# Men: Those Unsightly Nose Hairs **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 15, 2003, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-those-unsightly-nose-hairs/148776 "2003-01-15T17:28:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2003, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-those-unsightly-nose-hairs/148776/21 "2003-01-15T20:54:00Z")
Sometimes I pluck, sometimes I trim with cuticle scissors. Seems like trimming is better for me because I tend to end up with a head cold after a significant plucking. And I do have a mustache usually. ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2003, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-those-unsightly-nose-hairs/148776/22 "2003-01-15T20:58:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by shelbo \* > \*\*I use the trimmer portion of my electric razor. No muss, no fuss. \*\* You must either have the world’s smallest trimmer, or the largest nose! I pluck 'em myself. I tried the weedwacker but it was not a pretty sight. ---
**Author:** ![Bongmaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Bongmaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bongmaster)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2003, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-those-unsightly-nose-hairs/148776/23 "2003-01-15T21:07:02Z")
Grasp as many as possible between thumb and index finger, pull quickly, wince in pain. TOMCAT, I’m almost certain I’ve gotten around 20 or so one time, I should have counted. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2003, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-those-unsightly-nose-hairs/148776/24 "2003-01-15T21:15:43Z")
> [@](#): > > Noise hair trimmers do exist. I wasn’t aware of this problem. Is it noticeably audible or do only dogs hear it? ---
**Author:** ![malden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@malden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/malden)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2003, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-those-unsightly-nose-hairs/148776/25 "2003-01-15T21:30:13Z")
I must point out that [this guy](http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_514462.html) appears to have no nostril hair at all! I wonder what he uses. ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2003, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-those-unsightly-nose-hairs/148776/26 "2003-01-15T21:49:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by malden \* > \*\*I must point out that [this guy](http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_514462.html) appears to have no nostril hair at all! I wonder what he uses. \*\* That’s not ear hair, those are ingrown NOSE hairs! ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2003, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-those-unsightly-nose-hairs/148776/27 "2003-01-15T21:52:16Z")
Hey, I just noticed he’s from Bhopal. Isn’t that where the Union Carbide chemical plant had a release of toxic chemicals a while back, and is there a connection? ---
**Author:** ![DaToad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@DaToad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaToad)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2003, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-those-unsightly-nose-hairs/148776/28 "2003-01-15T22:20:28Z")
Another plucky guy here. I’ve ripped out bunches enough times that I’m beyond the eye watering. I do use scissors once in awhile, and the ones on my little Swiss AK work best. I keep threatening to try one of the trimmers but have wondered if they work well enough to spend the money. From the comments about trimmers so far, I guess I’ll just continue to rip 'em out. ---
**Author:** ![bare](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bare/32/471_2.png) [@bare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bare)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2003, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-those-unsightly-nose-hairs/148776/29 "2003-01-15T23:06:27Z")
You guys are all whusses. A real man uses a bic lighter! In my case I too have a beard, so I built a beard dam to prevent a conflagration. I have to admit though, I was a bit put off on my last trip to the barber when he started tuggin’ on a long hair layin’ in my beard and realized it was attached to the inside of my ear. He comforted me somewhat by calmly scissoring what he could reach and commiserating with me about the onset of old age. ---
**Author:** ![Ki42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Ki42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ki42)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-those-unsightly-nose-hairs/148776/30 "2003-01-16T00:21:52Z")
you are freaks!!! lighters… bare razor blades… RIPPING OUT BUNCHES WITH YOUR BARE HANDS!!! i thought plucking the little bas\*ards out was painful but some of you are on some next level masochistic tip… and before you say it, yeah i am a woss but at least i dont have a custom built nasal hair trimmer hahahahaha!!! 😃 i ---
**Author:** ![december](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/838e76/32.png) [@december](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/december)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-those-unsightly-nose-hairs/148776/31 "2003-01-16T00:51:43Z")
I use a manual spinning trimmer, which I bought at the barber shop. It works adequately. Sometimes it jams, and I have to unscrew the two pieces and lubricate it. I’ve seen ads for electric nose hair trimmers, but have tried one. ---
**Author:** ![dead0man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/edb3f5/32.png) [@dead0man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dead0man)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-those-unsightly-nose-hairs/148776/32 "2003-01-16T01:33:27Z")
I’m a plucker. I got a nose/ear trimmer awhile back from my SO (it wasn’t a subtle hint) but it doesn’t do a very good job. I can only do 5 or 6 pinches in a sitting, after that my fingers/thumb start to hurt. My 500th post starts with “I’m a plucker.” I’m very ashamed. ---
**Author:** ![Wikkit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c0e974/32.png) [@Wikkit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wikkit)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-those-unsightly-nose-hairs/148776/33 "2003-01-16T02:04:38Z")
In My Humble Opinion, it’s easiest to use a string trimmer to get the long ones, then a 13mm spade bit to scrape the rest out. Just kidding. I use scissors when necessary, but I’m still in denial; I’m 21 years old, I shouldn’t have to worry about nose hair trimming. For years I’d blow my nose and wonder how an eyelash ended up embedded in my booger. And don’t act like you don’t look. **Boris B** , it could be described as two co-axial castles (the chess piece), with the inner one rotating, correct? ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-those-unsightly-nose-hairs/148776/34 "2003-01-16T03:15:03Z")
As you will have noticed, as a man grows older, there is less hair on his head, and more hair in his nose, in his ears, and down his back. Contrary to popular opinion, this is not because the hair gradually creeps lower and lower on his body, ending as tufts on the knuckles of his toes. Rather, it is that each head hair continues subcutaneously to the nose, ear or back, where like as a tendril it once again emerges. Because of this, the simplest way to reduce the length of nose hairs is to grasp the hair at the back of the man’s head and yank severely. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-those-unsightly-nose-hairs/148776/35 "2003-01-16T13:48:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by bare \* > **A real man uses a bic lighter!** I’ve done this too but it’s a bit difficult with a mustache. ---
**Author:** ![Boris\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/fbc32d/32.png) [@Boris\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boris_B)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-those-unsightly-nose-hairs/148776/36 "2003-01-17T11:20:03Z")
**Wikkit** you’re a bloody genius! That’s exactly what it looks like! (I was totally dispairing of a way to describe this thing. Now the only problem is, how do I describe this to someone who doesn’t know what co-axial means?) ---
**Author:** ![Wikkit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c0e974/32.png) [@Wikkit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wikkit)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-those-unsightly-nose-hairs/148776/37 "2003-01-17T13:27:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Boris B \* > \*\*(I was totally dispairing of a way to describe this thing. Now the only problem is, how do I describe this to someone who doesn’t know what co-axial means?) \*\* If there exists such a creature, I don’t want to meet it. Shouldn’t be too difficult. The smaller one is nested inside the larger, or something like that. How often do you need to describe nose hair trimming devices? ---
**Author:** ![eunoia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eunoia/32/97_2.png) [@eunoia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eunoia)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-those-unsightly-nose-hairs/148776/38 "2003-01-17T15:23:53Z")
Snort lots of cocaine. ---
**Author:** ![cdhostage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@cdhostage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cdhostage)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-those-unsightly-nose-hairs/148776/39 "2003-01-17T15:36:47Z")
If you have a mustache and long nose hairs and it’s winter in New England and your nose runs, you have a snotty block three inches wide on your face. Wear your nose condom! ---
**Author:** ![jokestress](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/aca169/32.png) [@jokestress](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jokestress)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2003, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-those-unsightly-nose-hairs/148776/40 "2003-03-02T19:37:42Z")
You should always trim nose hairs rather than pluck if they’re up in the nostril. There’s a very slight chance you could get an infection at the site, which is a little to close to the brain for comfort. most professionals will not do electrolysis or laser in the area for that reason. Here’s another little discussion of the issue: [http://www.hairtell.com/cgi-bin/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get\_topic;f=46;t=000001](http://www.hairtell.com/cgi-bin/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=46;t=000001) If you must pluck, do it here: [http://www.nobodyhere.com/justme/nose.php3](http://www.nobodyhere.com/justme/nose.php3) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-those-unsightly-nose-hairs/148776.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-those-unsightly-nose-hairs/148776.md?page=3)