This article was written for Annabel & Grace, which is now part of Rest Less.
Years ago I bought my now ex-husband a nose trimmer. Kind of me I know. He was in his mid fifties and things were getting a little straggly, especially in the nasal and eyebrow departments. Subsequently, I installed my amazing wall mounted SimpleHuman sensor mirror in my bathroom and I got a shock. I had, for the first time, a well lit and much magnified view of my own face. Well, I practically leapt back into the bedroom! I could see not only the makings of a moustache, but ugly dark hairs trying to escape from each of my nostrils!
Unsightly, coarse, dark or long nose hairs are not attractive on men, but on a woman? Yuk. But where had my hairs sprouted from? A quick Google told me that many women notice increased nose hair growth as their oestrogen hormone levels begin to deplete with age. OMG, yet ANOTHER thing associated with getting on a bit!
However, it seems it’s not a good idea to get rid of all our nose hair because it protects the delicate membranes of our inner nasal passages by trapping dust, bacteria and pollutants. It also traps moisture and humidity to keep our delicate membranes lubricated and healthy. Unsightly as it may be, nose hair is a vital part of our immune system. So, we should only trim the hair that is showing. Getting rid of those overgrown stragglers is thankfully very easy, painless and inexpensive to do. So what are our options?
Tweezers Ideally never pluck your nose hair. Not only is it painful, it can lead to infection. Basically if you pluck a hair and it bleeds, the blood can let bacteria grow in your nose and possibly enter your bloodstream. However, for your eyebrows we recommend Tweezerman as, although expensive, they really do an effective job and one pair of tweezers lasts for years without losing their grip.
Nose hair scissors These have special rounded tips that are designed to cut hair in sensitive areas. Please avoid scissors with a sharp end that could damage the skin on the inside of your nose.
Waxing An option for those who can stand the pain that comes along with it. I have heard good things about NAD’s Nose Wax for Men & Women though. It is uses a specially formulated hard wax that has chamomile and aloe and only pulls out the hairs that are obviously sticking out (ie that other people can see). The results leave you nose hair free for weeks, and if you use it regularly your nose hair growth slows down.
Electric trimmer This is the method I decided on. So, after my breathing had calmed down with the shock of how hairy I had become, I bought my own nose trimmer. Tentatively, I pressed it gently to the entrance to one of my nostrils and switched it on, girding myself for some discomfort. Not only did the offending stragglers disappear into the little machine but it was, surprisingly, absolutely painless. You just rinse the trimmer under the tap to clean it – it is 100% washable. Simples. BTW, my research shows that you’ll pay up to twice as much for a “ladies” nose trimmer which is highly likely to be pink, but won’t do any better job than a cheaper “male” version. Choose one with a long ‘snout’ like this Remington for £9.99.