Deodorant
An aluminum-free, cotton candy scented deodorant packed with clean, plant-based ingredients to swipe away ingrown hairs, body odor, and discoloration without leaving behind yellow stains. Plus, it’s super gentle on even the most delicate skin.
Key Ingredients: Papaya Enzymes, Mango Butter, Symwhite 377, Bacuri Butter, Coconut Oil | Scent: Cotton Candy | Size: 3 OZ (85g)
How it Works:
✓ Unclogs hair follicles with papaya enzymes
✓ Softens and smooths with mango butter
✓ Diminishes discoloration with symwhite 377
✓ Combats odor-causing bacteria with coconut oil
✓ Leaves underarms smooth, bright, and ingrown-free
How to Use Ingrown Deodorant
You can use ingrown deodorant the same way as you use your regular deodorant: after showering, bathing, shaving, or whenever you need to freshen up. For best results, use ingrown deodorant on a daily basis to keep your underarms clean and ingrown-free.
Apply onto clean, dry underarms. Reapply as needed. Be sure to swipe it on before going to bed to let those active ingredients work as you snooze. Skin absorbs product best at night when it’s in repair mode, so make sure you swipe it on every evening to maximize its effects.
Is Ingrown Deodorant Worth it?
Ingrown deodorant is a new innovation developed to penetrate the hair follicles and prevent painful ingrown hairs. Does ingrown deodorant work? It certainly does as long as you use it on a daily basis—and always after shaving. And because it’s the last step in your shave routine, it means it fights ingrowns long after your shave.
If you regularly experience ingrown hairs on your underarms, ingrown deodorant can be a gamechanger in your routine. But even if you don’t, ingrown deodorant is a clean, soothing product that alleviates irritation for your smoothest underarms. Just make sure you choose a good one!