How to get hair out of your throat

By: | Last Updated: April 13, 2023

You can get food, phlegm, and even bugs stuck in your throat (ew!), but can you get a hair stuck in your throat too? 

It is indeed possible, and those who’ve experienced it will tell you it’s most definitely an uncomfortable feeling.

Much like an annoying itch you can’t seem to reach, it will probably bug you to no end. So much so that you can’t help but think, how do you get rid of hair in your throat?

No matter what kind of hair is stuck in your throat, worry not, for there are numerous solutions to your itchy dilemma. Read on to know how to get a hair out of your throat.


Why do I feel like a hair is stuck in my throat?

Why do I feel like a hair is stuck in my throat

Well, that’s probably because there is hair stuck in your throat… right?

While yes, that is the most probable answer, it is not always so. 

Believe it or not, what you might believe to be hair stuck in there actually might just be a scratchy or sore throat. 

If that’s the case, you can try a number of straightforward fixes like drinking warm lemon water or gargling with salt water to reduce swelling and irritation.

Other than that, the feeling may also be caused by other issues, such as smoking habits or acid reflux. It could even be a result of psychological disturbances, like anxiety or stress, that cause your throat to tighten.

Why does it feel like there’s hair in my mouth?

Having hair in your mouth is much easier to handle compared to having it stuck in your throat since there’s more room to work with. But before anything else, you need to confirm that hair is indeed in your mouth.

Assuming you’ve been poking around the inside of your mouth for a while now and still haven’t found the supposed hair, there is a very slight possibility that the sensation of it might be due to mouth-related complications such as papillae infection or keratotic lesions. 

However, these situations are unlikely to happen, and you should consider seeing a professional for further analysis if you suspect you might have them.

If you find hair in there, thankfully, you’re in less danger of having the conditions mentioned above and can apply the methods below to get it out.


How to get a piece of hair out your throat

How to get a piece of hair out your throat

1. Pull it Out with Your Fingers

The first method you can try on how to remove swallowed hair stuck in your throat is to simply attempt to pull it out using your trusty old fingers. This can also work for hair stuck in your mouth and how to get hair off the back of the tongue.

Provided that your hands are clean and the hair is close enough in the first place, this should do the trick and remove it from your throat!

2. Try Swallowing

If somehow you can’t manage to reach it with your fingers, your second option is to try swallowing it. The movements made in your throat can cause the hair to dislodge, thus making it unstuck.

Not to worry, consuming hair will not harm your body since it is made up of a dense protein called keratin. Naturally, like the food you eat, the hair will go through the digestive process and be removed from your body as waste.

3. Drink Water

Drinking water is an age-old solution to many problems and comes with numerous benefits. This includes enhanced physical performance, higher energy levels, better digestive health, and of course, the ability to clear your throat.

You can see where I’m going with this, right? Similar to how water flushes toxins out of your body, it can surely flush out things stuck in your throat as well. Like… cough cough, hair, for example?

4. Eat Soft Food

It’s essential that the food you consume is soft and fits comfortably in your mouth so as to avoid choking. Foods like bananas, soft bread, or scrambled eggs should be soft enough to slide down your throat to prevent any additional complications.

If all goes well, the food will slide down your throat, bringing the hair down with it and thereby relieving you of its itchiness.


How to get dog hair out of your throat

How to get dog hair out of your throat

Removing your own hair or even wig hair stuck in the throat is one thing. Dog hair, however, is a different story.

The length of dog hair varies depending on a dog’s breed, but canine hair is usually much shorter than human hair. This can make it harder to grasp with your bare fingers and can even be more irritating.

Moreover, if too much of it accumulates over time, it could cause inflammation and harm your respiratory health. 

For this reason, it would do you good to take precautions and wear a protective mask when grooming your furry friend to avoid inhaling its fur.

To remove it, first try seeing if you can swallow or vomit it out. However, keep in mind that swallowing is not the ideal thing to do due to the risk of the hair going to your lungs. 

Once ingested, the hair will go to your digestive tract and be removed. If this doesn’t work, then try applying the other things mentioned above on how to get hair out of your throat.

If all else fails, contacting an ear, nose, and throat (ENT) specialist and scheduling an appointment is always an option.


Is hair stuck in the throat dangerous?

Although bothersome and uncomfortable, getting hair stuck in your throat, thankfully, doesn’t pose a significant threat to your life. The chances of choking on a single strand of hair are slim to none. Hooray! 

Even so, it can be dangerous if the hair in question is more than just a strand or two, which is especially true for dog hair, as explained above. It will undoubtedly take up space in your throat and become a potential choking hazard.

We ought to do our best to prevent that from happening. But sometimes, things happen that are out of our control, and hair accidentally gets lodged in our throats. When that happens, all we can do is do what we can to get it out!

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