Nose Hair Removal - Tips & Tricks For Removing Nose Hair

Nose hairs can ruin you. Women find them unattractive. Other men find them unattractive. Even on a personal level, they can be supremely annoying. Many guys are interested in mastering nose hair removal, so we decided to make a complete guide.

Why Do We Have Nose Hair?

Before you dive into nose hair removal, you probably should know more about the hair in your nose. It turns out it exists for a natural reason, and that reason is filtration. Nose hairs catch a lot of particles and keep them from reaching your sinuses. Overall, this is good for you. That said, nose hairs can grow frustratingly long. When that happens, they can be the source of irritation for your nose, and they defeat their purpose.

5 Ways to Remove Nose Hair Safely

Now that you know what the hair is doing, we can discuss how to cut and otherwise eliminate the hair. Which is the best way? You'll have to decide for yourself, but there's enough information here to do that.

Plucking Nose Hairs With a Tweezer

Plucking is one of the more common ways to attack nose hair. We conducted a survey asking men about it, and 15 percent of them said that plucking is their preferred method. It's pretty simple. You grab a pair of tweezers and use them to pull nose hairs out by the roots.

Should Your Pluck Your Nose Hairs?

Why do 15 percent of men swear by this, and why is it only 15 percent? It all comes down to the pros and cons.

Pros To Plucking Your Nose Hair

Let's start with the pros. Plucking is cheap and easy. You only need a pair of tweezers, which costs a few dollars, and your pair can last for years. Plucking nose hairs also lasts a long time. You remove the hairs by the root, so it takes a while for them to return.

Cons To Plucking Your Nose Hair

On the downside, plucking nose hairs is unpleasant. It hurts a little bit, and it can cause bleeding. It's also important to keep your tweezers clean to avoid infection, and that can feel like work to a lot of guys. It's one of the few methods that put you at risk of ingrown hair in your nose. Tweezers also completely remove the hairs, and that can make your nose more susceptible to irritation.

Using Nose Hair Scissors

Scissors are slightly less common than tweezers in our survey, but they're still popular. We found that 11 percent of men prefer to scissor their nose hair. It's another simple process. You put the scissors in your nose and cut the hair. There's nothing else to it.

Pros To Using Nose Hair Scissors

Scissors are roughly as cheap and easy as tweezers. Safety nose scissors are not expensive, and they can last years before going dull or needing replacement. Using scissors is a painless way to remove nose hair, so you're looking at minimizing cost and effort with this approach.

Cons To Using Nose Hair Scissors

Of course, there are downsides too. You need to get the best nose hair scissors, or else you'll run the risk of cutting yourself. Scissors do ultimately go dull and need replacement. The biggest drawback is that scissors have to be used a lot more often than most other methods. It's hard to control hair length, so you'll probably be in a constant tug of war with your nose hairs.

Using a Nose Hair Trimmer

A nose hair trimmer is by far the most popular method. More than two-thirds of men go this route and tout it as the best way to deal with nose hair. When you have a specially designed nose hair trimmer, you simplify the process and make your life as easy as possible. You simply stick the trimmer in your nostril and run it. It takes care of the rest. If you want, here is a complete guide on how to trim nose hair.

Pros of Nose Hair Trimmers

The pros of a nose hair trimmer are compelling. It is the fastest and easiest way to remove the hair. It is also pain-free. Better yet, nose hair trimmers can carefully control the length of your nose hairs. You can get them short enough to not be a problem, but there is enough length left in the hairs that they can perform their biological functions. You'll find that hitting this sweet spot means you don't have to trim too often, and you don't get a super itchy or annoying nose right after trimming.

Cons of Nose Hair Trimmers

The cons of the trimmers start with cost. Electric nose hair trimmers cost more than a pair of scissors or tweezers. Trimmers can also require more complicated maintenance than other methods.

Want more? Check out our in-depth guide on The Pros And Cons Of Trimming Your Nose Hairs

Waxing Your Nose

Waxing is a little less popular for nose hair, but it still has its merits. While it can seem awkward, nose waxing is easier than most body parts. You use waxing rods that go up the nostril. They are pulled down and bring the hair with them.

Pros of Waxing Your Nose

Waxing is low-cost and effective. While it might not be the very fastest method, it is hardly a time sink. Waxing also has the longest time between sessions, so you'll be spending a lot less time on nose hair if you wax. The waxing bonus is that the hair tends to grow back softer, which means it will be less annoying in the time between sessions.

Cons of Waxing Your Nose

On the other hand, waxing is pretty intense. It's probably the most painful way to remove nose hair, and it requires a bit of learning. It's not quite as simple as the other methods listed so far. Waxing is another method that leaves you with no nose hair at all, and that can be worse than having long nose hairs if you're sensitive in the area. Nose hair is gross, but sneezing on people is worse.

Laser Hair Removal

Laser hair removal is the least common solution to this problem. We had negligible responses on our survey, so it's clear it's not done very often. Despite that, laser hair removal is a viable way to attack your nose hair. The method involves using precise lasers to sense the hair follicles. While it can take a few repeat applications, this offers permanent hair removal.

Pros of Laser Hair Removal

On the plus side, permanent nose hair removal is enticing. After a few laser sessions, you might never have to fight your nose hair again for the rest of your life. The appeal is pretty clear. Professionals also do laser removal, so there is a level of safety and competency that is rare for other forms of hair removal.

Cons of Laser Hair Removal

Still, the cons are pretty heavy. Laser hair removal is by far the most expensive way to clean your nose. It can cost hundreds of dollars per session. The second drawback is that not everyone can use laser removal. You have to be the right candidate, and it depends on natural features. Lastly, permanent hair removal might sound nice, but it can leave you with an itchier and more irritable nose. Forever. 

Common Questions About Nose Hair Removal

Can you use nose hair cream to remove nose hair?

Technically speaking, depilatory creams would remove the hair, but no such creams are recommended for nasal use. The risk of using hair removal cream in your nose is pretty intense. At best, you're going to have a strong chemical smell that lingers in your nostrils. At worst, you can cause permanent damage. It's best to avoid putting these creams up there, and most of them say as much in the packaging.

Is it dangerous to pluck your nose hairs?

In a word, yes. When you pluck, there is a risk of infection. There is also a risk of irritation and all of the things that come from violent hair removal. That said, the risk is not extraordinary, and a lot of guys are willing to simply ignore it.

How long does nose hair take to grow back?

Hair growth will vary from guy to guy and will also depend on how the hair was removed. For most guys, hair removed at the root will take four or more weeks to grow back enough to be a nuisance. How fast does it grow if you only trim it? Trimmed hair will depend on how short it gets, but most guys don't have to trim their noses every week.

Does nose hair help breathing?

Yes. Nose hair does a lot of good things for you. Primarily, it filters particles, so they don't enter your sinuses. Filtering particles reduces allergic reactions, general irritation, and swelling of the sinuses. All of those results help you breathe better.

How does a nose hair trimmer work?

Most nose hair trimmers use a circuit blade that spins very fast. A guard covers the blade, and that guard determines how close the blade can get to anything. When the blade strikes a nose hair, the hair is cut, but the guard prevents the hair from being cut down to the skin.

Why do some nose hairs grow so thick?

Your hormones regulate hair thickness. If you randomly get thicker nose hairs, it's a sign of a change in your hormone levels. That's why a lot of guys see a major change during puberty. Usually, the thickness will level out with age, but testosterone spikes can make them thicker.

Why does plucking your nose hair make you sneeze?

There are two answers. The first is that the action of plucking can make you sneeze because you are exposing your nose to a foreign object. You are also stressing the nose by forcibly removing the hairs. Both of these things can cause sneezing.

But plucking can cause sneezing long after you're done. This is because removing the hair increases the chances that allergens and irritants can get into your sinuses.