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It’s rare for a new jewelry style to quickly sweep the nation, but we have all fallen in love with nose chains! Nose chains (or nostril chains as they are some time referred) are a small chain that stretch over the top of the nose, connecting two nostril piercings. These chains can range from very simple (such as a plain necklace chain) to incredibly detailed with various seed beads, different types of metal links, and differently shaped links bound together.
What Kind of Piercings Can Wear Nose Chains?
While many people are familiar with the chains that connect a nostril to an ear piercing, we are referring to the nose chains that specifically connect two nostril piercings. These chains can be worn with double nostril, high nostril, bridges, and nasallangs. Because these chains are made custom to size, they can really be worn with any two piercings across the nostrils, which really contributes to how great an accessory they are.
It should be noted that nostril chains can not be worn with a healing piercing. Your piercing must be fully healed (likely meaning a one year wait) before you should wear a nostril chain. This is because they add a tiny bit more weight and can be pulled on, which will contribute to irritation bumps and a longer healing time.
Nostril chains are typically worn with flat back labrets, although they can be worn with nose screws and rings.
What Does a Nose Chain Feel Like?
Some people expect a nose chain to slide around much more than it actually does. Because nostril chains are made exactly to size, they fit snugly without pulling or sliding around. When you first put on your nostril chain, you may feel what feels to be a hair draped across your nose. After a few days however, just like any other piece of jewelry, you won’t be able to feel it and likely won’t notice it anymore.
People may often be concerned because they expect a jingling sound from the nostril chain where it may rub together or against other piercings, but a correctly fitted nose chain will not make any noise.
The Importance of Correctly Sizing Nose Chains
Because nostril chains are only worn with fully healed piercings, the risk of an improperly sized chain lies mainly with sizing the chain too small. If the chain is too small, it will pull on both the piercings, which could cause irritation bumps and piercing migration as they fight against the pressure. A nose chain that is too small on the other hand, may cause irritation bumps if it frequently moves, but because the piercings are fully healed, this will be less of a problem. However a chain that is too loose will sag and likely will hang lower than you’d like.
Where to Buy Nose Chains
In order to assure the correct size, the best place to buy a nostril chain is at your piercer’s. They will be able to accurately measure the distance between your piercing and will place a custom order for you. However, if you are confident in your measuring abilities, there’s nothing wrong with buying a chain online. Because this accessory doesn’t actually go in a piercing hole, you don’t need to be as strict about the material it is made of, so it is relatively safe to buy from various sites. Unfortunately, because of how new in popularity these accessories are, it can be difficult to find shops that make them.
We’ve found that the shop with the most variety in nostril chains is Body Jewelry.com. They carry many different styles, from the jeweled chain pictured above to chains joined with nose screws. Shop nostril chains here.
If you like BodyJewelry.com, make sure to sign up for our newsletter, as they are one of our safe body jewelry shops where we send periodic coupons and sale information!
DIY Nose Chains
If you don’t care about a nostril chain that is made already connected to ends and are instead fine with wearing a separate chain than ends, then a DIY nose chain might be ideal for you. This works best with simple chains, but if you have access to extravagant chains, it will work as well. You will simply need to cut your chain down to the correct size using a jewelry chain cutter and join the ends of the chain with jump rings just big enough to fit your posts through. Then you can simply slide the jump rings over your jewelry posts and then screw on the ends to keep the chain in place.
When creating your own chain it is important to keep in mind the material made from both the jump rings and the chain. Any material with copper in it will turn your skin green, which isn’t a good look when it’s on your face. Copper is commonly found in alloys. If you don’t know if you have a nickel allergy, it is best to avoid that as well.
Conclusion
Nostril chains are a beautiful new accessory that can be paired with many types of double nostril piercings. Unlike most body jewelry types, these can actually be easily DIY’d, which is great for customizing exactly what you like. As long as you have a completely healed piercings, these are a relatively safe jewelry style, as long as you make sure to get one long enough.
