If you've ever tweezed your eyebrows and didn't remove the entire root, you've probably experienced an ingrown hair; also known as transfollicular penetration. This is the direction reversal of a hair fragment existing beneath the skin. Your body treats the reversed growth as a foreign object, triggering inflammation and irritation in the follicle area. The result is a hard bump over your eyebrow, similar to a pustule or acne. Frequent eyebrow tweezing increases the risk of ingrown eyebrow hairs. Treating an ingrown eyebrow hair requires encouraging the hair to resurface through follicle stimulation and skin exfoliation.

Apply a warm washcloth over your affected eyebrow for several minutes to open the pores and maximize the upcoming exfoliation.

Massage the ingrown hair with a clean, soft-bristled toothbrush for a few minutes each morning and evening. The toothbrush exfoliates the skin and stimulates the follicle, pushing the ingrown hair toward the surface.

Sterilize a sewing needle by wiping the surface with rubbing alcohol. Sanitizing the needle protects the inflamed follicle from infection or further irritation.

Insert the sterile needle though the loop of ingrown hair on the surface of your skin. Gently pull the loop outward until the entire ingrown hair emerges on the skin surface. Wait until the loop of ingrown hair is highly visible on the surface of your skin before inserting the needle.

Remove any surface bacteria by wiping your formerly ingrown hair with an alcohol-soaked cotton ball.