How to Keep Glasses from Slipping Down Your Nose

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The best DIY tricks to keep your glasses on your nose all day long
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If you wear glasses, even if only to protect your eyes from the sun, you’ve probably had a pair that just would not stay up. Well, you’re in luck! We’ve researched some of the best ways to keep your glasses from sliding down your nose, from quick fixes to more permanent solutions. Plus, we spoke with Ophthalmologist Alexander Knezevic to learn why glasses slide down your nose and get his expert advice for fixing it.

DIY Hacks to Stop Your Glasses From Sliding Off

  1. Clean dirt and oil off your glasses frames.
  2. Wrap rubber bands around the temple arms near the earpiece.
  3. Add adhesive nose pads to the nose pieces.
  4. Adjust the fit of the nosepiece, temple arm, and earpiece.
  5. Use wax on your nose and the nosepiece.
  6. Install ear hooks , temple guards, or nose pads for a better fit.
  7. Use oil-free face cleanser and anti-shine products.
Section 1 of 4:

Keeping Your Glasses from Sliding

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  1. Dirt and oils from your face can build up on your frames, especially on the nose pieces and temple arms that help hold your glasses in place. Use an alcohol wipe made for glasses to clean these areas at least once a week or whenever you notice slipping or buildup. These types of wipes can also be used to clean your lenses.
    • For a more thorough cleaning, rinse your glasses in warm (not hot) water. Apply a drop of plain dish soap and rub it gently into the frames using your fingers. Once you’ve removed any dirt and oil, rinse the frames in warm water and then dry them with a microfiber cloth .
    • Another option is to clean the frames with diluted alcohol. Mix 3 parts water with 1 part rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle . Then, spray the mixture onto your frames and rub it with a microfiber cloth to remove dirt and oil. [1]
  2. One of the quickest ways to keep your glasses from sliding down your nose is to wrap a thin hair elastic or small rubber band around the temple arm. Position the bands so they’re close to where the temple arm meets the side of your head. [2]
    • Use the smallest effective size of a rubber band or hair tie and wrap it tightly around the arm to avoid causing discomfort.
    • Use clear rubber bands or hair ties that are the same color as your frames.
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  3. Use regular beeswax or special eyeglass waxes that are made for this purpose. Coat the nose pads and bridge area with the wax, and then put on your glasses. [3]
    • Remember to clean the wax off your glasses (and your face) at the end of the day to avoid buildup and clogged pores.
    • If you’re in a pinch and don’t have any wax, try using unscented, solid antiperspirant or Chapstick. Rub your finger on the surface of the product and then wipe it onto the bridge area and nose pieces.
  4. If your glasses have adjustable nose pieces, hold the frames firmly by the bridge and gently push each nose pad closer to the other for a tighter fit. Try your glasses on. If they feel too tight, the nose pieces too close together. Gently pull them farther apart until they comfortably fit your nose. [4]
    • Adjustable nose pieces have a thin metal tube that attaches the nose pad to the frame.
    • Be careful! Too much force can snap the nose guard off your glasses, which requires a professional repair.
  5. Warm the temple arm with a hair dryer or under hot running water. Heat the bend near the end of one temple arm for 10 seconds or until it’s warm. Hold the temple arm between both hands and use gentle force to make a more pronounced bend. [5]
    • Repeat the same process on the other temple arm so your glasses are even.
    • Once you’ve bent the temple arms, set your glasses on a flat surface. “If the glasses lie unevenly, reheat the arm which is lower down and push it up. Repeat this step until the glasses lie straight,” recommends Knezevic.
    • Be sure to only bend the temple arm after it has been heated to prevent cracking the plastic.
  6. As you take your glasses on and off, the screws that hold the temple arms can get loose, changing the fit. Tightening the screws is a quick and easy fix, but it requires an eyeglass repair kit with a screwdriver small enough to fit the screws.
    • Use the small screwdriver to gently tighten the hinge screws by inserting the screwdriver into the screw head and turning to the right.
  7. There are several products available that are designed to help prevent your glasses from sliding down on your nose. The most common and easy to use are ear hooks and temple grips . These products are usually made of silicon, and they slip easily onto the temple arms of your glasses. [6]
    • Insert the end of the temple arm through the slit in the ear hook or temple grip and slide it up the arm
    • Position the ear hooks or temple grips just before the bend in the temple arm that hooks around your ear so it sits behind your ear with your glasses on. [7]
  8. Adhesive silicone nose pads are a great way to add a little extra grip to your glasses. Start by cleaning your frames with a lens-cleaning wipe to remove any oil and dirt. Peel off the protective backing on the first nose pad. Then, position the sticky side on the frame’s nosepiece. Press firmly to make sure it sticks. Repeat on the other side. [8]
    • If you don’t have nose pads, try adding a small piece of double-sided tape to each nose piece for a quick fix.
  9. Insert the glue stick into the glue gun and allow the gun to heat up. Pull the trigger to apply about a ½-inch (1.27-cm) drop of glue to each nose piece. Adjust the length as needed to fit the nose pieces on your glasses. Allow the glue to cool for 1-2 minutes. Once it’s cooled and hardened, try your glasses on. [9]
    • If your glasses still slip, add a little more glue.
    • If they’re uncomfortable, peel off the glue and try again with a thinner drop of glue.
  10. An eyewear band (sometimes called an eyeglasses retainer) is a fabric or neoprene strap that fits over the ends of the temples and wraps snugly around the back of your head. Eyewear bands are popular with athletes because they hold glasses securely even when the athlete is playing an active sport. Just slip the ends of the band over the ends of the temple arms. Adjust the fit by slipping the arms further into the band.
    • Eyeglass chains are more commonly used with reading glasses and sunglasses. They are chains or strings with loops that attach to the temple arms and keep you from losing your glasses if they do slip.
  11. If you have oily skin, consider using an oil-free cleanser , moisturizer, and makeup to cut down on oil buildup on your nose. Use blotting papers or even a paper towel to gently blot (don’t rub!) the oil that builds up during the day. [10]
    • Eyeshadow primer is also a good choice for preventing oily skin.
    • Translucent powder or even corn starch can also help absorb facial oils.
  12. Nothing beats having your glasses fitted by a trained professional. They have knowledge and specialized tools to help them make adjustments that won’t damage your frames. Knezevic agrees, commenting “when in doubt, try going into the store for a professional fitting.”
    • Most opticians will fit your glasses even if you didn’t purchase them at their office. While many offer this service for free, some may charge a small fee up to $25.
  13. The extra weight on thick, heavy frames that are made of plastic can pull your glasses down your nose. Picking frames with thinner rims or ones made with lighter-weight materials can help keep your glasses in place.
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Section 2 of 4:

Why do your glasses slip?

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  1. Knezevic explains that “there are many reasons why your glasses might slide down the bridge of your nose. Your frames might be too wide or too heavy…The arms of the frames might meet your ears at the wrong angle, or the bridge of your nose may be too narrow to hold your glasses up.” If your glasses are truly too big for your face, any glasses hacks are only going to be temporary fixes.
    • On properly fitted glasses , the temple arms extend straight back from the hinge of the glasses to your ear. If you see them splaying out or angling in toward your ear when you look in the mirror, they’re too narrow or too wide, respectively. [11]
    • In these cases, you may be able to wear them comfortably, but they still may slip.
  2. If your glasses are the right width for your face, the temple arm may need to be bent more to hold it on your ear. Bending the temple arm adjusts the fit of your glasses to match the length of your temple to your ear.
    • Glasses manufacturers design the temple arm with this adjustment in mind to help you get a perfect fit.
  3. If the temples of your glasses aren’t aligned, one side is usually looser than the other. Misalignment can cause the glasses to slip forward on your nose. Knezevic recommends checking the alignment by placing your glasses on a table with the arms open. If one of the arms doesn’t touch the table, your temples are misaligned.
    • To fix the fit, Knezevic says to use a hair dryer to “heat the arm which is lower down and push it up. Repeat this step until the glasses lie straight.”
  4. This problem is most often seen with metal frames or plastic frames with separate nose pieces. The small plastic pieces on each side of your nose are slightly flexible so that they can be adjusted. Sometimes, they get bent out of alignment during regular wear and aren’t able to hold your glasses in place.
    • On plastic frames, the nose pads are often built into the frames. If they’re too wide for your nose, try adjusting the fit by adding silicon adhesive nose pads.
  5. The hinges at the temples of your glasses allow you to open and close the temple arms for convenient storage. Over time, the screws in these hinges can work loose, which can affect the fit of your glasses and cause them to slip.
    • Sometimes, these screws get loose enough to fall out. When that happens, look for an eyeglass repair kit with extra screws.
  6. Sweat and oil on your skin can make it slick, which causes your glasses to slide down your nose even when they fit. Taking care of oily skin with a targeted skincare regimen can help reduce the amount of sebum your skin produces.
    • Sebum is the oily substance that coats your skin to protect it from drying out. [12]
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Section 3 of 4:

Why do your glasses need to sit correctly?

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  1. Optometrists take careful measurements to make sure your glasses correct your vision so your eyes work together to give you a clear view. When your glasses sit in the wrong place on your nose, it can cause blurry or double vision that may make you dizzy and cause a headache. [13]
    • If you wear bifocals or progressive lenses, it’s even more important for your glasses to sit in the right place on your nose because you look out of different parts of the lenses for long, middle, and close distances.
  2. Most people who wear glasses have them on at least some part of every day. If glasses slip down your nose, they’re more likely to fall off and scratch the lenses or break the frames.
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Section 4 of 4:

Tips for Choosing Glasses That Won’t Slip

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  1. Use a tape measure or ruler that measures in millimeters to measure your face at your temples. Glasses are always measured in millimeters. Look in a mirror or ask a friend for help to take more accurate measurements. Hold the ruler horizontally across your face, just under your eyes. [14]
    • Once you have your measurement, use it to select frames that are close to that measurement. They don’t have to be exact.
  2. Use a ruler and a mirror to measure the width of the bridge of your nose in millimeters. [15] The bridge is part of your nose that’s at the top of your nose’s slope, just under the eyebrows. [16] Compare that measurement to the bridge on the glasses frame.
    • If the bridge of your nose is lower than your pupils as you look straight forward into a mirror, look for frames labeled as having low bridges.
    • One of the temple arms on glasses frames lists three measurements. The second number is the width of the nose bridge, which is the piece between the two lenses on the glasses. [17]
    • If you already wear glasses, read the measurements on your current glasses and use them to find new ones.
    • If you can’t read the numbers, measure your glasses to get the size.
  3. The third measurement printed on the frame is the length of the temple arm. It’s measured from the temple along the length of the arm, including the bend. Take the temple measurement from the outside corner of the eye around the back of the ear. A flexible measuring tape works best for taking this measurement. [18]
    • Temple lengths for children are around 125mm, 140mm for adults, and 160mm for wider-than-average faces.
  4. Glass lenses were more common in the past, and some people still prefer them due to their lower price and higher scratch resistance than plastic lenses. However, glass lenses tend to be heavier, and that weight can cause your glasses to slide down your nose. [19]
    • Mid- or high-index plastic lenses are lighter than glass, which means they’re more likely to stay put. [20]
  5. Plastic frames are stylish, but they can require adjustments more often. Knezevic says that “the only real downfall of plastic spectacle frames is that they lose their adjustment a bit faster than metal frames, so you might need to come into a store a little more often to get your glasses tightened or adjusted.” Until you get them adjusted, you may find yourself pushing them up frequently.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://thevisioncouncil.org/sites/default/files/assets/media/Cleaning-Frames.pdf
      2. ↑ https://youtu.be/EzgLJFwlKGU?t=17
      3. ↑ https://youtu.be/3AIL5kwnoZo?t=64
      4. ↑ https://youtu.be/VZcrUnpyhvA?t=2
      5. ↑ https://youtu.be/PpdcT2GaZ4g?t=124
      6. ↑ https://youtu.be/Env_gmsIvRk?t=18
      7. ↑ https://youtu.be/Env_gmsIvRk?t=30
      8. ↑ https://youtu.be/F1GSn-0pq5E?t=74
      9. ↑ https://youtu.be/nkbd_3k2gCg?t=179
      1. ↑ https://health.clevelandclinic.org/how-to-get-rid-of-oily-skin
      2. ↑ https://youtu.be/sKmfulWRsSM?t=276
      3. ↑ https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/24538-sebaceous-glands
      4. ↑ https://www.optometrists.org/vision-therapy/neuro-optometry/vestibular-dysfunction/vision-dizziness-and-imbalance/
      5. ↑ https://youtu.be/9bsZMfaObnA?t=118
      6. ↑ https://youtu.be/z6NEiSrbdy4?t=96
      7. ↑ https://bio.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Human_Biology/Human_Anatomy_Lab/19%3A_The_Respiratory_System/19.01%3A_The_Nose_and_its_Adjacent_Structures
      8. ↑ https://youtu.be/9bsZMfaObnA?t=90
      9. ↑ https://youtu.be/sKmfulWRsSM?t=738
      10. ↑ https://eyewiki.org/Lens_Material_Properties
      11. ↑ https://eyewiki.org/Lens_Material_Properties

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