Nature is not stupid, and neither is your body. If you haven’t been taught about things or you never paid attention during our biology classes, it’s not the fault of your body. Everything in the human body has a specific function, a proper use, a reason to exist. Nothing in your body is just for show.

Few months back, someone sent me a funny clip on my Watsapp. This was about a man, seemed like a middle eastern guy, sitting in a salon, with his entire nostrils blocked by wax, with couple of sticks protruding out of the nostrils. 

The clip went quite viral, as when the man at the salon, suddenly pulls out his dried wax from his nostrils using the sticks, he literally shrieks and shouts in pain, and everyone siting behind him end up laughing their guts out, due to the funny reaction the man had.

There are had been many similar videos out there of people getting their nostrils waxed, or their nose hair removed using hair removing wax. Never before I had heard or seen anyone going through this procedure, as why the hell does someone want to remove the entire set of nasal hair like this.

This is not fashion. This is literal stupidity. I have seen people getting their basic nasal hair trimmed, if they tend to grow too long and push out of the nostrils, but getting them waxed? Why the hell, does someone has to go through this type of unwanted, useless and extremely painful procedure? This stupidity is said to have started with a beauty vlogger, who created a video of her nose getting waxed, which went viral.

Let’s remind ourselves that why are their hair inside the nose in the very first place? This is basic biology lessons which are taught in school. The major function of nasal hair, is to prevent the foreign particles like dust particles, viruses, bacteria, pollen and other toxic material from entering the nasal cavity, and thus our lungs and causing an infection. The hairy strands that line our nostrils also help to humidify the air we breathe in, which keeps the entire respiratory system from drying out and causing irritation.

Acc. to a 2011 study in the journal International Archives of Allergy & Immunology, by a Turkish research team, led by A.B. Ozturk, from Hacettepe University School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey , large particles entering the nose are collected by nasal hair present in the anterior nares. Increased hair density provides an improvement in the filtering efficiency of the nose, while reduced amounts of nasal hair cause a decrease in its efficiency. The amount of nasal hair can vary between individuals, which can make a difference in the filtering efficiency of the nose. Reduced filter function of the nose leads to increased exposure of the airways to allergens.

Researchers, for this study, analyzed 233 patients, who were divided into 3 groups according to the amount of nasal hair [few (few or none), moderate and many]. The association between asthma and nasal hair density was assessed. Asthma was detected in 75 patients (32.2%), and of these, 45 (60%) also had pollen asthma. Researchers found that, Few nasal hairs significantly increased the risk of developing asthma. Thus the amount of nasal hair providing a nose filtration function has a protective effect on the risk of developing asthma.

Do’s and Don’ts:

• Pluck hair from your nose. This can cause a bad and extremely painful infection. The best way to keep nose hair at bay is to pull together some change and buy a trimmer—they’re specifically designed for preventing the hair from poking out of your nostrils, while leaving just enough hair to keep your lungs healthy. You can also use a small scissor to trim the hair. Once you are done trimming, just blow the nose to blowout the extra trimmed hair.

• Stop waxing your nose hair. Just like plucking, waxing is another thing one shouldn’t be doing and is absolutely unnecessary to even try. Waxing can lead to infection just like plucking, but the worst part is that, waxing removes the entire bunch of nasal hair, leaving your nose looking clean, like your waxed external skin. But that’s not what the nose or the nasal hair were built for. Doing this, you are exposing your lungs suddenly to all the foreign particles, pathogens, allergens and toxic material, because there is nothing to stop them now. Also, the air entering the lungs would be dry which will cause further dry out the respiratory tract and lead to irritation.

You would read and hear some influencers or salon owners telling you that this is an absolutely safe procedure and there is nothing to worry. But remember, they are earning out of it. For them everything is ethical and correct, where profits are involved. For nose waxing, my final take, and yours too should be, DON’T DO IT. It’s a 100% money waste procedure and harmful to your health.