3 Steps to Good Nose Hygiene

Can you imagine life without a nose? No more smelling the wonderful scents of freshly cut grass or roasted coffee beans. Not being able to have a proper conversation, since your mouth is on double-duty for breathing as well. Not to mention you’d look pretty funny!
It doesn’t stop there, though. The air you breathe in would be rife with dust and harmful microbes, since the little nose hairs and nasal mucous will not be there to filter them out. Without a nose, you’d have lost a crucial component of your body’s defense mechanisms.

So why is it that we do not properly maintain our noses? everyday, we brush our teeth and wash our faces, but we fail to take time to properly clean our noses, leaving them vulnerable to irritation and infection. Fortunately, it’s never too late to start. Here are three easy steps to go nose hygiene!

Step1 Clean your nose every day

The nose does a great job filtering the dust out of the air you breathe in, but this means that the dust is only confined to you nostrils.
Also in the  nostrils is the mucous secreted by the cells at the back of the nose. All that gunk trapped inside needs to come out, so blow each nostril in turn to clear it out.
Alternatively, use a neti pot filled with a warm saltwater solution. Used widely among Ayurvedic practitioners, this small, shallow pot with a long, tapered spout – it looks like a cross between a teapot and Aladdin’s lamp – can help you do a thorough job of  cleaning and moisturizing your nasal cavities. The answer is poured into one nostril and arrives from the other, rinsing the nasal cavity in between and flushing out excess mucous and irritants that may trigger sinusitis or allergies.
You can easily make your own saltwater solution at home, but be careful not to put too much salt as this could irritate your nose. If you prefer, over-the-counter saline nasal solutions are widely available.

Step 2 Don’t re-use tissues
Rather than a handkerchief, use tissues to blow your nose, Remember that each tissue is good for one time only, so be sure to dispose of it after use. Never re-use it as you could be re-introducing germs to your nose.

Step 3 Don’t overdo it
You’ll only aggravate your nose by rubbing or blowing it too often. Always treat your nose gently.

Try a nasal spray
When you have a cold, the use of a decongestant nasal spray can help relieve some of your symptoms.Under normal circumstances, however, a non-decongestant, saline nasal spray can help keep your nose and nasal passages in tip-top condition by introducing a saltwater mist to moisturize the nasal cells and to clear secretions.
Commercially-available saline nasal sprays are engineered to prevent backflow during use. This is very important to ensure the solution remains sterile and is safe for repeated use.