Can I put dragonskin up my nose?

[Mermaid Veruliya]

Haha, I know it sounds weird. I have a problem sucking up water when I flip, and breathing bubbles out that make it hard for pictures.
I was thinking of using a few inches of my dragonskin to make an invisible nose plug. I'm thinking about a nostril shaped, suction cup kind of deal. Like a little plug with a jelly fish kind of look, so the thinner skirt part can block more water. And having them connected by a thicker silver wire, that looks like like a septum nose ring from the outside. I could even attach a pearl to the wire so it looks like decoration, or a small chain that connect to my ear for rougher swimming in case it falls out, but it still appears to be for looks.

But I'm not trying to inhale something horrible haha
Anybody know?

[Mermaid Tula]

That's a really neat idea. I have a hard time with water up the nose too. I use a normal nose plug, but that looks pretty weird on a mermaid.

[Mermaid Veruliya]

Thanks! I feel it's definitely doable, if it's safe

[Mermaid Dottie]

I would use a natural clay to make the mold of your nostrils. 0.o This is a weird, but cool idea.

[Mermaid Veruliya]

That's a good idea! Haha that's usually
how it goes Dottie ;)

[Mermaid~Summer]

Thanks! I feel it's definitely doable, if it's safe

Let us know if it works. I would totally buy something like that. Especially for when doing a photo shoot.

[Mermaid Veruliya]

Sure thing!! :)

[AniaR]

why not just buy clear nose plugs though and wear them around your neck and pop them on when you wanna do a flip? Or buy the nose plugs that go up your nose? Or hold you nose? Seems a lot safer...

[Mermaid Veruliya]

I've had the clear ones, they distort your nose like an alien. I searched for the plugs that go up your nose and didn't find anything but a japanese design of an allergy filter.

[MerEmma]

There's someone someone talked about, Tomnose, someone in Europe I think who makes in-nose noseplugs that are invisible but you have to fly out to him to get it done. I don't think he will share secrets though, but perhaps search his name up on the forum? Tomnose.

[Mermaid Veruliya]

I have seen that thread actually, and the website according to my laptop has malware and won't let me access it. And also I live nowhere near the Dutch haha :P From what I've found as long as it's cured, the silicone won't put off harmful fumes. I mean people make masks and breathe them in, so I feel this isn't that different. Ill try when I can and update!

[AniaR]

I just would be weary of using a product that's not intended for that, that way. It's never been tested and could pose other risks.

[Mermaid Veruliya]

Do you know of any material that is safe for breathing in? Like a costume material or art material

[Usagi]

If you can cook your food in it, I don't see why you shouldn't be able to shove it up your nose! (=
Haha ut why not just contact the manufacturer?

[Mermaid Veruliya]

Haha duh, why didn't I think of that! And yes I should contact them... good thinking!

[AniaR]

they wont want the liability of you potentially choking or drowning, so you may not get a straight answer- also another reason to not take advice on something like that off the internet.

[Mermaid Veruliya]

Where are the nose plugs that go up your nose that you were talking about raina?

[Mermaidmechanic]

I think its a pretty awesome idea. I love ingenuity... I like how you want to make it look like a jellyfish and on top of that decorate the wire or chain with pearls. Pretty clever. I say we're adults and can figure out for ourselves what is and is not safe to put up our nose. :P I assume if you found it hard to breath or it disrupted your swimming you would... well, swim to the surface and take them out. Doesn't seem like too much of a risk to me. Just be sure to buy the 100% silicone. If it's safe for fish, eating on, and implanting into the body, I can't imagine it being a big deal to use it as an invisible nose plug.

[Mermaid Veruliya]

That's what I'm saying. Thanks for the support! I can't imagine I'd choke on it if it's just like any other latex nose plug, except in the nostril. It's not like I'm sticking two beads up my nose, or even putting them so high up haha. I think it's worth a shot. Any invention comes with obvious risks... I mean, let's look what were all doing, tying our legs together and jumping in the ocean haha. There will always be precautions and safety measures.

[ShyMer]

So just to be clear, assuming it's wise to do this at all, you are going to make a mold with clay or something, right? I just want to make sure you're not thinking of putting uncured silicone in your nose...

As far as the adult thing goes, it's still good to be cautious. Being an adult wont save you from a faulty design that ends up being stuck inside your nose or something, especially if it turns out to be a flaw you don't anticipate. I do think it's a good idea to connect them somehow so they can be easily removed.

It is an interesting idea, I just want to make sure all angles are considered. You're already on the right track posting your idea here where it can be tossed around around a bit :)

[Mermaid Veruliya]

OMG NO I would never put goopy silicone up my nose haha! I plan on making a clay mold and making a cast just like making a silicone tail. When the dragonskin is curing ill add the wire, with a certain twisty pattern at the ends so it doesn't just slip out of the silicone when it's finished. Also, ill get rid of blunt ends, so if the silicone does break lose from the wire, I won't have a new piercing ;)

[Blondie]

I would be afraid of it going up too far :\

[Mermaid Fenicia]

http://www.synchroswim.nl/tomnose.html ;)

[ShyMer]

Good for you :) I was curious about how you plan on using wire. I've never worked with silicone so I don't know how well it'll stick. Good luck when you get to testing!

[Mermaid Veruliya]

It would be thick enough and short enough so that it could only fit through the the big part Blondie. And I want the little jellyfish skirt so that would stop water ever more and also cushion the wire.

Thanks for that link! He does require a custom sculpt of the nose which requires plane tickets haha. But his website answered a lot of questions. He uses silicone, it's approved to be safe, and he actually doesn't use a wire.
I want to use a wire for extra precaution, and easier removal.
Also I'm really excited about dressing it up as merjewelry!

[Mermaid Kelda]

This is such an awesome idea! If it all pans out well, I might have to send you a mould of my nostrils so you can make me a pair :P

[Mermaid Veruliya]

Hahaha maybe I can sell nostril plugs to pay for my tail :P

[PearlieMae]

I have been thinking on this very subject!

You can make a mold of your nostrils using wax... soften some plain paraffin in your hand and roll it into a blunt cone like an earplug, but make it long enough to hold - you can trim it later! Make a mold of them and pour in silicone. I would then form a wire into a U shape (rolling the ends for a better grip in the silicone and so they won't hurt your nasal passage should they poke through) and set it in the silicone before it cures. It would look like a septum ring...you could attach a clear stretchy cord, like the kind used for beading, and attach the other end to a necklace. It would be virtually invisible in water, and you won't lose it.

I'd consider building up the wax cast of your nostrils a little before making the mold, to make sure they are water tight when complete, but not so much that the will distort the outward appearance of your nose.

Sound good?

[Mermaid Veruliya]

Yep! Exactly what Im planning on. But I'm using all the materials I already have instead of buying more materials. I'm trying no to waste anything

[MerMarla]

I have been thinking on this very subject!

You can make a mold of your nostrils using wax... soften some plain paraffin in your hand and roll it into a blunt cone like an earplug, but make it long enough to hold - you can trim it later! ... I'd consider building up the wax cast of your nostrils a little before making the mold, to make sure they are water tight when complete, but not so much that the will distort the outward appearance of your nose.

Sound good?

Hi PearlieMae! You have exactly the idea, as I was thinking along those lines, to use parafin wax. It's much safer than getting clay (aka dirt, or mud slurry) up your nose. We used to cast medical parts for accurate fitting in wax then make the mold as you described.

Wax is so inexpensive as to almost be free (or a couple bucks), and it will warm in your hand or you can melt it together by floating it on water, then bring increase the water temp until it melts together. Kneed it to cool, softening it to a cone shape, before inserting it into your nose.

@ Mermaid Keri:
Good luck Mermaid Keri! I would be really interested in how your nose plugs come out. You may want to look at the anatomy of a nostril to get an idea of a shape to help start with. Nice thing about wax is you can warm it again if you don't think the shape is right, to do over again. And remember not to dive over 10-12 feet with them. You don't want them surgically removed from the water pressure forcing them up into your sinus cavity. The Tomnose plugs are used for syncronized swimming, or other surface water sports, not freediving or apnoea diving.

(((Hugz))) & Bubble https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/e/B0C'z
Mermaid Marla

[Mermaid Fenicia]

Mermaid Kitty use them for freediving too ;)

[Merley]

Hmm...I didn't have my tail long enough to do any flips in it, but I was on a swim team for many years and to avoid getting water up my nose for flipturns I'd blow bubbles out of it, which might be aesthetically unappealing to some, but after awhile I learned to just kind of 'seal off' my nostrils. It's hard to explain. But it has to do with paying close attention to your nose and taking special care not to leave your nostrils open to invading water. I know other swimmers or people who've swam competitively probably know what I'm talking about. It's just a skill you develop over time. I'd just practice and start with the blowing bubbles out the nose technique until your body's muscle memory figures out how to naturally seal off water on its own. But it seems like you're pretty set on developing this jellyfish nosepiece, so this might not be useful to you. Either way, good luck with your project. I'm interested in seeing the end result.

[MermaidAmestris]

If you start selling them, can I have a pair? I have such a problem with water up my nose. Can't do flips unless I'm holding my nose shut haha

[Miyu]

Ok, so here's my two cents about silicone and skin safety... Obviously you'll want to contact the silicone manufacturers and ask about the quality of their silicone - is it medical-grade? food-grade? If so, it should be fine.

***TMI ALERT DUDES MAY WANT TO AVERT THINE EYES***

I use a Divacup, it is hard silicone, and it is perfectly safe for my... ahem... bits. It's super-durable and "seals" very well - I have not used any of the "normal" shark week devices in years, and will never go back.

***TMI ALERT OVER***


Anyways, as someone with noticeable facial scarring, I've looked into scar-reducing "kits", and one of those is basically a set of silicone sheets you apply to your skin (the pressure helps to soften and heal scar tissue). With as sensitive skin as the target demographic of that kit has (it's marketed towards burn victims), even that silicone is non-toxic and gentle enough to be used daily...

...So I think there must be a readily available silicone that is safe for noseplug use. And you know your nose better than anyone else! So I think you'll be able to get a really nice fit.

...Also, really want a pair of custom-molded noseplugs now, and I love your idea of how to attach the wire and chain :D (just, if you're going to sell them, I would suggest some high-grade steel for the wire bit at least, and possibly for the chain as well - it seems to be less effected by chlorine and is also more skin-safe for people like me with horrid metal allergies).

[Thalassa]

I'd definitely be interested if you can find a way to mold them. Maybe you could make some with and some without wire (for those of us that don't like the look of nose rings)?

I have a pair of these: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00FAHMYTI and they're okay but they stretch my nose out wide so I look like a sea cow! So I'm stuck with either a pinched nose or a stretched nose...or just sucking it up and dealing with water in my sinuses.

Also, I would pay good money to someone who could figure out a way not to lose nose plugs that couldn't get tangled around you. I've lost so many of those darned things!