10 Tips, Products, and Home Remedies for a Dry Nose That Won’t Quit

Dry noses can come about for many reasons. To start, let’s clarify the difference between dry nasal passages versus dry skin around the nose.

Nose dryness in the nasal passages can happen as a result of cold and flu virus symptoms, as well as environmental factors.¹ As we get older, nasal anatomical changes can even cause or exacerbate dry nose and impair breathing that occurs through the nose.¹

The one thing a runny nose from a cold and allergies have in common is that they both make you want to reach for a tissue and blow your nose. The catch is, frequently using tissues can remove moisture from the nose, making the skin around your nose dry and sensitive.² That brings us to the other kind of dry nose, when the skin around your nose becomes dry.

Dry skin around the nose isn’t actually caused by a cold or virus, it happens as a consequence of how we’re treating those cold or virus symptoms. For example, if your nose is running, and you use a paper towel or toilet paper to blow your nose, the skin around your nose may become dry and flaky. That’s not because you have a cold—it’s because you’re using a product not intended for your face.

The environment around you can also affect the skin around your nose and lead to dryness. Cold weather, dry weather, even the air conditions in a plane can make the skin around your nose dry. ¹

People experience dry nose in different ways. The lining inside of your nose, or your nasal passages, can become dry. The skin around your nostrils can also become dry. The specific symptoms and duration of your dry nose depend in part on the underlying causes that are drying you out.

For instance, a dry nose that results from spending a lot of time in dry air is likely to feel different than one from a cold or flu virus.

Identifying why and where your nose is dry can help you more quickly and appropriately manage the discomfort. If you regularly experience dry nose, certain preventative measures can reduce how frequently your nose is dry or how long it stays dry. Knowing which treatments are best for you can also help you better manage your dry nose when it does occur.

Taking steps to prevent nasal dryness in and around the nose can save you a lot of frustration and discomfort when you’re already not feeling your best.¹ Knowing what causes dry nose can help you stop it before it happens. Here’s a few quick tips to avoid nasal dryness:

Preventing Dry Skin Around the Nose

• Use tissues meant for your nose.

Sometimes when we experience dry nose, we exacerbate dryness in the skin around the nose by using tissues as we cope with, for instance, cold infections or allergies. Using facial tissues that have lotion in them can help you clear your nose, without drying the skin around it. Puffs Plus® with the Scent of Vicks has lotion containing shea butter, aloe, and vitamin E, plus the scent of Vicks Vapors.

Preventing Dry Nasal Passages

• Avoid Nose Dryness Triggers

Avoiding things that may trigger dry nose like dust. While dust may not be easy to avoid, you can make it a point to dust areas that tend to collect it around the house so your nose is less exposed to it.

• Keep Your Nasal Passages Moist

Keeping the nose clear and sufficiently moisturized are great steps to add to your daily routine to keep nasal dryness at bay. Sinex Saline Ultra Fine Nasal Mist instantly clears nasal passages from everyday congestion, allergens, dust and other irritants. Plus, it’s non-medicated and safe for daily use.

• Drink Water

Hydration is key for your body to work properly—including the nose. Staying hydrated by drinking plenty of fluids throughout the day helps to maintain adequate nasal moisture.

• Relieve Runny Nose or Nasal Congestion When It Starts

If you have the cold or flu, you can take care of your symptoms with over the counter medicines. Not sure which one to take? Vicks has a variety of products that help with runny nose or nasal congestion, or sometimes both! As always, reach out to your healthcare provider with any questions you may have.

The techniques for preventing dry nose in and around the nose also tend to be effective for treating it. The sooner you implement these strategies, the sooner you are likely to find relief.

Your nose is like any other part of the body—you need to take care of it for it to work at its best. There are plenty of things you can keep at home for nasal dryness in and around the nose, like nasal sprays, nasal balms, and more, that can keep your nose moist on a daily basis, or bring your nose back to normal when you experience dry nose symptoms. The key is nailing down what’s bothering you most, and making sure to pick a remedy that targets that.

1. Hydrate.

Hydration can be essential for overcoming a dry nose. Because dry nose involves a lack of moisture in or around the nose, dehydration is often a significant contributing factor to nose dryness.¹ If our bodies do not have enough water, it is harder for our noses to carry out their function of moistening the incoming air, which can leave both the inside and outside of our noses dried out.

2. Humidify.

Have you realized the importance of water yet? Lack of water within our bodies can contribute to dry nose, and so can lack of water around us. For instance, people who work in environments with low humidity are more likely to experience a dry nose.^3,4 Just as dry conditions can lead to dry nose, humidifiers, which put moisture into the air, can combat dry nose and alleviate dry nose symptoms.⁵

3. Apply a moisturizer.

Applying moisture to the skin around your nose can help with the discomfort. Sinex Nasal Balm is formulated with glycerin, which draws water into the skin, to heal and soothe irritated, dry skin around the nose through intense moisturization. The balm’s lightweight formula goes on clear—so you can apply it wherever you are easily without the people around you noticing. Plus, it’s formulated with Vicks Vapors, so you get soothing, refreshing scent you know and love from Vicks. Sinex Nasal Balm can be used every day—so if you know you’ll be in a drier environment that will affect your nose, you can bring it with you and be prepared.

4. Use a saline nasal spray.

For dryness that occurs inside the nose, try a saline spray like Sinex Saline. Sinex Saline can clear everyday congestion. Plus, it’s drug-free and safe for daily use. In addition to directly moistening the nose, saline sprays can remove things like dust or pollen that may trigger a runny nose and contribute your dry nasal passages.

5. Stop picking.

Without realizing it, you could be irritating your own nasal passages.1 Picking at the nose is one common way that we can accidentally cause our noses to become irritated and dry. By recognizing when you are touching or picking your nose and implementing strategies to stop the habit, you can give your nose time to regain its moisture and proper function. Plus—putting your finger in your nose can bring in all kinds of virus or bacteria that you don’t want up there, anyway.

6. Do a deep clean of your home.

While environmental substances can trigger dryness in the nose and sneezing, data also suggest that dust that accumulates indoors can physiologically affect the nose and make it more prone to dryness and other irritating symptoms.⁵ By cleaning the spaces where you live and work, you may reduce your exposure to triggers that cause or exacerbate your dry nose. That means dusting any and all surfaces and vacuuming (especially carpeted rooms).

7. Take a steam.

Sit back, relax, and take a steamy shower. Or spend a few minutes in a sauna. Or use a warm mist humidifier. Breathing in warmer, moisturized air can help combat your dry nasal passages. ⁶

8. Lower your elevation.

High altitudes have been shown to contribute to dry nose.⁷ For those who are regularly at high altitudes, a new dry nose may be more likely to be the result of something other than the elevation. However, if you have traveled to a high altitude and are experiencing a dry nose, returning to a lower elevation may alleviate your symptoms. If you notice that high altitudes do cause your nasal passages to dry, relying on other products like Sinex Saline Nasal Spray can keep your nose moisturized inside while you enjoy a hike in the mountains.

9. Treat runny and stuffy nose symptoms.

Runny and stuffy nose symptoms are uncomfortable and may have you running through more than one tissue box. But you don’t need to live through the discomfort of these cold or flu symptoms plus the dry skin around your nose that may come with it. Take a multi-symptom cold and flu medicine that relieves the symptoms bothering your nose. Sinex SEVERE All-in-One Sinus LiquiCaps can provide relief from sinus symptoms including stuffy nose.

10. Talk to your healthcare provider.

Some dry noses, both the nasal passages and irritated skin around the nose, stick around for much longer than we’d like. If your dry nose persists, you can always reach out to your healthcare provider to talk to them about your experience.