How To Remove Super Glue From Skin With A Few Household Items

For the craftsman in all of us, super glue has a way of making projects go smoothly and quickly with a nice finish. However, mishaps with super glue can be troublesome and dangerous if one is not careful. You risk gluing your limbs together, gluing a finger or two to your project, or just ending up with an uncomfortable super glue dry-spot on your skin. Thankfully, there is an affordable way to remove it with just a few household items that will save you the embarrassing trip to the emergency room or the long wait for it to erode away.

• Rubbing Alcohol or Nail Polish Remover
• An Oil-Based Skin Moisturizer
• Q-tips or Cotton Balls
• Tweezers or Finger Nails
• Washcloth

*First things first, it is always wise to have these things near before you start your project with super glue.

The first thing you want to do is try to quickly separate yourself from what ever you are stuck to in time. It will make it easier to remove the super glue. If you are unable to GENTLY separate the two glue-effected areas, don't try to rip yourself away or you will hurt yourself.

*DO NOT try to wipe away the super glue, otherwise you'll end up with something else to remove from your skin*

Next, you dry out the super glue by soaking a cotton ball or q-tip in either rubbing alcohol or nail polish remover and apply it to the affected area. This will make the super glue more visible and dry it out completely a lot quicker. (If you are indeed stuck to something, apply the rubbing alcohol/nail polish remover to the area of glued skin.)

After the alcohol/nail polish remover has dried, apply a generous amount of your oil-based skin moisturizer on and around the affected area and let it set for about 5-10 minutes. If glue is in a sensitive or heavily callused area apply more moisturiser and wait another 5-10 minutes. (If stuck to something, apply it on all areas on and around where glue is on skin.)

Now that you have the moisturizer in-between the skin and the glue, you are going to start lifting and pulling off the glue with the tweezers or your fingers(it may be easier to use your fingers) gently. The areas of the glue that are thick are going to give you bigger pieces, the thinner areas you can simply scratch gently off. WARNING: if the glue is on an area of skin where hair is prevalent, expect a bit of a pull and the loss of some hairs. (If stuck on something, you may need to repeat the moisturizing process as needed as you start to peel the glue off from the outside to in-between your skin and what ever you are stuck to.)

*Note: If the situation is more dire, do not hesitate to call for help or seek medical attention.

After you have gotten it off, dampen the washcloth with warm water and gently dab it on the formerly affected are to sooth the skin. (If it was skin-on-skin super glued, repeat the process of removing the glue from the second affected area affected area of your skin and then dab both areas with a warm dampened washcloth.)

Clean up, take a breath and examine your project, but most importantly, Don't Give Up! Things happen but there is always an opportunity to learn something new, like learning to recover from a super glue attack, while still being able to keep a funny story. My story involved me at home in short shorts, a faulty super glue bottle, and nearly glued together thighs *cringes*.

I hope you found this useful and stay safe out there, fellow Craftsmen and Craftswomen!