[Fomite]

As someone who lived in the south and worked with people who specialized in tickborne illness, none of them recommended the fingernail approach.

Most "tools" are just a specialized set of tweezers, which aid in the pulling process in a way that doesn't separate the body from the head, and are generally recommended by the medical profession.

And the heating, Vaseline, etc. methods aren't just more work - they're actively harmful.