After writing, how to get rid of warts?, how to get rid of skin tags?, how to treat corn?, and how to get rid of poison ivy rash?, we are now writing, how to get a splinter out or remove a splinter? One of the most annoying things that can occur to a person is that when he gets stuck by a splinter. A splinter could be anything like a part of a bigger glass, wood or any other material, which has broken into tiny little pieces.
These tiny little pieces can easily penetrate your skin and can cause immense pain and misery. It may get stuck to your fingers, legs or feet and may reside deep inside. It is just not possible at times to remove it with your bare hands, mainly because of its minute size. Even though people may suggest you many alternatives, but there are little chances of them actually working. In worse cases, it may even dig deeper into your skin. To solve this problem, we will provide you safe and alternative methods to get a splinter out. So let’s begin:
Ways Remove a Splinter Or Take Out a Splinter
Contents
1.) Hydrogen Peroxide For Splinters
Hydrogen peroxide is one of the known remedies that you can use to get a splinter out. This is effective as it swells up the skin, elevating the splinter, out of the skin, which can then be easily removed.
- To use hydrogen peroxide for a splinter, put some hydrogen peroxide on the skin, where you feel the splinter. Wait for the skin to swell up and for the splinter to come up.
- As soon as any visible part of the splinter comes out, remove it with the help of tweezer. Sterilized the tweezer using alcohol or warm water.
2.) White Vinegar For Splinter
This is one of best remedy to work, you will have to keep some patience, but the wait will be worth it. White vinegar works similar to hydrogen peroxide for splinter and is known to swell up the skin, making it easy to get a splinter out.
To use the white vinegar, just dip the affected skin in white vinegar. Dip for a minimum period of 25-30 minutes. As the vinegar swells up the skin, the splinter will come out. When done, remove it with the help of a sterilized tweezer. If white vinegar is not available, you can use apple cider vinegar for splinter removal also.
3.) Honey For Splinter Removal
We all know about the antiseptic and healing properties of honey. The highly viscous substance can stick to the surface of the skin while forcing the splinter to come out of the skin. This makes honey an effective home remedy to get a splinter out. Read here the other benefits of honey. Apply a good amount of honey all over the splinter area and let it remain there for some time. As the splinter comes out, you can remove it manually, without any problem. Make sure not to eat or lick the left out honey!
4.) Use The Adhesive Tape For Splinter
This process is as simple as the previous remedies. It does not involve any complications and anyone can easily use an adhesive tape to easily remove a splinter. This makes it an effective home remedy to remove a splinter.
- Just apply a good quality adhesive tape around the area where the splinter has penetrated the skin. Keep it there for a while and then remove it slowly. The splinter will stick to it and will come out.
- If it does not come out in the first attempt, continue the process till it comes out. You can remove it without any hassles.
5.) Try The Banana Peel For Spliter
The banana peel is the most underrated but very effective remedy of all other remedies. It is commonly used by Tribal’s to heal infected skin and wounds. Banana peel is effective to remove a splinter too. Just follow the simple steps below:
- Take the peel of a banana and wrap it around the splinter area. Fix it up with a bandage or a tape. Keep it there for some time.
- Remove it and you would notice that the splinter has come out. You can easily remove it now, thanks to banana power.
6.) Use Needle For Splinter
Although, highly effective to remove a splinter, you have to cautious with it. You should use a needle to remove a splinter only if it has not penetrated deep into the skin. If it is at the first layers, then only this remedy should be used. Penetrating a needle deep into the skin can lead to infection and immense pain. To do it properly, look at the steps below:
- Take a needle and sterilize it with alcohol. After the sterilization process, gently press the needle to your skin. Rub the needle around the skin vertically. Move it in a swiping motion.
- Do not penetrate your skin with the needle at straight do it with some angle. After some time, the splinter will come out. Remove it carefully and you are done.
7.) Use The Baking Soda For Splinter
Baking soda is known for its antibacterial properties and can be effective in getting rid of the splinter the bothering you. To use baking soda for the same purpose follow the steps below: Read more about how to remove a splinter with baking soda.
- Just mix some baking soda with water to form a paste. Apply the paste over the affected area.
- Keep it there for a minimum of 15 minutes and you will notice the splinter is visible and can be removed. Remove it carefully and you are done.
8.) Epsom Salt For Splinter
Salt is one of nature’s exfoliates, as it helps remove dead skin cells. The rejuvenation properties of salt could be used to remove the tiny little piece stuck there. Use Epsom salt, for the same purpose as it is more effective. Just add a little Epsom salt on the sticky part of a bandage and wrap it over the splinter skin. Cover it up nicely and let it stay there for some time. Finally, remove the salt and you will get rid of the splinter easily.
9.) Use The Tweezers For Splinter
One of the tools, used from ages to get a splinter out is tweezers. Most of the remedies above use tweezers in one way or the other. Here, just use it directly and follow the procedure below.
- Sterilize your everyday tweezers with alcohol before use. Use the tool to gently remove the splinter.
- Finally, use a cotton ball soaked in some astringent to clean the area. Use it directly only if the splinter has not stuck deep inside.
10.) Use The Eggs Shells
Eggs could be used to get a splinter out. Guess what, for this instead of using the egg yolk you need to use the egg shells. This makes it as an effective home remedy to remove a splinter easily. Just put the stick side of egg shells on the splinter area. Let it stay there till the splinter sticks to the sticky surface of the egg-shell. Finally, remove the shell. The splinter will eventually come out and you are left with a splinter-free skin.
11.) Use The Nail Clippers
If the splinter is thick and not going to break, then you can use a good alternative to tweezers is a sturdy pair of sterilized nail clippers. If the splinter stuck into your thick skin at an extreme angle. You can clip some overlaying skin to make the visibility of the skin and access to the splinter. Make sure it should not hurt your sensitive area like your heel. You need to cut the skin parallel to the direction of the splinter. Don’t clip deeply as it can result in severe bleeding and a deeper wound can increase the chances of infection. While using the nail clipper or tweezers, use your dominant to get rid of splinter properly.
12.) Consider Using A Drawing Salve
Drawing slave is very helpful in draw out a splinter as it is a type of disinfectant that helps to lodge deeper splinter by lubricating them and allow them to split of your skin. You need to cover the wound with bandage in the meantime. Waiting for the process may require some patience.
- You can go for one of the most common brand, which is Ichthammol, and it is easily available in every pharmacy. Drawing salve may smell unpleasant and greasy.
- In some of the cases, drawing salve only brings the splinter out when you pluck it with tweezers.
13.) Use The Baby Orajel
If the splinter is very painful, then you can use baby Orajel to the affected area. The baby Orajel will help to numb the area. After few minutes, rinse off the affected area. This will help to ease the pain while using any method to get a splinter out.
14.) Bread to Draw Out a Splinter
The best thing about this method is that you will not even feel pain and the splinter will come out easily. The splinter easily sticks on the soaked bread and you do not feel pain, when you remove the bread. Place a piece of soaked bread in milk over the splinter. Use a band-aid to wrap the affected area. Leave it overnight and then remove it the next morning. Apply diluted hydrogen peroxide on the affected area to prevent any infection.
15.) Use Tomato or Potato
If the splinter is causing you trouble and you just want to fix it as soon as possible, then a slice of tomato or potato can also help you within minutes. When you keep a slice of tomato on the affected area the splinter moves towards the surface. This way the splinter will come out easily either with the hand or the tweezers.
- You can also use tomato or potato. Place a slice of potato or tomato on the splinter. Keep it for a few minutes.
- This will help to remove the splinter. Repeat the remedy as required. Avoid applying pressure to the areas this can push the splinter even deeper.
Other Useful Important Tips:
- Avoid squeezing the splinters, as it rarely works and there are chances of breaking the splinters which cause more damage.
- If your splinter is part of wood then keep the splinter dry. It might get the break and leave the small pieces into the skin.
- Use clean hand to remove the splinter from your skin. Just like you wash your instruments before using it. Wash your hand at least for 30 seconds with antibacterial soap before doing this process.
- After draw out a splinter, you have to aware and also watch the signs of infection like swelling, redness, and tenderness.
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