How to Remove Nose Hair

Removing nose hair is easy. Finding the best method is more difficult. Whether waxing, lasering, trimming, or cutting, find out which is most viable.

It was only when a friend mentioned the hairs poking out of my nostrils that I realized such a thing even existed. I headed straight to the bathroom where the mirror confirmed the observation. I was appalled.

The subject busied my mind for a couple of years. Scrutinizing the nostrils of others, I realized I wasn’t alone. But it seemed to affect older men more; I was only 27 at the time.

We didn’t have search engines back then, so there was no information at my fingertips. And I was too embarrassed to ask anyone—even my barber. As a result, my desperate attempts to remove the hair were ill-advised at best: I used what I had at hand—tweezers, razors, and nail scissors.

But even some of the widely promoted methods listed in this post are less than ideal. Mostly because they ignore the purpose of nose hair.

Why We Have Nose Hair

We all have nose hair. It’s part of the body’s defense system, preventing dust and allergens from entering the respiratory tract. A 2011 study even suggests that the more nose hair we have, the better the protection.

But with age, our eyebrows and the hairs of our ears and nostrils respond to androgens, which stimulate excessive growth—particularly in men. In fact, a man’s nose hair can reach six feet during his lifetime.

The only way to manage it is with regular pruning.

Source: The Neat and Tidy Man

5 Ways to Remove Nose Hair

Discovering safe and effective ways to get rid of nose hair is easy in the age of the internet.

Unfortunately, the first thing I did was grab a pair of tweezers. My eyes streamed and the pain was intense.

When the hairs returned, I switched to nail scissors, but got nowhere. Sharp, pointy ends and violent sneezing are a dangerous combination.

So I tried with a safety razor, which was too large to get anywhere near the hair and sliced my nose instead. The tube of depilatory cream in the medicine cabinet caught my eye. Fortunately, the smell alone was enough to put me off: its chemicals would have destroyed the mucous membrane.

Despite the discomfort, I went back to tweezing. I had no idea it can cause ingrown hairs and infections like nasal vestibulitis.

With no advertising for nose removal tools at the time, it was a while until I found a safer, less excruciating method.

1. The Nose Hair Trimmer

This was my first discovery and it remains my favorite.

A nose hair trimmer is a small, battery-operated device with a nozzle that houses a fast-rotating blade (see above photos). They retail from under $10.

To use, insert the nozzle into a clean nostril, turn the device on, and move it in all directions. It painlessly removes visible hair without compromising the nasal defense system.

I once had a trimmer that tugged painfully if it was running before entering the nostril, which is why I advise turning it on after insertion.

There’s no need for a magnifying mirror to check your work. When the device comes into contact with hair, its tone rises. The tone drops again when the hair is gone.

Trim your ears in the same way.

Nose trimmers are often available with a separate brow nozzle. And some beard and mustache trimmers come with a nose-nozzle attachment, as in the photo above.

Clean the nozzle after each use to remove bacteria and prevent oil and debris buildup.

Using a nose trimmer takes about 20 seconds, which fits easily into any grooming regimen.

2. The Manual Nose Hair Trimmer

Manual nose trimmers require no battery, take up little space, and remove hair just as well as battery-operated devices—even if they take 40 seconds instead of 20. You can slip one into your toiletry bag, which is ideal for travel, or keep it as a spare in case your battery trimmer stops working.

The convenient Silkslide Twizzer (see photo below) is a small plastic device with two blades housed in a conical guard. You just insert it into the nostril and give it a twist. It works the same way for ear hair.

A slower rotation speed can cause a slight tug, but not enough to deter use.

There are also more robust metal devices. Instead of twisting, the blade rotates with a lever mechanism.

3. Nose Hair Scissors

Don’t insert nail scissors into your nostrils; nose hair scissors with rounded ends are safer. These are a viable alternative to the nose trimmer, but nowhere near as effective.

They only cut visible length—nothing beyond that. For a mature man, this could mean trimming once or twice a day. They’re also imprecise and awkward to handle.

But if that’s all you have, you’ll get better results if you tilt your head back a little and push the tip of your nose upward. That way, you can see what you’re doing and reach more hair.

4. Nose Waxing

Hot waxing has really taken off in the world of nose hair removal. Your barber can do it for you, or you can buy a nose wax kit for home use.

Wax is applied to a rod-shaped applicator, which is inserted into the nostril. Once the wax has cooled and hardened, it is yanked out, taking the hair with it.

Because wax removes the root, results last longer than with a trimmer. It can also weaken growth over time, which is convenient.

But it removes more hair than necessary, thus compromising the respiratory tract’s defense system. And although it’s less painful than plucking with tweezers, it can still lead to ingrown hairs and infections.

5. Laser Nose Hair Removal

Laser is the most thorough and permanent method of nose hair removal. In other words, it irreversably removes more hair than is healthy.

Although considered safe on external skin, it could damage the mucous membrane within the nostril. It’s also costly, requiring several sittings to complete.

I asked about the procedure several years ago while having broken capillaries lasered. The practitioner warned against it.

Source: The Neat and Tidy Man

Removing Hair from the Tip of the Nose

As well as the problem of nostril hairs, some men, me included, have hairs sprouting from the external or outer tip of the nose. These are as coarse and bristly as whiskers, although sparser.

In my case, they’re dark, so shaving or running over them with a nose hair trimmer makes it look as though I have blackheads.

Waxing would be overkill and could lead to broken capillaries and permanent redness.

For me, plucking seems the safest method. Working in the direction of growth, I carefully extract each hair. So far I’ve experienced no pain or irritation.

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The longer-lasting or permanent results of waxing and lasering are convenient, but the battery-operated trimmer is how I remove nose hair. It’s cheap and does the job in seconds without damage. Scissors and manual devices are handy fallbacks.

Don’t let nose hair become an issue. It’s a tiny detail with a simple fix that can make all the difference.

© 2024 J. Richardson