Help with my Sweaty Specs.
June 5, 2016 5:33 PM   Subscribe

So, a few months back, I started wearing glasses. They've improved my life a lot. However, in summer months, my workplace gets really warm, which makes me sweat, and makes my glasses slide dowm ny nose, which is a major league nuisance. I've asked my glasses-weaing co-workers if they knew a solution, and none of them did. But I figure the mefi braintrust might have some ideas.
posted by jonmc to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (23 answers total) 5 users marked this as a favorite
 
Are you sure the thing that's making them slip is the sweat on your nose? My problem is usually sweat behind my ears, and then the glasses go down my nose because they come loose from my ears. Anyway, I just wear a headband all summer. (Sweatyband, or something like that.)
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 5:35 PM on June 5, 2016


Response by poster: Feels more like it's my nose.
posted by jonmc at 5:37 PM on June 5, 2016


Make sure that the stems are adjusted correctly. If they're not gripping your head and ears properly, they'll slide right down way too easily.
posted by xingcat at 5:38 PM on June 5, 2016 [5 favorites]


Wash your glasses with soap every day to remove oils. After I know the nose pad area is not oily, I put a tiny bit of unscented antiperspirant on my nose where the nose pads sit.
posted by quince at 5:48 PM on June 5, 2016 [1 favorite]


Wear a glasses strap -- an elastic strip that attaches to the earpieces around the back of your head. Guaranteed.
posted by LonnieK at 5:48 PM on June 5, 2016


Can you arrange for a tiny desk fan to blow on your face?
posted by Bruce H. at 5:48 PM on June 5, 2016 [1 favorite]


If sweat is making your glasses slip, the glasses don't fit you entirely right. It can be either an issue of the stems not gripping your head and ears (which can be adjusted by the place where you got your glasses), or the glasses not fitting your nose properly (cute hipster thick rim plastic glasses don't fit the relatively low bridge of my nose properly, for example, which is why I have unstylish wire rim glasses with nose pads).
posted by joyceanmachine at 5:49 PM on June 5, 2016 [3 favorites]


Check out these silicone ear piece thingies that attach to your glasses. I haven't tried them yet though.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 5:50 PM on June 5, 2016


Do a Google image search for "cable temples". That's what works for me. Sometimes they can swap those in on an existing pair of glasses.
posted by BillMcMurdo at 5:54 PM on June 5, 2016


Yes, I guess it's an issue of fit (my glasses stay on when I'm sweaty and running). Most good glasses stores will adjust glasses for free (you may need to act like you buy glasses there, not sure).
posted by lab.beetle at 5:54 PM on June 5, 2016


You want silicone nose pads. Any optometrist's office can switch 'em out for you, and for free if they're good people.
posted by mudpuppie at 5:59 PM on June 5, 2016 [2 favorites]


Mr. gudrun has used Croakies (come in a variety of materials and styles, he just has the neoprene kind).
posted by gudrun at 6:24 PM on June 5, 2016


Do you have plastic framed glasses without separate nosepieces? If so, I have plastic framed glasses (these Ray-Bans) AND I have the narrow nose issue like joyceanmachine, so I had my optometrist install nosepieces for me (they're basically two bits of wire that are screwed into the frame just at either side of the bridge, each with a little loop at the end where you add nosepads). I have some silicone nosepads in mine, and I have zero problems with slipping or fit. They're basically invisible when you're looking at me wearing them; I get to have the plastic frame "hipster" look AND proper fit!

Also nth'ing those saying that you might want to get the optometrist to adjust the earpieces (e.g., if your glasses are particularly lightweight they might have to be bent into a more aggressive curve to hug your ear).
posted by snap, crackle and pop at 6:56 PM on June 5, 2016


As a glasses wearer, it's probably a fit issue, but for excessive sweatiness (hyperhidrosis) you can try an antiperspirant on your forehead. Certain-Dri rollon is OTC and works for up to 72 hrs. It's awesome.
posted by zippy at 7:01 PM on June 5, 2016


Mr. gudrun has used Croakies

yeah, these are what i used during sweaty summer camp activities in my pre-contact lens years. they look super dorky but they get the job done.
posted by poffin boffin at 7:12 PM on June 5, 2016


Keepons have eliminated slipping glasses from my life.
posted by ottereroticist at 7:24 PM on June 5, 2016 [1 favorite]


When I'm really sweaty, yes, it's an issue. When I'm just a little moist on my face though, I know my glasses sit a little lower than other times, they don't stay long at the top of my nose in that highest pushed-up position, but it's not like they're sliding down my face and falling off. There's just a point, not quite halfway down my nose, where they slip to and then stop. I think (?) that this has to do with where the earpieces sit on the backs of my ears.

So two things - for one, a good fit will keep them in place, but the second point is, "in place" doesn't mean all the way to the top of your nose, you kind of have to get used to them sitting in a relaxed spot. I remember this sweaty nose thing driving me crazy as a kid, and I'm not sure if it was the glasses or my patience/expectation.
posted by aimedwander at 7:49 PM on June 5, 2016


Get glasses with the earpieces that curl around your ears. (I can't stand 'em, but my older brother swears by them.) Those are generally found only with metal frames. If you have plastic frames, see How to adjust eyeglass frames.
posted by Rash at 8:02 PM on June 5, 2016


Try getting the frames tightened. Most optometrists will do this.
posted by brujita at 8:44 PM on June 5, 2016


Seconding TWinbrook8's recommendation. Alternatively, search for "eyeglass ear hooks" on your favorite shopping site.
posted by conrad53 at 11:17 PM on June 5, 2016


Definitely an issue of fit. I've been wearing glasses since I was 6 and have found that usually the fit of a new frame isn't perfect at first. After a couple weeks to let them and my face kind of settle together I'll either pop into my optometrist's or walk in to a LensCrafters and get them adjusted. LensCrafters people seriously don't care if you bought the glasses there or not, especially the ones inside a mall - actually their large customer volume can often lead to better work adjusting the frames.

Once the earpieces are bent correctly the glasses won't be able to slip down your nose without some other force. To test, tip your chin to your chest and shake your head side to side with a little force. The frames should settle a bit but not enough to ruin your vision. Also honestly as you get used to wearing glasses the nose-push will become subconscious.

If it really can't be fixed with correctly fitted frames, get a glasses strap that is easy to take on and off. Maybe you can do clumsy kids everywhere a favor and convince people that it's a fashion statement.
posted by Mizu at 11:50 PM on June 5, 2016 [2 favorites]


My sister swears by this stuff: http://www.nerdwax.com
posted by goodbyewaffles at 4:51 AM on June 6, 2016


I've heard of people using eyeshadow primer for this.
posted by Ms Vegetable at 7:13 AM on June 6, 2016


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