So this happened yesterday and I never felt it…until it started to hurt. Everyone knows that when you get a splinter with an end sticking out, you just grab your trusty tweezers and pull it out! But when they’re embedded like this and it almost appears as though your skin is going to close over it, what to do? I went to work on the interwebs and found a fun infographic in the link below with some ideas. As you can see, I tried a banana peel and an egg shell. In fairness, the banana peel is supposed to be left on over night. I didn’t have the patience for that and left it on for a half hour. The little sucker didn’t budge. Next, I tried the egg shell, but this only works when part of the splinter is above the skin…then it adheres to the egg shell. So, my bad. That one might work when you don’t have tweezers available and you just made breakfast. After that, I tried soaking in Apple Cider Vinegar for a half hour. My skin got nice and pruney, but the splinter still remained right where it was.
Now, normally, I would grab Epsom salts and soak my finger in a warm water solution, but I didn’t have any. This worked for me a few other times I got a deep splinter, so I can vouch for that method, although it’s not in the article below. I tried it the soak with baking soda. No dice. Splinter still stayed.
Exhausted by this effort, I conceded I’d have to try an overnight remedy, so I dipped my finger in some glycerin and then in some baking soda which made a paste and put a band-aid over it. This morning, I removed the band-aid and to my chagrin, the splinter was STILL beneath the surface. I sighed and went about my business figuring I’d have to dig it out with a needle then. About a half an hour later I looked down and noticed the splinter was gone! I don’t know how it happened, but I will have to credit the overnight baking soda paste. Maybe some of these other DIY splinter removal remedies will work for you:
