Hair splinters

Occasionally, not often, while you are massaging a dog, one of her tiny hairs will embed itself in your skin. Ouch. You may not be able to see it, but you’ll know it’s there because it feels like a hangnail or a splinter. Methods to exorcize it include pulling it out with a tweezers, applying duct tape and hoping it will adhere to the tape, coming off when the tape is ripped off.

The gentlest and most elegant methods we found were offered on the Dr. Oz show: using white, non-toxic, school glue spread on a splinter will get it out. You just put a layer on and then let it dry and peel it off. Another Dr Oz suggestion is using a ripe banana peel for splinters. Instead of a tweezers or sterilized needle, put a piece of well-ripened banana peel pulp-side down on the affected area; cover with a bandage and leave it on overnight. As a banana peel ripens, it produces enzymes which help draw out the foreign matter. The splinter will rise to the top of the skin and may even stick itself to the banana peel. If the splinter is very deep, several applications may be necessary.Voila.