Best Nose Hair Trimmers for a Groomed Look in 2024 | British GQ

Unless you have a very low pain threshold, you’re unlikely to feel any pulls or nicks from any of our electric nose hair trimmers, simply because they are designed to gently slice the hair away with minimum fuss or tug. These rotary trimmers are more or less entirely pain-free and certainly a much less tear-jerking option than plucking or waxing your nostrils, which can damage the skin deep inside your nose. Most have tiny blades that sit within a skin-safe guard, meaning you can shove it right up there and guide it around the edges of your nostrils or ear hole for a painless hair removal session. As they are battery-powered, they don’t have the gusto to do much damage to your sensitive skin, so long as you look after the blades, though, they are very easy to clean.

It’s all well and good having the tool, but you ought to know how to use it properly for best results. Place the tip inside your nose, squeeze it and twist it to trim the offending hair you can see. Then do the same for the other side of your schnoz. It really is a very simple process.

In almost all cases, our favourites below have comfortable, ergonomic handles that offer a flawless cleaning system for top results every time you use them, but it’s well worth using a cleaning brush or holding it under the tap to clear away the gunk.

As mentioned, the thought of shoving a blade in your nose is ample reason to give you concern, but the process and technique of clearing out your nose hair with a proper tool is entirely safe and recommended. The blades themselves are skin-safe and designed to be kind to the right bits of your nostrils while keeping a tough stance on nose hair, and unless you’ve got a particularly rusty set of blades, you’re being overly aggressive in your trimming or especially sensitive skin, then you’re all good to go. And it’s a hell of a lot better than using the kitchen knife or a pair of scissors.

As unsightly as nose hair is, there is actually a scientific reason for having it. The hairs cross through your nostrils to act as a barrier and filter against dust, allergens and other particles, preventing them from getting into your respiratory system. This can help keep you healthy or sneezing excessively. Trimming this down will inevitably open you up to more sneezing or unwanted particles, so we’d recommend you trim moderately and avoid cutting down your nose hair every day.

As with all grooming devices, the largest frustration comes from having to clean the thing once you’re done tidying your whiskers. Thankfully, nose hair trimmers are significantly easier to clean than your average beard trimmer, mostly because you’re clipping fewer hairs in one session, and they are a lot smaller.

In most cases, the hairs will simply tumble from your nostrils and ear canals into the sink or shower, as the devices aren’t big enough to collect cut hair. However, if they do, almost all options we’ve tested below have removable heads so you can pop it under the tap to give it a rinse under hot water.

To go the extra mile, you can also use a lint-free cloth or cotton buds soaked in alcohol to properly clean the blades and remove the threat of nasty bacteria.

So what else should you be looking out for before you get stuck into clipping down your nose hair? Aside from its obvious hair-cutting capabilities, there are plenty of other features worth considering before you make your purchase.

Waterproofing – Shaving in the shower is like chutney with a cheese board. It elevates the entire experience and makes total sense once you start combining the two. Shower shaving is great because it allows you to wash away the chopped hair as it falls, making the post-shave cleanup significantly easier overall. It also allows for a total body trim should you need it, with one of the best body hair trimmers, perhaps the best razor and possibly one of the best beard trimmers thrown in for the complete hairless routine.

Additional extras – Everyone loves getting a few extras to increase the bang for your buck, and nose hair trimmers are often a place to find value with one or two included accessories in the asking price. For instance, you might find a pair of detailing scissors, a travel bag, a cleaning brush or even a guiding comb to tackle your eyebrows for one low price, so check out what’s part of the deal before you buy. There aren’t many, but a few devices might also add a vacuum system that makes it significantly easier to clean up after yourself, so keep an eye out for that.

Ear and eyebrow trimming – As mentioned, nose hair trimmers are well positioned to take on the grooming of eyebrows and ear hair, with small detailing shaver heads that can shape and slice as needed. Just take care with the eyebrows, as it’s surprisingly easy to clip off way more than you intended.

Size – We always appreciate a grooming tool that takes up a small amount of space as possible, so we’d recommend hunting for a nose hair trimmer that’s small, discreet and easy to store away. Most are no larger than a pen and about as wide as your thumb, but it’s worth considering if your bathroom is already overflowing with grooming products.

The best nose hair trimmer is the one that gets the job done with little fuss, but of course, it’s not always as easy as that. In our opinion, top-tier options are dedicated trimmers that are specifically designed with small skin-safe blades that will fit inside the nostril and gently shave away hair without cutting or irritating the skin.

Some larger devices, like beard trimmers and body groomers, may come with nose hair trimming attachments, but we’d fear that the motor could be too powerful to give you a comfortable shaving experience. For that reason, we’d always opt for dedicated nose trimmers given the choice.

Keeping blades sharp and ready to go is an essential part of most grooming device care manuals, but for nose hair trimmers, it’s a slightly different story. You should always aim to look after your tools; lathering them in blade oil, pat-drying them when you rinse them under the tap, and storing them safely (rather than bunging them in the bathroom cabinet when you’re done).

However, unlike other beard trimmers and electric shavers that require care and frequent attention with resharpening of the blades, nose hair trimmers need far less maintenance.

In fact, for most of our top picks below, there isn’t anything that needs to be done post-trim besides rinsing it under a tap. The blades are so small and you’re only typically shaving for a few seconds at a time that you don’t get the same dullness to the blades overuse. And since most devices don’t house internal lithium batteries that require a wall charger to get back up to a full battery, you won’t have to worry about replacing your device after a few months when the battery goes. In most cases, you can just swap out the tiring AA batteries for new ones and you’re good to go.

You’ll likely be familiar with top-tier grooming brands like Braun, Philips and Wahl for their exceptional beard trimmers and body hair groomers, but in most cases, these German tech-makers also know how to manufacture the best nose hair trimmers, as well. How? The skin-safe blades permeate the entire roster for the vast majority of brands, so if you see a quality set of blades and a good motor on one product, it’s likely the same sort of system will be used for its more affordable nose trimmers.

Philips, in particular, are a great choice if you’re working on a budget, and the travel-friendly, ergonomic options have a strong hold among our favourites throughout testing. Elsewhere, a brand like Manscaped provides the grooming equivalent of a blade-wielding super engine (only, for your nostrils) with products like the brilliantly-named Weed Whacker.

For those blighted with hairy nostrils, the general costs for the best nose hair trimmers are blessedly low, with most trimmers costing well under £50 and lasting at least a few years, providing the sort of long-term value that we can get behind.

The basic budget-friendly options can be as low as £15 from Amazon, though you should expect them to be plastic, a bit scratchy and decidedly low-quality compared with something you might spend a bit more on.

Stepping up to the £20-£30 mark will get you greater longevity and build quality, and the device may even come with additional accessories like a travel case, blade sharpeners and/or extra heads.

Anything above that will offer the most features and generally be the best option overall – just be prepared to pay top dollar.

If all this chat about shaving your nostrils and tidying up facial hair has inspired you to be the best version of your grooming self, then allow us to guide you through this exciting new world of trimming, shaving and moisturising. Regardless of your future aims to take care of your skin and hair, it’s always helpful to follow tips and advice from the experts, and we certainly class ourselves in that category. Below is a collection of our carefully curated roundups to help you figure out exactly what products and gadgets you should be buying to propel yourself along your grooming journey.

Grooming electricals

Best electric shavers | Best razors | Best body hair trimmers | Best head shavers | Best hair clippers | Best nose hair trimmers | Best ball hair trimmers | Best back shavers

Grooming

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