There’s a list of embarrassing body issues and nose hair could very well be somewhere near the top of that list. Getting rid of nose hair is among the top 3 grooming priorities for every man that should never neglect -together with head and facial hair style.

No excuses here, gentlemen.

On a very fundamental level, grooming is all about discipline and nothing comes close to screaming out your utter lack of discipline in the grooming department quite like long, curly nose hair.

Now, nose hair isn’t a rare disease that you need to fight with fire the minute you see it.

The “good” thing is that nose hair is actually pretty common, both for men and women.

But neither a gorgeous swimsuit model or a George Clooney lookalike is getting lucky while letting long strands of thick, bushy hair pop out of their snout.

So, getting your nose hair trimmed is an absolute essential.

Needless to say that nose hair isn’t a medical problem and it’s not going to cause any harm to your body. Though it’s more than capable of ruining your social life, that’s all.

So, if you prefer meeting people face to face every now and again, read on to find out what you need to do to curb the ugly nose forest.

Let’s see what we’re going to be talking about in this post.

  • First, we’re going to find out how does this actually happen.
  • How you can fix it again and again.
  • How to prevent your nose hair from embarrassing you in public in the future.
  • Essential tools to start using and get rid of nose hair without hurting yourself

So, let’s take it step by step and see how your hair starts growing without control inside your nostrils.

How does it happen

How hair follicle looks like and how hair grows

There’s a simple answer to how you get nose hair – it grows.

Hair is everywhere on your body and it tends to grow in some inconvenient and often unlikely places.

Armpits, back, the lower half of your thumb.

Depending on your genes and heritage your body could be somewhere between a hairless newborn baby and a prehistoric orangutang.

As you grow older and you get into adulthood, hair is growing thicker and longer on every part of your body.

This is especially true for guys with higher testosterone. Just like your beard grows thicker after your 20-25 years, nose hair is very similar to this. When you reach this age, the anagen phase of your hair growth tends to last longer and the hair grows longer during this time.

Your nose is one such inconvenient place hair likes to call home. But just because it’s at an unlikely place doesn’t mean it’s useless.

Nose hairs are actually pretty good at collecting moisture and keeping out all the dirt and debris from getting into your lungs.

Think of them as honorable gatekeepers that are blocking attempts by disgusting invaders to get to your precious lungs. Therefore, it’s good to remember that you shouldn’t even consider completely removing nose hair.

Valiant as that might be, they still need to go for reasons we’ve already discussed, so here’s what you need to do.

How to get rid of nose hair

Very rarely is it possible to offer a solution for a common problem with just one word.

As it turns out, nose hair is one of those problems. The solution – trimmer. And more specifically, nose trimmers.

If you haven’t seen them before, nose trimmers look a lot different from your regular beard trimmers.

They’ve got a rounded, stubbed edge that chops down the nose hair to just the right length. You’ll be able to get yourself one online or at a local store. I’ll leave a link down below for my favorite brand.

They come in two varieties: electric or manual.

The electric ones are pretty straightforward and work with the same sort of efficiency you’d expect from a regular beard trimmer.

Manual ones, on the other hand, are little more rare since most men don’t use them. They don’t run on batteries or the lug and need to be handled with both hands.

Among manual trimmers are also scissors specifically designed for moustaches and nose trimming. These kind of scissors have rounded edges so that you don’t cut yourself.

Trimming your nose hair with this kind of scissors is a bit more complicated than using an electric trimmer and it definitely takes more time.

Both the electric and manual trimmers are designed for two things – cutting nose hair and safety.

The skin and hair inside your nose is very sensitive and getting cut there is not an option. That’s why nose trimmers are designed specifically to make cutting yourself nearly impossible.

Nose trimmers work best, in my opinion, so long as you stay regular with it.

Depending on the speed of your hair growth you may need to trim the hair every month or every couple months.

Another, less common approach, is to get a professional laser therapy to get rid of the hair permanently. As already noted, I don’t recommend this for hygiene and health reasons. If you decide to do it however, make sure you get a second opinion from a professional.

Nose hair removal don’ts

Plucking is not the way to get rid of nose hair. It is both unhealthy and disgusting

Image courtesy: GeorgeRudy/BigStock.com

Grooming is all well and good, but try to lose sight of the end game here.

You want to look better, but not at the cost of your health.

So, don’t cut your hair too short.

As we’ve mentioned before, you need your nose hair to keep out all the microtrash in the environment. If you get rid of all your nose hair, there won’t be any barriers left between minigerms and your delicate lungs.

Trimmers are made to cut the hair down to the right length and no more, so if you use it right you should be okay. But if you go overboard and trim aggressively, you’re likely to do some damage.

Another thing you should never do is pluck the nose hair.

There’s a lot of guys who do this without understanding the risks of plucking hair out from your nose.

Besides hurting like hell, plucking is likely to cause bleeding. On top of that, bacteria is very happy to grow in a moist orifice with blood in it.

Unlike the veins elsewhere in your body, the ones in the face don’t have ‘protective valves’, which means this bacteria can transmit from your veins to your bloodstream and cause an infection elsewhere in the body.

If all this sounds disgusting, that’s because it is. And it’s a good reason to keep those tweezers far away from your nose.

How to prevent nose hair from growing insanely long

This should be more about preventing nose hairs from growing too long and not completely eliminating.

You need a regular routine to keep your nose hair in shape. Just the right length to protect your lungs and while being able to show your face out in public.

A simple to follow routine that can help you

Your best bet, as we’ve discussed before, is to trim regularly. You need a great trimmer that safely gets rid of nose hair and one that you can use easily.

Take some time to understand how your nose hair grows and the pace of growth. Once you figure this out, you’ll know the best time to trim again.

For most men (me included) the best time is once a month. Yours, should be more or less the same, depending on your rate of hair growth.

Here’s how to get rid of nose hair every month:

  1. Make sure that the room has enough light so that you see clearly what you’re doing.
  2. Clean your nose before anything else and make sure it’s not moist. Otherwise, you’ll get one messy and nasty nose trimming session.
  3. Hold up your nostrils and flare them. Use your fingers to push back your nostrils like a pig’s snout. This makes it easier to see deep into your nose and get all the hair.
  4. You should be standing in front of a large, clear mirror. Otherwise, use a magnifying mirror for accuracy. Also, make sure you have a sink in front of you, since this could get messy.
  5. Hopefully the light in your bathroom is bright enough to allow you to see all the nose hair clearly. Start by going around in circles with the trimmer and make sure you get all the longest hair strands poping out of your nose. You don’t have to push the trimmer deep in your nostril. Remember that you don’t have to reach your brain in order to make your nose hair presentable.
  6. After the first round, blow your nose or rinse it thoroughly to get all the stray hair out of your nose. Once it’s clear, try again.
  7. Make sure you aren’t pressing down too hard with the trimmer. A gently sweep is really all you need to trim your hair down to the right length. If you press down too hard, you’ll make cuts deep inside your nose and that could lead to an infection.
  8. Keep repeating these steps till you feel like you’ve covered the whole circumference and you’re good to go.

Deal with ingrown hair

Ingrown hair is very real and it doesn’t happen only when you shave your face. To make things worse, it’s a lot more annoying and painful than either a cut or wound inside your nostril.

If you notice you have an ingrown hair, you must deal with it right away. Don’t just leave it and think that it will heal itself.

Here’s what you need to do to cure ingrown nose hair.

  1. Moisten the skin by covering your finger with a warm cloth and placing it inside the nostril for a bit.
  2. Hold for a few minutes and then repeat. This will make your skin loosen up.
  3. After a while, start circling your wet-cloth covered finger inside the nostril as if you are picking your nose. You’ll notice a bit of irritation at the spot of the ingrowth, so rub gently at the spot to get the hair to release.
  4. Once you’re done, there’s a good chance that spot is bleeding. Not to worry though, it’s expected. Use a qtip dipped in alcohol or hydrogen peroxide to disinfect this spot right away.

Products that can help you

Pretty much the only device that can safely help you with nose hairs is a nose trimmer.

You can take a pick from some very popular brands out there. I’d recommend the Braun Exact nose and ear trimmer.

There’s also Philips Norelco Nose trimmer Series 3300, which is a great alternative.

Then there’s the Wahl 9818 Lithium Ion Stainless Steel All-in-one Groomer, which is designed to help you trim hair not just in your nose, but all over your body. The head for nose and ear trim isn’t as precise as the previously mentioned products but that’s the least you should care about as you’re not planning to shape the hair in your nose. Or at least I hope so… The MicroTouch Switchblade is another similar option.

We also talked about scissors earlier which is a good alternative to the nose hair trimmer.

Prefer the ones that have rounded edges so that you don’t hurt yourself while trimming. Although this kind of scissors can do a good job is by no means more convenient that a nose trimmer.

No matter if you select a nose trimmer or a scissor, make sure that they’re well maintained and the blades are clean and sharp.

Sharp blades slice the hair effectively and prevents itch inside your nose. Dull blades on the other hand can “chew” the hair and can lead to ingrown hair.

Concluding remarks

Nose hair is something that all men have and yet no one appreciates it. That’s a fact.

It grows long, it’s highly unattractive and can get quite annoying as they grow longer. It gets you itchy and tickly.

But just like everything that has to do with grooming, you need to follow a regular routine and you need to do it right. Simply avoiding it, is definitely not the solution.

Knowing how to get rid of nose hair properly is a necessity for all men.

And it’s not just about that. While removing the hair isn’t something complicated, you need to do it while maintaining the health and hygiene intact.

I hope this guide gives you the knowledge and tools to start following a great nose hair removal routine.

Breathe better, look awesome!

 

Main image courtesy: deagreez/BigStock.com