Most of us are familiar with the pain and aggravation that can come from splinters, which are usually small slivers of wood, metal or glass. Splinters can be difficult to remove and sometimes painful as well. Removing a stubborn splinter from your finger or foot is never fun, especially if it involves digging into your skin with a needle or tweezers. But if you use common household or food items around the house, you can actually remove splinters from your skin very easily and quite painlessly. Here are some easy hacks you could try before grabbing a tweezer for removing splinters:
BAKING SODA
Make a baking soda paste by combining baking soda and water. Mix the two together until while gradually adding baking soda until the mixture becomes gooey. Once the mixture is ready, apply it on to the splinter then cover it with bandage or band aid. Leave it overnight. The paste will make the splinter adhere to the band aid, so when removed it will come off easily.
BANANA PEELS
Banana peels can be used to remove the inconvenient splinters. Simply taping a piece of the peel over the splinter will help to remove it. How? Apparently the enzymes will help dislodge the splinter and heal the wound.
BREAD
Put a piece of bread over the splinter and wrap a band-aid around it. Let it set overnight and the splinter may be drawn out and attached to the band-aid by morning. Another version of this remedy is to put a bit of milk on the bread. Put a few drops of milk in a small piece of bread then place it over your splinter. Secure the bread with a band aid and leave it overnight. The splinter will stick to the bread and in the morning it can be drawn out.
TOMATO
Slice a fresh tomato and apply it on the splinter. The tomato will draw the splinter to the surface making it easier to remove with your bare hands or with the use of tweezers.
EGG
Take a whole egg and crack it (emptying the contents) so that only the shell remains. Place the inside (wet side) of the shell onto the splinter for a few minutes and the splinter should work its way far enough out till you can pick it right out.
DUCT TAPE
Cover the splinter with a duct tape with the sticky side towards the splinter. Leave for 30 minutes to allow the splinter to stick to the tape. Slowly peel off the duct tape and the splinter will be removed together with the tape.
HOT WATER AND GLASS TRICK
Take hot water in a glass. Place the affected area over the glass so that the opening is covered. This creates suction and the warm steam softens up the skin.
ESSENTIAL OILS
Essential oils such lavender, Clove, Lemon, Rosemary, Cinnamon and Eucalyptus can be used to remove a splinter. Simply rub the oil on the splinter and let the oil do its magic.