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Might be too late now but the first I try is sticky cellophane tape.

There's no quick fix for stubborn splinters. Nothing I've found works more consistently than a sterilized needle (not a pin! they are too dull) some good pointy tweezers, a bright light, and patience.

Yikes, usually the warm water thing works for me, followed by the needle/tweezer dig.

One thing I DO know is that you should wear some sort of protective glove-wear when using steel wool. I've gotten many small shards in my palms from working with that stuff, and my aunt had to have surgery on her hand to remove pieces of it after her hands got infected. I KNOW! That stuff seems so innocuous. But it is Evil.

Superglue. Really. Put a small drop on the area where the splinter is and let it dry completely. When you peel off the superglue with tweezers, the splinter will come with it.

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I haven't tried Superglue, but Elmer's has worked for me.

I always think a bright light, ice to numb the area and someone else to do the digging/tweezing are the best ways to go. It is harder to cause yourself pain.

Needle. I usually rip the skin (sorry! I know!) right about the splinter, from one end to the other. Then it usually just pops right out.

I've had to dig a couple out of my son this way.

I've had great luck removing splinters with my library card. No joke.

Hold the card at an angle and scrape it against your skin toward the splinter (opposite the direction of the splinter's entry), carefully, and the hardness of the card will push it back out of your skin. (For sanitary reasons, clean the card with a little disinfectant first.)

I'm not sure the card method will work with a splinter lodged in a tight spot like the nail bed, but it's good to know if you don't have a clean pair of tweezers handy.

used to pack cactus. you know the little ones that have the different colored tops grafted to them? well let me tell you those suckers HURT and you can never see the splinters until they started to get infected and your fingers start to throb... Glue is the answer. take a blob of elmers glue and let it dry hard until it's perfectly clear. pull off your skin and there you have it! super glue will also work but you might end up gluing the splinter in there instead of extracting it.

My Dad taught me about this (and his Dad taught him): Ichthammol Ointment (20%).

You can get it at your local pharmacy.

It acts like a poultice. Squeeze a small dab on whatever you want to remove (splinter, piece of glass, infection from cutting your cuticles too close) and cover with a bandaid. The splinter (or the piece of glass, or the infection) will be gone overnight. The Ichthammol pulls the splinter out onto the bandaid.

Buy some now for next time.

Barb

I once had a very small sliver of glass in my thumb for about 6 months. it never hurt or got infected, but every once and a while it would start to poke through again (though never enough to grab on to remove). eventually, my skin pushed it out. I wish I had thought of the glue trick, though...

Usually, softening the skin and going at it with tweezers do the trick. Sometimes, however, the splinter will break, leaving a remnant under the skin. Boy howdy, is that irritating. And that's when the whiskey and a (well-sterilized) X-acto knife come out.

Splinters and Needles and Tweezers Oh My!

Thanks for letting me Post a Comment,
Melissa with Yourfurniturelink and Mortise & Tenon LA

tweezers have always been my way but that superglue idea sounds intriguing

I still have a splinter in my palm and in my middle finger on the knuckle right above also :/ I tried digging it out with a sterilized needle but it just broke, now it's all ....dissolved looking under my skin like a mole or something...

That glue trick sounds pretty good....will have to keep that in mind

drawing salve. you can get it in the first aid section of any drug store. it looks & smells like tar, but it will pull it out. just wear a bandage over it.

dianalily - do you drink the whiskey, or use it topically? I suspect both may be effective.