Dog-Hair Splinters

[MindysMuddyPaws]

I sometimes get funny looks from my wife or non-groomer friends and family members when they watch me with tweezers plucking between my fingers or my palm and ask wth i'm doing!

"dog hair splinters"..

and this is about time the "hairy-palm" jokes fly! :|

when I was a Barber, I used to get them alot from Phillipino's hair. Just stating a fact.. sometimes the straighter, more coarse hair just gets under my skin.. literally!

other than the medical gloves (they make my hands sweat) does anyone have any tips for prevention of this? or am I just doomed to a life of sqint and pluck?

[rapuzzled]

Ugh, I hate hair splinters. If you do a search there are actually quite a few suggestions about preventing hair splinters, and also getting them out.

[Curtis Hanvey]

Hair Splinters...are double cuts.

muddy,
If you look at each of the splinter you will find they are all about the same size. Look under a magni.lens and you will see that all of them have sharp pointed ends on both ends. These sharp ends are caused by cutting hair with the grain and as the hair is laying down it is cut at an angle. Then when you make that secnd or third pass you cut the short hard hair on the other end. Now you have a short, stiff hair that is pointed on both ends and now all you have to do is get the hair somewhere on you where you can put pressure on it from both ends and ......ssstrick..... you have a splinter.
Reverse clipping groomers get fewer splinters. Clipper vacuum systems users see the biggest reduction.
Reverse clipping tends to stand the hair up for a more flat cut on the edge of the hair so it is not as sharp(btw, this also reduces the after itch too)
Vacuum systems do almost the same thing but also carry the hair away so it is not there to stick you or get up in your nose.

Do a search on this site and you will find more tips.
Curtis

[dtailgroomer]

You should have seen my husband's face one day when I was tweezing to get the hair splinters out of my "ninnies" one night after grooming 4 cockers in one day!!!! Now explain that one to someone...... lol

[scrubapup]

LOL!!! My husband has been shocked once or twice himself .

[Wee Darlins']

Ouuuuuuuch!!

You should have seen my husband's face one day when I was tweezing to get the hair splinters out of my "ninnies" one night after grooming 4 cockers in one day!!!! Now explain that one to someone...... lol

And NOTHING hurts worse!!! LOL....I had to have my 13 yr old daughter help me. CAREFULLY!!!! Still love my cocker kids tho...

[neanea]

You should have seen my husband's face one day when I was tweezing to get the hair splinters out of my "ninnies" one night after grooming 4 cockers in one day!!!! Now explain that one to someone..

I developed a SERIOUS infection in one of mine that required 2 months of treatment with 3 different antibiotics before it finally cleared up. It was terrible and very painful. The dr even did a skin biopsy to make sure it was breast cancer, as it was swollen twice it's normal size.

[Jane512]

I heard baby powder works, but Ive never tried it. There is a product that groomers claim to work I think its found in Upco's catalogue? Its a gel that you rub in. Something like liquid bandaid....would liquid bandaid work i wonder?

[scrubapup]

I developed a SERIOUS infection in one of mine that required 2 months of treatment with 3 different antibiotics before it finally cleared up. It was terrible and very painful. The dr even did a skin biopsy to make sure it was breast cancer, as it was swollen twice it's normal size.

**gulp** That is NOT comforting to know.

[blupiiglet]

Besides the clipper vac, I don't know how to prevent them in your hands, except for washing your hands after every clip. When I worked with a bather, I seemed to get more splinters since I clipped dogs back to back. Now, I work on my own and get less, presumably since I clip then wash, clip then wash.

To remove them, I but those prepared waxing strips cut to size. It's easier than tweezing and you get more than one hair at a time.

(I still tweeze the "ninnie" ones, lol. Not keen on waxing them!)

I seemed to get more there when I wore a vinal apron. I thought it would keep the hairs off, but the hairs that got under the apron seemed to be rubbed in by the friction of my movements.

It has been suggested to me to wear nursing pads in my bra to prevent hair splinters in this area...Has any one heard of this/tried it? Does it work...?

[ottatic]

I had my first hair splinter the other day, It was in my elbow. It hurt like a mother but boy, was I proud!! lol.

[Juliet]

When someone figures out how to avoid the little suckers in their skin, they'll be rich!!!!!!Until then, I keep the stickiest packing tape I can find on the coffee table and next to my bed.Works like a charm!

[newbie]

the groomer that taught me said to use packaging tape and it worked. but then i just got 'silicone glove' ....you put it on like a lotion and it creates a barrier on your skin. you can get it through AVON. and it works great. only bummer is, is that if you bathe then clip, bathe then clip...you have to reapply as it comes off with soap and water. (does not come off with water, but the shampoo takes it off). you cannot see or feel it at all, but when you wash it off, it feels like you are taking off something slimy. But again, when you apply it like a lotion, it dries and does not get sticky and just gives you a very soft feeling to your skin.

Laube has a good one too that we always had on hand: it's called hand worx silicone glove ( i think). works really well too. i get mine through avon now because my sister sells avon and i get a cool discount with her! but both work nicely.

[rhondastlc]

I hate them!!!

I really hate them, I have found that when I do crocker spaniels they are the worst!!! But I have to admit the other day I did a crocker and had my face pretty close to the dog so I went to the bathroom to wash up and looked in the mirror and on one side of my face I looked like I had a beard (half woman/half man)HAHA I should have taken a picture of myself I did look quite funny!

[Sara'sSassyK-9's]

I thought I was the only one!! I get them all the time between my fingers and on the joint of my elbow/arm. And even though they hurt, the monkey in me enjoys pulling them out.


I tried to scrub my arms and hands like a surgeon after a Shavedown.