How to Get Cactus Needles Out of Skin, Clothes, & Hair

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Use tweezers, tape, & more to remove large spines & glochids

Co-authored by Devin McSween Reviewed by Ben Barkan

Last Updated: December 15, 2024 Fact Checked

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Removing Needles from Your Skin

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Getting Needles out of Your Clothes

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Removing Needles from Your Hair

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Whether you’re cultivating prickly pears at home or exploring wide-open desert trails, getting pierced by a cactus plant can put a major damper on an otherwise pleasant day. Thankfully, there are plenty of easy ways to remove cactus needles from your skin, hair, and clothes which help cut down the amount of discomfort you have to deal with. Read on to learn more!

The Easiest Ways to Remove Cactus Spines from Skin

Use sterilized tweezers to pull out large, easy-to-see cactus needles. To remove large amounts of small spines (like glochids), apply duct tape to your skin and then peel it off. Or, pour white glue between the needles, let it dry, and then peel it off.

Section 1 of 3:

Removing Needles from Your Skin

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1
Take out standard cactus needles using tweezers. If you can see a cactus needle clearly, grip the end of it with a pair of sterilized tweezers and pull it out. To avoid snapping the needle, do your best to remove it in a single, straight motion.^{[1]
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- If the needle gets buried deep under your skin, locate the tip furthest away from the entry wound and gently push it out.
- Sterilize your tweezers with rubbing alcohol or antibacterial soap.^{[2]
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- If you’re having trouble seeing the needles, hold your skin under a bright light or look through a magnifying glass.
2
Remove tiny cactus needles with duct tape. If multiple, tiny cactus spines are stuck in your skin (such as glochids), place a piece of duct tape or packing tape over the needles. Lightly press it into your skin and then rip the tape off. This gets rid of large amounts of cactus spines at once.^{[3]
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- Repeat the process with fresh tape until all of the cactus needles are gone.
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Pull out stubborn cactus hairs with white glue or rubber cement. Using a cotton swab, tongue depressor, or other small applicator, apply a large amount of white glue (like Elmer’s) or rubber cement to the pierced area. Let the glue or cement dry, then pull the edges of the adhesive up slowly and carefully. Repeat the process multiple times to remove as many needles as possible.^{[4]
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- Your drying time will vary based on which brand of glue or rubber cement you use.
- You may feel some slight pain as the adhesive dries. To combat this, take a standard dose of an over-the-counter painkiller, like acetaminophen.
- Another option is to apply hair removal wax over the cactus spines. Smooth on the wax, press on a cloth strip, and then rip off the wax.^{[5]
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Remove glochids safely with household items. "I never considered using rubber cement for needle removal! When my husband took a cactus tumble, we used tweezers and duct tape to gently pull out large and small spines. It took patience, but these common adhesives did the trick without harming his skin." - Mark R.

Get pointy prickers out of clothes effectively. "After accidentally backing into our cactus, I had needles stuck all over my shirt. Unsure how to remove them, I followed the tip to put clothes right in the wash. It worked perfectly—the washer dislodged all remaining spines without ruining the fabric." - George M.

Extract tiny, embedded needles with a clever glue trick. "The finest cactus hairs lodged in my skin even after using tweezers. Frustrated, I tried letting Elmer’s glue dry on my hand and then peeling it off like a strange glove. To my surprise, this creative glue trick worked perfectly to remove the tiny slivers without pain." - Mariellen N.

Gain confidence tackling first-aid with odd items. "Never considering household items for cactus splinters, I learned so much! Now I know that rubber cement pulls out hairs and duct tape removes needles from clothes. These odd first-aid fixes give me the confidence to handle the next accident." - Joanne W.

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4
Brush off glochids using a nylon stocking. Glochids are thin, hairlike cactus needles that are shorter and less rigid than regular cactus spines. To remove them, put on protective gardening gloves and wad up a pair of nylon pantyhose. Then, rub the hose against the affected area to pull out the glochids.^{[6]
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- When dealing with glochids, nylon hose provides all the adhesive power of duct tape without causing any unwanted skin irritation.
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Dress your wound after getting the needles out. After removing the cactus needles from your skin, clean the pierced area with fresh water and soap for 5 to 10 minutes. Once you’ve removed as much dirt and debris as you can, apply antibiotic cream to the wound and cover the entire affected area with gauze wrap or a bandage.^{[7]
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- For safety, wash your hands with antibacterial soap before cleaning the wound.
- If you see any cactus hairs in the wound site, pick them out using tweezers sterilized with rubbing alcohol or antibacterial soap.^{[8]
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- Until the wound heals, change your bandage at least once a day or whenever it becomes dirty or wet.
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Seek medical help if you can’t remove the needles. Visit a doctor if you can’t get cactus needles out of your arms, legs, or any other non-sensitive areas of your body. If you get cactus needles stuck in your neck, throat, or any other sensitive spots that you can’t easily remove them from, head to the emergency room as soon as possible.^{[9]
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- Leaving cactus needles in your skin for a long period of time can lead to infections.
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Maggie Moran
Home & Garden Specialist
Maggie Moran is a Professional Gardener in Pennsylvania.

Maggie Moran
Home & Garden Specialist

Get emergency medical care for needles on your face or in your mouth. Any needle injury to your mouth or around your face and neck requires immediate, professional medical attention. Do not attempt to remove the needles yourself. Go to an urgent care clinic or emergency room.

Section 2 of 3:

Getting Needles out of Your Clothes

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Small cactus hairs like to bury themselves in fabric, making them incredibly difficult to remove. However, you can usually get a large portion of them out using duct tape or a similarly strong adhesive. To do so, cover the affected area with a strip of tape, then rip the tape off. Repeat this multiple times for the best results.^{[10]
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Pull out large cactus needles with a comb. Unlike small needles, large cactus spines and ball-like hitchhikers are easy to remove from clothing. To do so, grab a fine-toothed comb and place it just above the needles. Then, run the comb down through the needles to brush them off.^{[11]
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- Once you’ve removed most of the needles, get rid of any stragglers using duct tape or a pair of tweezers.
- When combing, make sure to keep your hand as far away from the needles as possible.
3
Clean your clothes in a washing machine to remove leftover needles. Once you’ve removed as many needles as you can, place your clothing items in a washing machine and run them through a normal cleaning cycle. Doing so helps remove any small hairs you couldn’t get out by hand.^{[12]
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- Do not wash your affected clothes with other garments, otherwise you may simply move the cactus needles from 1 item to another.

Section 3 of 3:

Removing Needles from Your Hair

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1
Pull out large needles with a pair of tweezers. If large, clearly visible cactus spines get tangled up in your hair, grab them with a pair of tweezers and pull them out. These needles may be accompanied by small, hard-to-see cactus hairs, so put on gardening gloves to keep your hands safe.^{[13]
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- If any of the cactus spines pierced your scalp, ask a friend or family member to check for major signs of damage. If they notice any, visit a doctor immediately.
2
Remove small and stuck needles with a comb. To keep your hands safe, put on a pair of gardening gloves. Then, grab a fine-toothed comb and run it through the affected areas of your hair. This will help you remove thin, difficult-to-see cactus hairs, as well as any stubborn hitchhikers that got tangled up in your locks.^{[14]
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- If you’re having a difficult time, soak your hair in warm water for about 10 minutes. This helps loosen everything up and makes the cactus needles easier to remove.
If you can’t seem to get the cactus needles out of your hair, you may need to cut the affected areas off with scissors or shave them down using a razor. Though you might feel tempted to simply leave the needles in, doing so can lead to incredible amounts of discomfort and, if the needles reach your scalp, serious infections.^{[15]
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Expert Q&A

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Why would a cactus have needles?

Maggie Moran
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Maggie Moran is a Professional Gardener in Pennsylvania.

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Expert Answer

A cactus has needles to protect itself from predators. Most animals will avoid eating cacti because of the needles.

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What kind of cactus shoots needles?

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Expert Answer

A jumping cholla cactus is a species whose spines will attach to anything that comes too close. This is because they have barbs all along the length of the spike.

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What are the needles on a cactus called?

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Maggie Moran is a Professional Gardener in Pennsylvania.

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Expert Answer

The needles, spikes, or spines of cacti are often called glochidium or glochids.

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Tips

To loosen stubborn cactus needles and bring them to the surface of your skin, soak the affected area in warm water mixed with 1 cup of Epsom salt.^{[16]
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If a small needle is trapped under your skin but it’s not painful or uncomfortable, simply wait a few days for the needle to work its way to the surface of your skin. Then, remove it with tweezers or tape.^{[17]
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If possible, remove the cactus needles right away to avoid getting an infection.
Try keeping the glochids in baking soda. This may help push the needles out.

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