How to Buy a Nose Hair Trimmer

An essential but not well-discussed grooming tool for men (and some women) is the nose hair trimmer. It seems like such a simple thing, but finding a good trimmer is not as easy as it seems. As a result, there are many men (and again, women) out there who get frustrated at not being able to get an optimum trim each time. So, here are a few tips on buying a good trimmer...

First, you need to know that there are two designs for a nose hair trimmer: flat head and the rotary head. The flat head resembles a flat-head shaver, but is much thinner (less wide). This design is also suitable for trimming side burns, beards, and mustaches. In contrast, the rotary design has a circular edge (e.g,. bottom of a cylinder) where hair can enter into the trimmer from any side through the slits on the sides. The flat head trimmer requires the trimmer to be positioned properly so that one of the two active sides is in contract with the hair. In contrast, the rotary design is meant to work in any position. In reality though, each trimmer requires some twisting motion to properly engage the hair that it's going to cut. The rotary design is the most common type currently available.

I used to own several of the rotary trimmers and it was always a hit and miss. The efficiency of these trimmers depends on several factors including the gap between the outer cylindrical guard (outer tube) and the inner blades as well as the design of the blades (shape, angle, sharpness, etc.). The cheaper the trimmers (e.g., $5-$10 each), the more of a hit and miss I experienced (less consistency in effectiveness). I once purchased a rotary trimmer for $6.99 and found that the trimmer was completely useless as it hardly cut any hair. Something was horribly wrong with the design or quality of that trimmer. In contrast, when I've purchased trimmers that were a bit more expensive (e.g., $30-$100), they have tended to be more consistent but not always the best choices as some would not provide a deep cut. One of the best trimmers I ever purchased was one that cost $12.99 and provided a satisfying deep cut (cut hair close to the skin). So, while price is not a clear determinant of the best trimmers, it serves as a good guide in giving you an indication of what may be bad versus what may be good trimmers.

So, in addition to price, my criteria for rating trimmers is to get ones that can provide a deep cut and consistently over time. But how do you judge this without using it? Well, one way to get some information is to look for reviews by actual users. You can go to places like Amazon.com to get some good reviews for many different kinds of nose hair trimmers. The other way that I have come to judge these devices is by the look and fee of the devices. Even though I have used cheap trimmers in the past, I have shied away from them as their precision seems to be lacking and they tend to break quicker. Over the long term a more expensive trimmer may actually save you money (i.e., you don't have to buy several cheap trimmers which can add up over time). Besides the lower price, you can tell if a product is cheap by the feel of the cheaply molded plastic pieces that don't feel like they fit quite right. Along these lines, if the head of the trimmer seems bulbous (rounded as opposed to a flushed cylinder's end), I tend to shy away from those as it may be an indication of either bad design or cheap molding. The flushed end seems to provide a better cutting experience.

One more tip in using a nose hair trimmer: make sure you clean the trimmer after each use so that you keep the blades clean. Use a dedicated brush like a spare toothbrush (please do not use your regular toothbrush) to clean the end with soap and water.