A funny thing happened on the way to the park…
One weekend, we were heading to the playground with some friends, and their five-year-old came over to me. She cuddled close and linked her little arm through mine. Awwww, we’re having a moment, I thought. She looked up into my eyes. She smiled. And then she said…
“Joanna? Why do you have hair coming out of your NOSE?”
Ohhhhhh. Okay!
Once children start pointing out your nose hair, it might be time to do something about it. I always knew I had a little bit, but I assumed/hoped I was the only one who noticed. Plus, it’s fine to have it! Who cares? Embrace bodies! But at the same time I also wanted not to have noticeably protruding hair and that’s fine, too.
So! I turned to trusty Caroline, who knows all things beauty, and she revealed that her little secret is this $10 tool. I ordered one, tried it, and boom. Problem solved. You just run it over the outer edge of your nose and it painlessly trims the hair. And I also use it for my upper lip and chin, and it makes my whole face look smoother.
(Also! If you’re curious, you don’t feel anything. I’m the biggest wuss when it comes to pain, but I swear you feel absolutely nothing at all.)
Thoughts? What beauty tools or products do you swear by these days? Spill the beans!
P.S. The all-time best lotion, and the makeup I wear every single day.
(Bottom photo by Ana Gambuto.)
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Thanks so much for this post, Joanna! I was diagnosed with PCOS after college, which led to a lot of rogue “goat chin hairs” and sideburns. Waxing was a nightmare (our roots run deep in my family apparently – ha! Still not over the first time I went to get my eyebrows waxed with a very… Determined esthetician š) so I was stuck with half hearted tweezing/ hoping nobody noticed. But I just picked up the Lumiya at Walgreens and it worked SO WELL!! I’m completely thrilled! I loved the thought that hair is ok because we’re humans, but it’s also ok to decide you don’t want it.
This made me giggle. It’s so funny the stuff that pops up or out of our body as we age. I am finding more hair on my face now I’m in my fifties. I will definately check this product out before someone starts mentioning my nasal or chin hair.
Late to the game, but my fav product right now is jojoba oil. I use it as a moisturizer on my face at night and on my hands in the winter. I use it on my damp hair (from chin down) to separate my waves. I like to use the Organic 365 brand and the acne.org one.
I have had the same Finishing Touch since HIGH SCHOOL! It STILL WORKS and I love it. $10 for 15+years of well-groomed nostrils.
I am in my 20s and nowhere near having children or menopause, just an Eastern European Jew with the dark and abundant hair that comes with that… I recently started getting my upper lip waxed rather than the depilatory cream I’ve used since age 16 and LOVE how reliable and long lasting and easy it is comparatively. I can’t figure out what to do about my ‘sideburns’ though. I have pale skin and very dark hair and it stands out my face. I feel like it makes me look less feminine and is really noticeable but I’m nervous to do something to address it lest it come back looking weird or hard to deal with! Does anyone have advice?!
Hi there! I also have long sideburns and I use the Tinkle razors many have mentioned on here (I buy them from Amazon) and lightly shape/cut them about once a month. They grow back like normal hair does. You can also ask your hair stylist to help you cut them!
I’m South Asian – I shave my face! Waxing the side of my face/side burns makes me break out too much and I’m way too sensitive for creams. I did recently venture into Laser hair removal and if it works for other areas, have always thought it would be a great option for the face.
I get them done with the sugaring method. It’s a bit more gentle than waxing and blurs the difference with the rest of your face, while I found waxing left a pretty clear straight line between waxed/unwaxed. I haven’t had any issues with it growing back weird. I get it done roughly every 2-4 months.
Did you know you can get your nostrils waxed? I learned this from a man I dated! It’s painless too!
I really like using my epilator on my face, chin and sides of my mouth. I pull the skin taut first.
I go to an electrologist and that has made all the difference!!!
I just turned 32 and was recently examining a mole on my chin that Iāve had forever and I noticed that there was a hair growing out of it…and that that solitary hair forked into TWO hairs at its end.
Iām not kidding, even my chin hairs have split ends!
There has been a lot about entering my thirties that I have been wholly unprepared for, but this was next level.
That sounds like it is just cutting hair… Iād never do that in my face unless taking it from the root…
https://www.amazon.com/Palmers-Cocoa-Butter-Formula-Therapy/dp/B001KYU1H2/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=Skin%2Btherapy%2Boil&qid=1560564753&s=gateway&sr=8-3&th=1
Skin therapy oil. Bought it for stretch marks during pregnancy, been using it all over ever since.
Haha, I love honest posts like these! And all the amazing comments that come along with it! Cup of Jo is always keeping it real! Wilmington, DE
My three year old daughter referred to my nose hair as the āspiders up my noseā. š
I saw a post from Grace Atwood on The Stripe for an ice roller, and thought “What the heck, why not?”
https://www.amazon.com/ESARORA-Roller-Puffiness-Migraine-Products/dp/B01E8IZ4ZA
Not only did I absolutely love this for my face, it’s been a miracle for recovery from a knee injury I sustained in March (mid-pregnancy, too, oy vey). I’ve had lots of leg swelling, and the roller feels nice and cool on my legs and ankles. I’ve also heard people say they like it for migraines?
Excellent post, CofJ!
Thank you! This will be a lifesaver. I just ordered!
I just use small scissors. Fill your cheeks up with air and any that poke out snip snip.
Have you ever considered a post on nipple hair after having children? What is up with that? so many? why? How do you remove it?
also, post birth bikini hair getting denser and connecting to thigh hair? I never had to wax beyond bikini, but now it just keeps going!
I’ve *always* had a bikini line that extends down to mid-thigh… maybe it’s good I live a child-free life? it might go down to my calf!
OMG girl, me too! I thought it was just me! I now also have three super dark and thick hairs just below my navel that never go away. And two very hairy big toes. I’m like a hobbit mama. I just invested in really good tweezers…
Joining the conversation to say ME TOO! And Argh! I invested in laser hair removal. Expensive but making it all more manageable. Ugh.
I highly suggest laser hair removal. You go a few times and the hair will be forever thinner, sparser and easier to manage. I did it about 10 years ago, and while I’m not hairless, it is MUCH better. I recommend it!
HA, my mom had a similar exchange with Abe last week. She was having a sweet cuddle moment with him and then he said – Grandma, why do you have spider webs in your nose? Eep.
Merci Sol
WAIT! I need to know, does your hair grow back thicker? Coarser? Are there any after effects of using this? If not, I’ll get one asap.
none at all! it’s totally normal when it grows back. you’re just trimming it (versus plucking/waxing/etc) so it doesn’t affect the hair at all.
Yes! I use it for lip hair + hair in between my eyebrows too!
Gah!
I’ve hit menopause and I have a veritable hedge (yeah, oka, it’s thin) growing along my jawline! I pluck them generally once a month and the fuzz? I think I’ll have to learn to live with it.
My head hair has also thinned by 2/3! THAT is really, really scary! I took my super thick, shiny, straight, healthy hair totally for granted prior to this.
I’ve been talking Swisse hair, skin & nails for about 3 months jow and my hair cycle has re-switched on.
BUT, it’s growing back in literal ringlets! Ringlets, about 3 inches long, underneath long and straight?!? W -hiskey T -ango F -oxtrot?!?
I. Do. Not. Know. What. To. Do.
H E L P This is THE only blog I HAVE to read, daily, because you deal with yhe REAL issues of women’s lives. ;)
Ah, the joy of children! They have such a sweet way of lowering your self esteem. I once nannied for a girl who was around 9 at the time and asked if she could draw a picture of me during a break from homework. When she presented it to me she lead with “Well, I have to be honest in my drawings so I had to include your blemishes”. She had drawn all the acne that I had on my face, and very accurately! It was the last time we drew portraits on break :)
“and very accurately!” = hahahah KIDS!
I’ve just turned 58 and I look like Teddy Pendagrass – wtf
ladies – this little baby does wonders, I rather lose my wallet than this tool
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00X8S9SN6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Have you ever done a post on personal grooming (you know… near your lady parts)?! I’m super interested in different options that other women use!
Seconded!!!!
Kids can give such great feedback in such an honest way! What lipstick are you wearing in that bottom picture?! It’s FANTASTIC!
thank you!!! it’s my go-to:) https://amzn.to/31BRyMD
I love your cardigan in that picture – it looks so cosy
I’ve now gone back to almond oil. I switched to Weleda Skin Food for winter as my skin was suffering, but with the weather warming up (kind of. It is London after all) it was too much. I was feeling particularly lazy / tired one morning, and decided to try almond oil and that’s it. My new skin care routine is – fancy rose oil from Caudalie https://uk.caudalie.com/overnight-recovery-oil.html (it’s supposed to be overnight, but I’m using it during the day as well) and then almond oil. Both are absorbed quite quickly and my skin feels great!
Just wait until the menopause beard, ladies. Get your tweezers ready….
My main thing is Everyday Oil. Every day.
This is for the older gals; so what do you do when your nose hairs start turning grey/white? I dye the hairs on my head and tint my eyebrows but nostrils? I am dark olive complected and they really stand out. Good genes assure that I look about ten years younger than I am except for the white hairs growing out of my nose!
Ex
Yay, I already own this!
Legend has it that I was that sweet little girl at age 4 or 5 who gazed lovingly at my mom mid-snuggle and said, “there are hairs in your nose”! Thank you, karma (and COJ), just ordered one for myself with one-click…
Hahahaha love it xoxoxo
Me too!
I remember in grade 7 my friend Jen light-heartedly poking fun at my nose hair, and Iāve been self conscious about it ever since (not that Iām counting, but thatās about three-quarters of my life so far!). Iāve tried from time to time to trim them with scissors, or pluck them (donāt do that it hurts so much!), but felt like it was just something I had to live with.
So thank you Joanna for being your honest self and sharing today!
Lol, I have this for my mustache. It works great.
You are so awesome for sharing this xo
My very favorite beauty find is the Tinkle razors ($4 on amazon for a pack of 3). Gone are the days of feeling self conscious about my peach fuzz. Painless, easy. Now all the women in my family use them.
seconded! these are great!
I love these too! I look forward to my monthly face shave/serum routine :)
I love the eyebrow razors that so many others have also mentioned. I use them for eyebrows and to shave basically the oval area around my nose. I have rosacea (omg we need a post on rosacea) so it helps to exfoliate the skin and also gets rid of those baby hairs. I use these cheapies from Target.
https://www.target.com/p/trim-eyebrow-shapers-2pk/-/A-52490707
Also just discovered this blemish extractor. So you push down around the whitehead with the curved end and use the sharp hooks to gently extract the whitehead. It is addictive. I would suggest watching a youtube video or googling instructions for any beauty tool you are using. I have found that even when they seem very self explanatory I often am not using them exactly right and it can make all the difference.
https://www.target.com/p/trim-hook-blemish-remover-tool-chrome/-/A-53654568
One more thing…..Silver Gel! Amazing stuff! Heals blemishes crazy fast or any other boo boo. Just read some reviews. I bought at my local Vitamin Shoppe for just $10.
YES to a post on rosacea! A beauty routine for someone with rosacea would be amazing!
yes!!! coming up!!! :) :) :)
Jessica, I have rosacea and the most amazing thing I have ever done is laser. Not covered by insurance but should be, I have saved them and myself so much money by skipping the office visits and prescriptions. The most important thing you can do for caring for it is to use spf with zinc and/or Titanium dioxide and gentle face care (camellia cleansing oil/la Roche posay/ceravae). But cant stress the spf enough. The laser takes away the appearance of rosacea but not the generally sensitivity of the skin.
MB, YES!! I keep a pair of tweezers in my car and tweeze at stop lights. My husband thinks I am crazy, but our bathroom lights just aren’t as good!!
airplane bathroom mirrors are the best for this! the lighting seems to show every stray eyebrow hair ;)
You are funny@MG.
Ok, but I used something similar on my upper lip when I was 19 before a date with my new boyfriend. After we started making out, he stopped and asked, “Do you shave your upper lip?” Dead.
Wha..?! How did he know?? Mortifying.
I wax eyebrow lip chin but this is good for when I can’t make it in time. Thanks for covering a sensitive subject ;)
Suave clarifying shampoo and conditioner. And ALL VO5 shampoo and conditioners. No silicones, parabens, etc.
Beautiful picture! Where is your cardigan from?
Thank you! Everlane xoxo
How do you style your hair? I love the ends and how smooth it is!
you’re so sweet, thank you! i use this!
https://cupofjo.com/2019/05/best-hair-dryer-hot-air-brush/
For once, I ALREADY have this item! I feel veeery in the know right now.
Just one-click ordered on Amazon. Thanks!
My world was rocked recently when I discovered I could wax my nose hairs at the same place I got my bikini, brows and lip done. How had a I never known? It sounds painful, but itās really not and itās so quick. She does just the lower hairs close to the nostril opening as obviously you wouldnāt want to get rid of all your nose hair. Anyway itās so nice to get it cleaned up and not think about it for a couple months. This device youāve discovered sounds awesome too though!
I used to teach at a small private elementary school. Daily read-aloud time (me sitting on the floor with my back against the couch, one kid on my lap, others at my sides, still more piled behind us on the couch) meant lots of opportunities to be up close and personal. One memorable little convo:
Small Student: YOU have a MOUSTACHE!
Me: Yup, everyone has hair on their upper lip.
SS: My mother doesnāt.
(What does one SAY in response to such matter-of-fact honesty??)
Omg so so funny. And also what a SWEET scene that sounds like!!!
You say, “Your mother probably waxes it off after having this exact conversation with you or another SS in the past.”
It WAS sweet! This is an actual rendering of it (the illustrator, Trina Schart Hyman, was a friend of the school) with fellow teacher Neal as reader, Rosie in her pink slippers, Berry in the blue striped shirt, little blonde Matt behind Neal…..
Makes me nostalgic, moustache-comments notwithstanding.
https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=22824731592&searchurl=an%3Dmargaret%2Bkimmel%26sortby%3D17%26tn%3Dreading%2Bout%2Bloud
So many other good tips! Neosporin, I never knew ye! What about for almost-40 pores. So many giant pores. :( What can a girl do for that that is affordable?!?!
The Ordinary Niacinamide is under $6 and makes a big difference!
I just started a daily morning routine of washing my face with water, applying an inexpensive vitamin c serum, and then finishing with neostrata aha 10 day cream. My huge almost 40 pores are now totally cleaned out and much smaller looking after only a few weeks. I think itās mostly the work of the high aha content, working as a chemical exfoliatiant.
This pore primer from Benefit is a great way to blend your pores! https://www.amazon.com/Benefit-Cosmetics-POREfessional-0-25-Minimizing/dp/B01K1ZAC60/ref=asc_df_B01K1ZAC60/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=343203915339&hvpos=1o5&hvnetw=g&hvrand=1150131832102014097&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9004058&hvtargid=pla-724739681279&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=74698326208&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=343203915339&hvpos=1o5&hvnetw=g&hvrand=1150131832102014097&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9004058&hvtargid=pla-724739681279
Same problem! Thank you!
Maybe this is just me, but every time I try to use one of these (on my chin or upper lip) I feel wonderful and smooth for like an hour followed by a week of tiny bumpy ingrown hairs. Only tweezers will do :(
Omg thank you for the timeliest post EVER, have been ::fretting:: about my lovely lady stach and this is most helpful. Also, your triumphant profile shot cracked me up – so hair free!
Ditto!
When my (now) husband and I were first dating, we were on the Metro North back from a weekend with my parents and he said, SO innocently, “You have a hair right there. On your chin. You’re growing a full goatee!” I promptly burst into tears. He never made another comment about my face ever again :)
Haha, Lauren E.! You remind me that my ex pointed out my own first facial hair. As he caressed my cheek, he frowned suddenly. Distressed & desperately nonchalant.
Me: What is it?!
Him: I dunno. You may want your mom or sister have a look at it.
@Veronica
That is hilarious! What a response!
I am obsessed with apple cider vinegar (Bragg’s with the “mother”)! A splash in warm water before bed helps curb hunger and aid with digestion, rub over mosquito bites to reduce the itch, and swipe over your face for an easy toner. You can even rinse your hair with it to rejuvenate hair follicles and curls. It’s amazing!
Other honorable mention: argan oil. For the face at night before bed (helps smooth blemishes by the next morning) and an anti-frizz treatment for hair when traveling.
I can’t think of any cheap beauty tricks, but on the topic of hairiness or lack thereof, I would love to ask the CoJ community for some advice. I am a not-very-hairy person (bald til I was 2! didn’t get armpit hair til end of college!) and as I’ve gotten older, I’ve noticed stress-related hair loss. My hair length is practically a timeline of grad school applications, wedding planning, and moving across the country. I don’t have kids yet, but I’m terrified of the inevitable postpartum hair loss. Does anyone have any tips of things that *actually* help with that? Or is the only solution chilling tf out?
Since pp hair loss is hormonal, I think there is nothing to be done about it. Mine started around three months pp both times (just when I thought I was out of the woods!), and I had hair loss years ago when I went off hormonal birth control. After having my second child, I took a biotin supplement and I thought that it encouraged faster and thicker regrowth.
I recommend having your thyroid & iron/ferritin levels checked. I was struggling with thinning hair and found out my ferritin (which is how your body stores iron) was extremely low. After about 6 weeks of taking an iron/vitamin c supplement & adding collagen powder to my coffee my hair is finally feeling healthy again.
I could have written this post, Sarah. Exact same situation for me, and I too was worried about postpartum hairloss. I won’t lie, it wasn’t pretty, but that kind of hairloss is, thankfully, usually just temporary. The longer term, gradual hairloss has been tough. However, getting my thyroid checked revealed a hashimoto’s diagnosis and my doctor also flagged low ferritin. Taking thyroid meds and getting enough iron has made some difference, though my hair is still thinner than it was, say, 15 years ago. It’s still worth looking into if you haven’t already.
In addition to getting your thyroid checked, check out rice water rinses. I swear by them! I have significantly less hair loss when I shower. I love her YouTube on how to make it and how it helped her postpartum: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-W3KRSZkK4Q
I have experienced both types of hair loss. After my first child was born, my thick hair came out in huge globs in the shower. It was frightening and gross! Interestingly it didn’t happen with my second child. I also had two incidents in my 40s where my hair fell out due to extreme family crisis. It didn’t come out in globs but more like thinned to the point where it was noticeable. There isn’t really anything you can do about either, especially the pp type because it’s hormonal. But yeah, I bet chilling tf out will help a lot for the stressed induced kind. The good news is that it all grew back.
Collagen powder really helped me!
Hi Sarah! I struggled with hair loss a year ago after giving up on hormonal birth control and changing jobs. To this day I’m shocked on how tabĆŗ this subject is among women. Once I asked most people I knew had faced at least a hair thinning phase. I recommend seeing a dermatologist and having your thyroid and vitamin levels checked. I followed a 3 month treatment of Ducray Anacap pills (I live in France) and could see a big difference quite soon. Today and I’m back to my normal hair condition and very happy about it!
Thanks CoJ communityā you are always there when I need you! I have had my thyroid and ferritin levels checked and do a daily scoop of collagen, but now Iām wondering if being on the pill contributes in any way… I have taken biotin and hair, skin, and nails vitamins in the past but never felt like they made a noticeable difference. I will look into the rice water and those ducray pills (if I can get them in the US!) I think itās so curious how society equates hair with health, fertility and femininity and asks women to be hairless in all other parts of the body except our heads. Sometimes hairiness feels all or nothing!
Hey Sarah,
I experienced hair loss/thinning during two stressful times in my life (a death followed by a breakup of a very serious relationship). It’s all come back now, thankfully, but I finally realized that none of the hair growth products/vitamins were going to work for me if I still had the underlying stress issue to deal with. By the way, I also get recurrent yeast infections when I’m very stressed… this is what actually helped me figure this whole thing out!
At the onset of one yeast infection that was stress-related (big move to NYC with my boyfriend of less than a year! and a hell of a lot of anxiety), and after failed Monistat attempts prior, I decided to try to tackle the stress instead of the yeast infection. Within 24 hours of actively managing my stress, my yeast infection disappeared. This is has been effective for me many times over when I know I’m experiencing stress, so it wasn’t just a fluke.
All of that to say, instead of trying to treat the hair loss (and the yeast infections in my case), what I found that actually worked was to treat my stress with the help of some supplements (and sometimes therapy!)
I swear by these stress relief drops by Bach, https://www.amazon.com/Bach-106774856-Rescue-Remedy-Dropper/dp/B000RFTCZW
and these OLLY stress gummies work pretty well too https://www.amazon.com/Goodbye-Supplement-L-THEANINE-Verbena-Packaging/dp/B01M1HYRNJ/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=Olly+stress&qid=1560563235&s=hpc&sr=1-3
My story may be unique, I know. But I just thought I’d chime in in case you haven’t tried managing your stress with help from supplements (or meds). I can’t just chill tf out when I’m stressed, but these things help me so much. I haven’t experienced any more hairloss, even though life has had it’s bumps, I just make sure to always have those drops in my purse and with me at all times lol.
OMG thank you.
Ok so totally related but random – is it really bad to pluck your nose hairs? I only have a few dark hairs that I see from time to time so I just pluck them but I vaguely remember hearing somewhere it was bad?
I’ve been waxing mine for the last few years! (Just the ones that would otherwise stick out). The problem with waxing/tweezing is that the exposed follicle creates opening for infection. Also, your nose hair’s purpose is to trap any debris before they can get to your lungs, so taking away hair AND creating a tiny opening can potentially make it easier to get an infection. But like I said, I still wax mine and haven’t had any issue. It just hurts A LOT.
I read about someone getting an infection from a plucked nose hair, so I’ve just cut them since. Here’s the first article I could find on the subject: https://www.businessinsider.com/why-you-shouldnt-pluck-your-nose-hairs-2016-7
Also I don’t think this is what you are referring to but you will often hear people say that if you pluck or shave body hair (face, arm, whatev) it grows back thicker and darker. That is just the new hair has a blunted tip (if you shaved) and is new, so hasn’t been lightened by sun exposure. If it’s from a spot that doesn’t get sunlight anyway, like your nose, there isn’t going to be a difference in color, although if you shave rather than remove from the root it may look thicker until the end tapers. Sorry if you already knew that, but I can’t stop chiming in today. I almost never comment but I had a lot of coffee today
Growing up, my grandmother always gravely warned us not to ever pluck a nose hair because she had an uncle (or great uncle??) who died from an infection due to plucking a nose hair. My mother & I always laughed, assuming that modern medicine & antibiotics have advanced enough now that we wouldn’t actually die today even if an infection were to occur… However, to this day, I can’t bring myself to pluck a nose hair due to this story looming in my memory. Only a few weeks ago, I was told that staph commonly lives in noses!
Thanks for giving me a safe & hygienic alternative to plucking the occasional hair that I find poking out!!! ;)
I made an offhand comment to my mom about using the Tinkle razor (from an old cup of jo post) to shave my one black chin hair. Because she was mortified when someone pointed out hers. She goes “and you’re only 24! I didn’t get MINE until my 40’s.” This, from the women who used to remind me and my sister that we weren’t in a competition!
TBF, I was the someone who had just pointed hers out. The road to hell…
LOL! Hope never dies!
I’d like to think I don’t need this, but I most def. need this. Ordered.
Oh perfect timing, Iām ordering one!!!!! I have one particular nose hair I literally had to pluck then had tears running down my face! Question, is it good for āmustacheā annoyances on the sides of my lips?
The huge pump bottles of squalane and hyaluronic acid from Timeless last my husband and I half the year! So much cheaper than Biossance, and a really pure company. I also love CosRx. I’ve never met a moisturizer of theirs I didn’t like, their pimple patches are Holy Grail, and it’s all really affordable. I used to be a diehard Sephora addict, but now I stick to unisex stuff in pretty bottles so I can leave it on the counter for us both.
Tell me more!!
ooo, thanks for that rec! I hadn’t heard of Timeless, but do use a few CosRx things. I want to be nicer to my skin (and reap the benefits of healthier skin), but it gets so. damn. expensive. trying to figure out which products work and how they work and wait am i breaking out because im drying my skin or moisturizing too much?
All that’s to say I love hearing about the less expensive options!
I started using Nads wax strips to take care of my lady āstache and they work great buuuut….Iāve been putting the task off lately b/c it hurts so much! And I hate the redness afterward. Thanks for sharing this alternative!
The little girl I nannied once loudly pointed out that “you have a little beard, right there! Growing on your chin!” right in front of a super cute firefighter that was helping with her car seat. MORTIFIED. He probably wasn’t going to hit on me anyways, being that he was about 22 and super hot and I was 42, and not, and wearing a wedding ring, and he was working in a very professional manner, but that little child dashed all hopes. And trust me, I had hopes!
Along a similar vein, I just bought a lighted magnifying mirror so I can hunt down every damn one of those chin (and neck and lip and jaw) hairs. Those mirrors are brutally revealing.
I heard Marilyn Monroe had a huge peach fuzz beard, and it added to her glow on camera! So I always tell myself that it’ll make me look radiant in pictures ;)
does anyone else find that the car’s visor mirror–with the sunlight streaming in–is the best way to catch these hairs? Ugh. I sometimes take my tweezer into the car.
My friend calls them ‘Hag Hairs’, which I find hysterical! A magnifying mirror and sharp tweezers have joined my daily makeup arsenal – those suckers grow a quarter inch OVERNIGHT!!
KEEP tweezers in the car for this exact reason. It’s full natural light from many directions that you can almost never get inside, so it’s the best. I’m pretty shameless about plucking my chin hairs in parking lots at this point…
I keep a set of tweezers in the car :)
Joanna,
Where is that striped shirt from? Love it.
Reread your daily makeup routine…think I need a summer makeover!
the everyday cleanser from island apothecary is what i use to clean my face, condition my hair and SHAVE MY LEGS. its thick enough to do everything and im obsessed with the smell.
I’m obsessed with my new face hair trimmer – I LOVE it and it’s not stubbly at all! No more OH MY GOD HOW LONG HAS THAT CHIN HAIR BEEN THERE moments. :-o
Since it’s approximately six inches long, years, right?! Horrifying.
Seriously though, do they just spring out of the face at 6 inches overnight? Otherwise, how could I have missed it?!
Hahahaha
Joanna,
Where did you get that striped shirt in the photo? Love it.
Just reread your daily makeup routine. Think I need a summer makeover!
thank you!! it’s from jcrew! http://bit.ly/2RfNmNO
My forever lifesaver is Micetracin/Neosporin/Triple Antibiotic Ointment (it goes by many names). Cuts, scrapes, hangnails, severely chapped skin/lips, pesky zits I (dumbly) irritate way too much, scabs – it makes everything heal a million times faster than would seem possible.
I second this… Neosporin on EVERYthing.
Omg I had a lightbulb moment when I had leftover antibiotic gel from a thing and I realized acne=bacterial infection. SO good for zits, especially if you’ve messed with them. On top of speeding up the healing time, it helps with scar prevention!
….hope we’re not contributing to the evolution of Neosporin-resistant acne germs. I’m not stopping.
Neosporin for the win! You know how the dad in My Big Fat Greek Wedding puts Windex on everything? In our family it’s neosporin. We have about 10 tubes going at any given time, scattered all around the house. “Just put some neosporin on it!”
Kate, I agree with you that Neosporin is a holy grail product. I put that stuff on everything! Side note, I once put it on my chapped lips and my mouth went numb…I don’t know why but I guess it is a common reaction when placed around you mouth — yikes :)
Tinkle eyebrow razors! They make it so quick and easy to remove fine hairs on your face. Also, foundation goes on super smoothly. Can’t recommend them enough. I feel like they gently exfoliate your face and make you a bit more glowy.
Yes! Twinkle razors are a game changer.
Yes! Twinkle, that’s the one.
My mom gave me one of these in my stocking for Christmas when I was a teenager. I was MORTIFIED!
hahahaa such a mom gift!!
The only thing worse than getting it from your mom is receiving it from your mother-in-law!!!
I use an eyebrow razor for the same purpose but never on my brows. Game changer for confidence around the touchy facial hair issue. Love that you talk about it here.
I purchased this the last time Caroline mentioned it and it is WORTH. THE. HYPE.
Tbh, I bought one for my husband, too. We all have body hair, it’s all good! But sometimes you’re going to a fancy wedding and you’re so glad you did the 20-second nose hair/upper lip hair removal (me) and ear hair removal (him). We’re all human.
How does one talk to oneās partner about this?? I canāt bring myself but it needs to be brought up!! š¬
Not this particular nose hair remover but this past Christmas, I had “Santa” give one to my husband, my 25-year-old son, my 20-year-old daughter, and me! We all opened them under the Christmas tree! haha!
When you do it on your lip does it grow back in like you shaved it?!?
no, it just grows in regularly ā it’s super super easy to trim down so there’s no hair at all, and then it slowly grows back in and you do it again! :)
For me, Iāll occasionally get 2-3 dark thick hairs that grow back before anything else on each side of my upper lip. Iāll pluck those piecemeal because theyāre very visible as stubble, but the rest of my upper lip can wait several days until I turn on the facial razor tool again.
I had little kids asking me, āuh, why do you have a mustache?ā since I was 12. So itās really important to my inner middle schooler that I manage peopleās perception of my upper lip on my terms. Waiting for a waxing appointment, bleaching it blonde (still totally visible), or hand-tweezing through pain tears was my solution for years. Iāve never felt as in control of my appearance as I do with this fantastic tool. My future children will not have to figure this facial hair journey out on their own. If they want it gone, Iāll have the right tool for them.
The top photo is hilarious!
Yup! came here to say just that
This is the kind of content I come for, CoJo! I had a friend who was a boy, who once told me he could never kiss a girl who had a walrus hair by her mouth. About a decade later, it occurred to me that he’d maybe been talking about . . .me! Good luck, boy, because everyone has some crazy hairs popping out somewhere.
hahahaha CRINGE!
So glad I didn’t stay with the guy who first told me about my mustache. I mean, not like he was offering or anything. But a bullet dodged, nonetheless