David - stock.adobe.com - illustrative purposes only, not the actual person

After I got engaged and then married, I basically never removed my rings. I would literally only take them off to make meatballs, which was once in a blue moon.

So, since my finger never got a break from my engagement and wedding rings, it started to swell up big time when a few years went by.

I then promptly began to panic when I realized they were both firmly stuck on my finger, as I wanted to avoid a trip to the Emergency Room to cut them off. I'm not going to lie; I called my mom up in tears, and she walked me through a couple of solutions for getting them off, sans the ER.

We're going to start with the least aggressive means first and graduate from there (my rings were so stuck I had to make it to the final solutions to free my finger).

If, at any point in this process, your finger swells up further and appears red and irritated, stop immediately, give yourself a few days, and then try your next solution (if you're worried about your circulation or anything else, then definitely see a doctor ASAP).

Go For The Lotion

The easiest thing to try is something to assist your ring in sliding right off. Opting for a lotion and getting it between your ring and your finger is the first solution for you.

If you don't want to use lotion, you can try coconut oil, dish soap, or petroleum jelly. As you make an effort to slide your ring off your finger, make sure to twist it around well. Should that not work, read on for the next idea I have for you.

Wrap It Off Your Finger

Grab a super thin, lengthy piece of ribbon or dental floss to get started with this wrapping trick. You want to wrap the ribbon or dental floss around your finger with your palm facing down and the majority of the ribbon being wrapped away from you.

Start underneath the ring and keep wrapping until you reach your knuckle. The idea is that you will put enough compression on your finger that the ring should come off.

Pick up the end of the ribbon or string that's under your ring, and unwind it in the direction heading away from you and towards your fingernail. Did it slide off? No? Keep reading.

Elevate Your Hand And Sit Down

Raise your hand like you're a kid sitting in a classroom and sit down for a bit. Holding your hand in an elevated position can help drain any fluid built up in your finger downwards.

If you can do this for ten minutes, that's your best bet, but if that's too hard, aim for half that amount of time.

Give Your Hand An Ice Bath

This is what started to really work for me to get my rings off: giving my hand an ice bath. I got a bowl big enough for my whole hand to be submerged and then added in cold water and a ton of ice.

I stuck my hand in there for as long as I could handle it, and it took me about 12 minutes to see the swelling reduce enough in my finger. But it still wasn't enough for me to get those rings free of my finger, so then I reached for the Windex, which sounds ridiculous, but hear me out.

Reach For The Windex

Who's a fan of the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding? We learned there that Windex can pretty much fix anything, and it's not incorrect.

Spray your finger and ring down with some Windex, and pull your ring gently back and forth after you are sure you have enough Windex coating everything.

This is what ultimately got my rings right off, and I hope this trick helps you, too, if you have already gone through all the steps on this list. Side note: you won't have to worry about Windex junking up your ring since it's not sticky or goopy.

There you have it! My tried and true tricks for trying to get your ring off your finger. Of course, if nothing here works for you or you're concerned about the safety of your finger, please do call a medical professional for help!

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