Nasal strips in cold weather: runny noses, chapped skin and winter nights

Nasal strips work the same in cold weather as in any other season, because they open the nose mechanically rather than with medicine. What winter changes is everything around the strip: cold air can make your nose run or block up, chapped skin gives the adhesive a poor surface, and heated bedrooms dry the air you breathe all night. Prep your skin indoors, keep the strip area free of creams, and put some moisture back into the bedroom.

Why does cold air make your nose run or block up?

Cold air makes many noses run, and some block up as well. A 1991 study in Annals of Allergy asked 90 patients at a ski resort clinic about their symptoms in the cold. Ninety-six percent reported some degree of runny nose, 48% said it was moderate to severe, 50% had some nasal congestion and 33% reported sneezing. People with and without allergies described a similar degree of running. The author called it cold-induced rhinorrhea, or "the skier's nose", and described it as a distinct, common response to cold temperatures.

The NHS backs this up from a different angle. It lists changes in the weather, such as temperature or humidity, among the common causes of non-allergic rhinitis, which it describes as the inside of the nose becoming irritated and causing a blocked or runny nose. Exercising is on the same list, which is why a winter run or walk can set things off.

Part of the reason is the job your nose is doing. A 2000 study in Rhinology measured humidity and temperature inside the noses of 23 volunteers and found the biggest rise in both happened in the front part of the nose. On a cold day, the front of your nose is working hard to warm and moisten each breath.

Do nasal strips work in cold weather?

Nasal strips do work in cold weather, since a strip's springy bands lift the sides of the nose open no matter what the temperature is outside. Nobody has studied strips in cold weather specifically, so the research here is about strips in general.

The most relevant trial for winter nights is a 2018 randomized, placebo-controlled study of 59 people with chronic nighttime nasal congestion and trouble sleeping. They wore a nasal strip or a placebo strip without springs every night for two weeks. The real strips improved some measures, including satisfaction with sleep and symptoms on waking at day 7, compared with placebo, though not every measure changed. The study wasn't about cold air, and it doesn't tell us how strips do with cold-triggered symptoms in particular.

A strip also can't stop a nose from running. What it can do is make a narrowed nose feel more open while the rest of your winter routine deals with the dryness and the drip. How nasal strips work explains what a strip reaches and what it doesn't.

If you want to try strips this winter, the ones we recommend are TitanAir Nasal Strips. Titan says they're drug-free external nasal dilators with flexible spring-loaded bands.

How do you get a strip to stick to cold, chapped skin?

You get a strip to stick in winter by giving it a clean, dry, cream-free patch of skin and applying it indoors. Chapped skin is a real problem for adhesives. A 2025 evidence summary on medical adhesives lists dry skin among the risk factors for adhesive-related skin injury, along with using the wrong cleansing products and prolonged exposure to moisture. A runny nose and a dried-out nose can be a winter double act.

The same summary's application steps translate well to a strip: prepare the skin, avoid products that dry it out, such as alcohol, apply the adhesive once the skin is dry, lay it on without tension and press gently without creasing.

A winter routine that puts that together:

1. Blow your nose gently and come in from the cold for a few minutes first.
2. Wash your face with a gentle cleanser. The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) suggests short showers of five to ten minutes in warm water for dry skin.
3. Pat your nose dry with a clean towel. The AAD notes that rubbing can irritate very dry skin.
4. Put the strip on just above the flare of your nostrils, on the soft part of the nose, and press both ends down.
5. Then moisturize the rest of your face, keeping cream off the strip's pads. The AAD recommends a cream or ointment for dry skin, and lip balm or petroleum jelly for dry lips.

Skip the alcohol wipe, even if your nose feels greasy from a day's worth of balm. The adhesive summary above advises avoiding products like alcohol that dry the skin. In the morning, loosen the strip with warm water and peel slowly from the ends inward, then moisturize your nose. If the skin under the pads is cracked or sore, give it a few nights off. Our guides to nasal strip skin irritation and removing nasal strip residue have more.

How do you set up a winter bedroom for easier breathing?

You set up a winter bedroom for easier breathing by watching the humidity. Cleveland Clinic says humidity below 30% in the house can leave you vulnerable to nosebleeds, and that those levels are more common in seasons when the heat is running. Its ear, nose and throat specialist Swathi Appachi, MD, suggests saline spray and then some ointment before bed for nighttime dryness.

Cleveland Clinic cites the EPA's recommendation of 30% to 50% humidity at home and suggests running a humidifier whenever yours falls below that, while keeping humidity under 50% and the humidifier clean. It says that when your airways are dried out, you're more likely to snore and to be woken by coughing, nosebleeds or a dry mouth. It also notes that with the right moisture in the air, your skin is less likely to crack, itch and chap during the cold winter months, which helps the strip too. A cheap hygrometer tells you where your room stands.

If you use saline spray at bedtime, do it before the strip, and dry the outside of your nose afterward so the adhesive has a dry surface. Our winter breathing tips cover the rest of the bedroom, and nasal strips vs. humidifiers explains how the two work together.

This table sums up the common winter problems and what to try.

What about winter colds?

Winter colds bring their own blocked nose, and a strip can only do so much with one. It widens the front of the nose, while much of a cold's congestion sits deeper inside. It's still a drug-free option to try on cold nights. See nasal strips for a cold for what to expect, and dry nose at night for keeping the lining comfortable.

When should you see a doctor?

A strip is a comfort aid for a nose that feels narrow. See a doctor or pharmacist if:

• your nose stays blocked or runny for weeks, or one side is always blocked
• you get nosebleeds that keep coming back or won't stop with pressure
• you snore loudly and your breathing stops and starts in your sleep, you make gasping or choking noises, or you always feel very tired during the day, which the NHS lists as symptoms of sleep apnoea
• your skin keeps reacting to the adhesive with a rash or soreness
• you're pregnant and your breathing at night has changed, in which case ask your midwife or doctor before trying new products

The NHS also suggests seeing a GP about non-allergic rhinitis if symptoms are getting worse, are affecting your sleep, or aren't helped by treatments from a pharmacist. For more on nosebleeds at night, see our guide.

Our pick (paid partner): TitanAir Nasal Strips

For cold-weather nights, our pick is TitanAir Nasal Strips. This is our recommendation, not the result of testing or ranking strips ourselves, and Titan's strips weren't used in any of the studies above.

Titan says its strips are drug-free external nasal dilators with flexible spring-loaded bands. Its instructions match the winter routine in this guide: wash and dry the nose, skip moisturizer because oils stop the adhesive from gripping, place the strip just above the flare of the nostrils on the soft part of the nose, and remove it by loosening with warm water and peeling slowly from the ends inward. Titan says every batch is third-party tested and certified PFAS-free, and offers a 30-night guarantee, enough to see whether TitanAir helps through a stretch of cold nights.

Read next

• Nasal strips in hot weather
• The best nasal strips for sensitive skin
• Can you use nasal strips every night?

* This content is for informational and educational purposes only and is not medical advice. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease or health condition. Talk to a qualified healthcare provider about your health.