Splinter or sliver is a fragment of any larger object usually wood or any other material or a foreign body which penetrates your body especially foot or hand fingers. It lodged inside your tissue and causes pain and discomforts until it is fully removed. However, you can relieve this concern with some natural remedies to remove a splinter.

The splinter can be stuck into your skin either knowingly or unknowingly, however mostly it happens under unexpected situations. A foreign object i.e. a wood fragment can puncture your skin and can cause an immense amount of pain and difficulties if not removed faster.

However, the good news is that you can get rid of this issue at your home only without any healthcare specialists support. The splinters are really very annoying and it can badly disturb your overall well being if not taken care of immediately.

Though you can safely remove it at your home itself still before starting any natural measure it is important to clan your hand thoroughly along with sanitizing the equipment which you are going to use for removing the said splinter.

Otherwise, the chances of infection remain too high if you use unsanitized equipment or your hands are unhygienic which can further increase your problem.

A lodged splinter in your skin are itself very painful and its removal process is again much more painful. In certain cases, you may require to visit a doctor’s chamber in order to remove your lodged splinter.

Especially if the affected area is infected then you must not try your home remedies in this case only a doctor can only give better treatment to relieve the infecting by safely removing the lodged splinter.

Even though you are using home remedies you must not try any forceful removal or by digging your skin to remove a certain pesky splinter. Instead, you should only use safe remedies and tricks which can easily remove your splinters without causing any discomfort or further pain to you.

Splinters which are not lodged deep inside your skin can be easily removed by few tweezers which will dig the concerned area and remove the splinters successfully. However, this trick won’t work in cases where splinters are lodged deep inside and under the deep surface.

Some common incidents which can make you a victim of this sneaky and annoying splinter include walking with barefoot especially on a surface which is unclean, digging something with your hands, etc. Apart from this in most of the cases, splinters lodged your skin by itself without your any fault.

The irritation and throbbing caused by an embedded splinter in your skin cause intolerable discomfort which is truly overwhelming and requires immediate relaxation from the condition.

However, the good news is that to relieve this issue you won’t have to spend money for a doctor visit or usage of a sharp appliance for its painful removal. As in most of the cases, splinters can be renamed at your home through easily available household items without any single penny expense.

Natural Remedies to Remove a Splinter

A splinter causes small wounds in your body when any thorn, wood shavings or any other debris pierces your skin and lodged inside you lower skin surface. This condition is extremely painful and annoying and needs quick relaxation.

The lodged splinter should not be pressed otherwise it can further penetrate your skin and enters in a much deeper layer of your skin from the layer it is currently.

An un-removed splinter especially which is made of glass shelf should be removed quickly otherwise it can cause major health problems.

So to deal with this concern below we have enlisted some more effective and safer home remedies to remove and you relieve you from a splinter and its associated concerns.

Baking Soda Paste

Baking soda is one of the best home remedies ingredients used for treating several health issues and it is equally effective for removing your splinter at home itself. Before applying a baking soda paste over your affected skin area you need to wash your affected area with soap and water.

Once your skin is cleaned then its time for applying your prepared paste. This paste will be consists of a very little amount of water and ¼ tbsp. of the baking soda powder mixture.

Apply this prepared paste on your splinter and then cover the treated area with a bandage and leave it as it is for the next 24 hours. After that, you will notice that the said splinter has come over the surface area where you can easily remove it through a tool.

If even after 24 hours the splinter doesn’t come to a reachable surface where-from you can remove it easily then you should apply the same paste again until you found the splinter on the surface of the skin in a removable condition.

Hot Water and Plastic Bottle

This trick is very effective in removing a splinter. For doing this you need a plastic bottle and hot water. Fill this bottle with hot water up to the top of this bottle and give firm pressure over the affected area. Keep the bottle in the same position for a few minutes and then remove it.

This firm pressure with a hot water bottle will create a vacuum as the hot water vapor will open up the skin pores of your affected zone and little pressure with this bottle together creates a vacuum. Hence you can easily remove or pull out the said splinter from this vacuum.

In most of the cases, this trick or home remedy works positively in its first effort or turn only. However, if you won’t get the splinter in removable position or it doesn’t come over the surface then you can reapply this remedy to get your desired result. Surely by the second turn, it will come over the surface where from you can pull this out.

Banana Peel

Banana peel is another effective ingredient which can do magical things naturally. Moreover, it is so cheap and easily available that you won’t have to worry about spending much money. It works very faster and effective for removing your splinter.

In order to apply this home remedy, you need to take a very small amount of ripe banana peel and spread it over the affected skin area. Use tape over the area so that the peel can easily reach over the skin layer embedded with a splinter.

The enzymes existing in the banana peel will soften your skin so that the splinter can easily move and come over the surface where-from you can pull this out very easily without any pain or discomfort. It usually takes only a few minutes to get its job done with this home remedy trick.

However, if you don’t get a desirable result in few minutes you can leave it for longer duration say for the overnight. By the time it will surely do its work by softening your skin and moving the splinter over the surface so that you can remove it very easily. Sometimes the splinter comes out without your effort or intervention as the peel throw out to the splinter over the far surface area along with the peel.

If overnight leaving the banana peel doesn’t bring the splinter over the close surface area then it’s better that you reapply this peel on the second day and leave it for overnight again then it will surely come up to the surface and you can pull this out easily.

White Vinegar or Oil

White vinegar or oil such as olive oil or corn oil are other simple home ingredients which work very effectively in taking out the stubborn splinter over the skin surface wherefrom you can easily draw them out.

You simply need to soak your affected skin area in white vinegar or olive or corn oil in a bowl or any other suitable container. Keep your affect body area in the same position or soaked position at least for 20 to 30 minutes.

After that, you can easily see the exact location of splinter as by the time it will come over the skin surface from the deep layer of skin where previously it was embedded.

If you found it in a position where from you can pull it out easily then do that and if not then you need to soak the affected area in the same liquid for little further until you can draw them out easily. Once you manage to remove this splinter you need to wash that treated area with antibacterial soap and water.

Epsom Salt

Epsom salt is a well-known home remedy which is used for treating many ailments such as muscle soreness, sunburn, etc. However what most people don’t know about one of its special features that it is equally effective for removing deep splinters by bringing them to the skin surface.

In order to apply this remedy, you need to take a container in which you can dissolve Epsom salts in warm water to the extent that your affected body part can easily soak it in this.

Leave it in the same position for 20 to 30 minutes. This process will help in losing your skin so that the splinter can move towards the surface wherefrom you can pull this out with the help of tweezers.

If this doesn’t bring any speedy result then you can apply some Epsom salts on a bandage and then place this over your affected area and leave it as it is for a whole day. This will surely draw the splinter out to the surface area so that you can easily pullout with tweezers.

Egg Shell Membrane

Eggshell membrane is another effective home remedy that you can use for removing a stubborn splinter very easily. For applying this remedy on your affected area first you need to take one egg and crack it safely and then remove the egg yolk.

You will notice a paper-like membrane in the eggshell, remove some amount of this membrane and put this over your splinter affected area. Bind this with the help of a band-aid and leave it for overnight.

By the time the membrane will reach inside the splinter and will do its job. Next morning you will find that the splinter has come over the skin surface wherefrom you can easily pull this out without any pain or discomfort.

Potato Slices

White potato slices are another effective home remedy that can safely remove your splinter. For applying this natural remedy you need to take one fresh potato.

Cut the slices of potato and then apply those slices directly to the affected area. In order to keep the slices on its place or to fix them use gauze or band-aid over them. Let it sit in the same position for minimum one hour time.

Check this on a frequent basis to know the current position of the splinter. In the cases of deeper and larger size splinter, you may require to leave the potato slice for the whole night to do its job effectively. Next morning you will find the splinter has come over the surface wherefrom you can pull this out easily.

Use a Tape

In the cases of less deep splinters using tape over the affected area works very effectively. If you find that your splinter is almost on the surface but you fails in pulling this out with tweezers in that condition you can put tape over that affected spot for some time.

You can use a piece of duct tape and put it on the splinter and leave it is in the same position for the next few minutes. After that remove this tape gently. If your splinter doesn’t get out in the first one or two attempts then you need to place this tape for some more time until the splinter comes out.

You can even soak your affected area in warm water for some time which will make your job easier by softening the skin so that the splinter get loosen and come out along with the tape.

Things to Remember while Removing a Splinter

If you are trying to remove a splinter by own then you must take care of a few important points so that it won’t cause you any further health hazard or issue.

Wash your hand thoroughly with soap and water before trying the removing attempt or step.
If you are using tweezers or any other equipment for pulling out the splinter then don’t forget to sanitize that equipment before using it.
Be sure about the splinter size and location before trying your remedies to remove it in order to prevent any further damaging risk otherwise the splinter may break into several pieces and scattered which will more difficult to remove.
After removing the splinter clean your wound thoroughly for avoiding the infection risk.
If you have a magnifying glass then use this for locating the splinter which will show a broader picture of the exact location of the said splinter.
Don’t ever try to squeeze or pinch the surrounding skin area of the splinter as it may cause more harm than good for you.
Contact with a doctor if you found redness or discoloration around the splinter, leaking pus, swelling, the splinter is very deeper and very painful and near the eyes area.

The above mentioned natural remedies to remove a splinter are simple, painless and safe enough which you can easily try if a splinter stuck in your finger, foot and other accessible areas along with taking care of above-mentioned tips.

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Natural Remedies to Remove a Splinter: Precautions to Adhere