You try to take your ring off at the end of the day and find that it’s stuck to your finger.
You pull and tug, but it just won’t come off! This might baffle you if you regularly wear the ring and never experience difficulty when removing it.
What causes a ring to get stuck?
There are many reasons why your ring could be stuck, such as if it’s become too small for your finger or your finger has become swollen. Swelling can occur for various reasons, such as water retention or other health conditions.
The most important thing to do when you’re dealing with a ring that’s stuck on your finger is to take a deep breath and stay calm! Pulling your ring too hard can hurt your finger and it won’t get you anywhere. Rather try one or more of these solutions.
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Common Causes Of A Stuck Ring
There are various reasons why your ring won’t budge when you try to take it off. Here are some of the most common ones.
- You tried on a ring that’s become too small for you (Read about how tight should rings be?).
- You’ve been wearing your ring for a long time and your finger has grown in size. This could happen as a result of temperature changes, with hot temperatures often causing fingers to increase in size a little.
- Your finger is swollen, and this is as a result of injury, health condition (such as arthritis), or pregnancy.
How To Remove A Stuck Ring
Ready to remove that stuck ring? Here are the best, most successful methods to try.
Try Twisting Instead Of Pulling
If your finger is swollen and you keep trying to pull your ring off it, this can cause it to swell more so it’s best avoided. Instead of pulling the ring, try gently twisting it around your finger. This could help to move the ring.
If you’re wearing more than one ring on that finger, it’s important to try to remove one at a time as that will be easier and less painful.
Put Some Grease On It
If your ring won’t budge, you probably need to grease it up a little bit to help it slide along your finger. There are many products you can try to do this, such as petroleum jelly, hand lotion, or liquid dish washing soap.
Consider Other Ways To Lubricate Your Finger
If the previous options don’t work, you need to think out of the box. There are many other interesting products you can use, such as hair shampoo, cooking spray or butter, and even Windex! This is an ammonia-based product that’s been recommended by the American Society For Surgery Of The Hand.
If you’re worried about causing irritation to your skin with Windex, you can try to use hand sanitizer instead. This will also have a lubricating effect on your skin and might be just what you need to remove your ring.
Use A Rubber Band
The use of lubricant and a rubber band can be a smart hack to help you get your stuck ring removed. How it works is that you need to cut a rubber band and push it through the ring so that it’s between the ring and your finger.
Then, put some lubricant all around your finger.
You’ll need a friend to help you with this next part: hold the rubber band’s ends and use an up-and-down movement to make the ring move from side to side. Once you’ve done that, try to move the rubber band so that it starts to move the ring along your finger.
Decrease Your Finger Swelling
If your finger is swollen and that’s what’s caused the ring to become stuck, it’s a good idea to try to reduce the swelling before wrestling with your ring.
Cold temperature works well to bring down swelling because it causes blood vessels to constrict. You can simply cool down your hand by putting it in cold water for a minute or putting an ice pack on your hand.
Or, try these steps:
- Put your finger into a cup of ice water.
- Hold the cup that still has your finger in it over your head for 10 minutes. It might be a bit uncomfortable to maintain this position but it will help to draw blood flow away from the swollen area, therefore reducing it.
- Once the 10 minutes are up, take your finger out of the ice water.
- Use your other hand to compress the finger, focusing on the area above the stuck ring.
- Now, carefully try to remove the ring from your finger. It’s a good idea to add some lubrication, such as the products we mentioned earlier.
If it happens that you follow these steps and you still can’t get the ring off your finger, don’t panic. You might have to do the steps a few times before they work, but make sure you give your finger a break of a few minutes between attempts. Or move on to the following methods.
Try Again In The Morning
If you suffer from water retention and that’s what’s caused your finger to swell, it’s good to know that this type of swelling is usually better in the morning and it gets worse in the evening.
So, if your finger isn’t hurt, numb, or injured in any way, you could leave your ring on for the day and try to remove it again in the morning. It’s also good to try to avoid eating foods that have a high salt content as that is a common culprit for water retention.
Use Dental Floss
Who would’ve thought that dental floss could be useful for removing a stuck ring?
According to the Harvard Medical school, you can use dental floss in what’s known as the “wrap method.
