Nose hair hygiene, another thing my mom didn't teach me.

May 28, 2017 9:28 AM

So: middle aged woman with changing hair growth patterns now has rather healthy nose hair growth and doesn't like it one bit. But has no real idea of how to fix it, and current experiments don't seem to be working. Complications include a hands on face habit (that isn't going to change now) that makes me instantly aware of itchiness in and around nose and/or hairs that protrude, and thus leads to lots of figitting and nose rubbing and picking, which probably doesn't help. I've tried nose trimmers but I seem to get bumps, sores or pimples, or whatever.. and plucking them REALLY leads to sores. I've learned to manage the pubic region over the decades but this is new, and I can't be the only one confused...What the heck do other women do?

Of course men can reply too, but even though I'm extremely low self-maintenance natural oriented, this hippy woman does not want to hear that she should embrace her facial hair. It's not about how it looks, it's about how it feels. My self-image is fine.
I'm also not averse to any other self maintenance lessons that seem to pop up for women for the first time around middle age. Cosmo never really goes into this...

posted by anonymous to Health & Fitness (21 answers total)

Just use tiny nail scissors. No bumps or sores.
posted by DarlingBri at 9:42 AM on May 28, 2017 [7 favorites]

Nose hair scissors with a safety tip, if you're clumsy like me. Tip: smear a little aquaphor in there, trim, blow nose.
posted by Lyn Never at 9:46 AM on May 28, 2017 [5 favorites]

Yep, the little blunt-end nose hair scissors are what you want. Don't bother cutting the hair all the way down to the skin, just trim enough so it doesn't stick out. If you flare your nostrils it can make the hairs a little easier to cut.
posted by Metroid Baby at 10:30 AM on May 28, 2017 [2 favorites]

I'm a man but I think nose hair is fairly universal. I use the same scissors I use to trim my other facial hair; it takes just a few moments every couple of weeks. I have never cut myself but safety tip scissors are probably a much smarter idea.
posted by Dip Flash at 10:31 AM on May 28, 2017

You can wax your nose hair. I wouldn't, but it is a thing people do.
posted by Sys Rq at 10:46 AM on May 28, 2017

What kind of nose trimmer have you tried? The spinny-aroundy kind or the more wand-like kind? I have rich, luxuriant growth in my nostrils and the wandy kind has worked well enough for me without causing itching. As a bonus, you can -- AFTER YOU WASH IT SUPER CAREFULLY -- also use it with the supplied guards to deal with the similarly luxuriant growth one might find in one's eyebrows.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 10:46 AM on May 28, 2017

Guy here, but have been dealing with this kind of thing for years in various ways. If you are getting bumps, that means the hair follicles are getting infected. Sterilize the tool you are using to do the trimming, don't trim too close, and apply some antibiotic ointment afterward.
posted by kindall at 10:53 AM on May 28, 2017 [4 favorites]

Yep, use the nose hair scissors with a safety tip. It's easier to see the hairs if you push the tip up your nose up with a finger on the opposite hand (like you're imitating a pig's nose), then trim around the inside of each nostril and then do the center hairs. Be sure not to trim too far up inside because your nasal hair does help filter out germs, pollen, etc. When you're finished trimming, I recommend running warm water at the tap, cupping your hands and snuffling up the water with your nose just a bit, then blowing it out several times to remove loose and stray hairs. Finish up by blowing with a tissue and as suggested above, apply antibiotic ointment if you have a tendency to get bumps or infections.
posted by LuckySeven~ at 11:51 AM on May 28, 2017 [1 favorite]

I'm a lady and I'll admit that this is something I've had to add to my hygiene/beauty routine. Nthing the little scissors. I combine this as part of plucking my eyebrows (because they grow too quickly to do eyebrow maintenance by waxing), and those stray black hairs that have developed on my chin.
posted by vignettist at 11:59 AM on May 28, 2017 [1 favorite]

I don't have a solution, but I read a long time ago that you should never pluck nose hairs because of the possibility of infection. Supposedly, because of the locations of blood vessels, such an infection could spread to the brain. I am not a doctor, so people with more knowledge should feel free to correct me. Article here.
posted by FencingGal at 12:39 PM on May 28, 2017 [1 favorite]

Honestly, I just trim the tips that peek out with some nail scissors.
posted by Omnomnom at 1:25 PM on May 28, 2017

I've had terrible experiences with those rotary cutters. Maybe they weren't high quality enough but they tend to yank out hairs and its eyewateringly annoying.

Nthing a pair of high quality scissors - I find that a small flashlight with a focused beam (like a mini or nano maglight) really helps.

Do one nostril at a time, blow out and swab around a bit. Take another peak with the flashlight to see if you missed any.
posted by porpoise at 1:28 PM on May 28, 2017

I've got a tiny electric hair trimmer that I believe was marketed for eyebrows but I use for my nostrils. I have no idea what other people do, but I am definitely not trying to get a close shave! I just trim so that nothing peaks out.
posted by stowaway at 2:24 PM on May 28, 2017 [1 favorite]

I used scissors for a while and then a relative got me the Phillips wand-y nose hair trimmer. Reader, it does the job. Only maintenance is rinsing it under the tap after. $13 bucks. It seems like a ridiculous and unnecessary product but man alive it can trim a nose privet like nobody's business.

NB you're not going to get a clean close shave with this: it's a trimmer, not a shaver. The goal is to keep those hairs from pokin' out your nose holes.
posted by zippy at 2:37 PM on May 28, 2017 [5 favorites]

This kind of thing works fine.
posted by JimN2TAW at 2:43 PM on May 28, 2017

I admit that I take my life in my hands and, instead of using safety scissors with blunt ends, I use the tiny, extremely sharp scissors on my swiss army knife. Why didn't our mothers tell us about this? Is this even in Our Bodies, Ourselves? I feel as betrayed as when I learned about righty tighty, lefty loosey and realized that my father left a huge gap in my education.
posted by janey47 at 3:10 PM on May 28, 2017 [6 favorites]

I use the exact thing that JimN2TAW uses and it works perfectly. I tend to get bumps from other hair removal but never from this trimmer. I'm a 30's lady!
posted by ancient star at 4:07 PM on May 28, 2017

I also use the product JimN2TAW linked to, and it's really great. I highly recommend it.
posted by Pater Aletheias at 5:18 PM on May 28, 2017

I see two different waxing professionals for different reasons. Both offer nasal waxing. There are a few different methods and products used but the results will be mostly the same. I think an appointment every 6!weeks or so would keep hairs at bay.
posted by littlewater at 6:01 PM on May 28, 2017

This sounds terrible and I wouldn't really recommend it, but I use a normal razor. I put moisturizing soap on the insides of my nostrils, hold my nose so the septum is firm and steady, and then half put the razor in my nostril and I shave the septum (which is the part of my nose that gets visible hair). It seems unsafe and people with different nose shapes might not be able to do it, but honestly I've been doing it for years.

I've tried nose trimmers but I seem to get bumps, sores or pimples, or whatever

Maybe try doing it without actually allowing the trimmer to make contact with your skin?
posted by AppleTurnover at 11:37 PM on May 28, 2017

Another happy JimN2TAW's linked device user. It doesn't pluck or shave, it just trims and leaves 1/16 or 1/32 or whatever. Only downside is you really have to work it about twisting and turning and thrusting at all angles to get all the hairs to hit one of the slots and be cut.
posted by zengargoyle at 12:56 AM on May 29, 2017