An ingrown nose hair can occur at any time--whether you pluck or trim nose hairs. When your nose hair grows, it may curve around and pierce the skin or grow through the wall of the hair follicle. If either of these occurs, the body will try to remove the hair from the skin. This causes the area where the hair is ingrown to become irritated. A painful bump will form over the ingrown hair. It may hurt or itch. Treating the ingrown hair can help it to heal faster.
Step 1
Apply a hot compress to the outside of the affected nostril. This will help the bump to drain, notes MedlinePlus. While you do this, place your thumb into the nostril and push toward the compress so the ingrown hair bump is pushed against the compress. Do this three times per day for at least 15 minutes each time.
Step 2
Place the corner of a rough washcloth into the hottest water you can stand, and wring it out. Insert a corner of the washcloth into your nostril, and rub the ingrown hair bump in a circular motion to try to free the ingrown hair tip from the skin.
Step 3
Dip a cotton swab into a bacitracin zinc ointment or a triple antibiotic ointment. Swab the ingrown hair bump with it. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the nose is the most common area colonized with staph, a bacterium that can cause a serious infection.
Things You'll Need
- Hot compress
- Washcloth
- Cotton swab
- Bacitracin zinc ointment
- Triple antibiotic ointment
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