Did your skin get damaged with something hot? Feeling a burning sensation? The first thing up your mind will be what to put on the burn so as to get immediate relief. How about pursuing home remedies for burns? They are safe, and effective too.
Let’s find out the ways and options available for burn remedies with focus on natural remedies for burns. The canvas is huge – they can be used as home remedies for burning feet to home remedies for burns on hand.
1. Mint Toothpaste
Touched something hot accidentally which has no potholder or got splattered by something boiling? A tube of white minty toothpaste is the burn treatment for you.
Run the scalded hand under cold water first. Pat it dry gently with a paper towel. Then cover it with a layer of minty toothpaste.
Source: biohomecares.com
2. Vanilla
Got minor burns? Try out vanilla extract – yet another burn treatment at home. Gently dab vanilla extract on a cotton swab and then apply it on the burned skin. Alcohol evaporation in vanilla extract will cool the burn, bringing relief from pain.
Source: thebasicssyracuse.com
3. Tea Bags
Black tea is not just for weight loss, it is also apt for skin burn treatment. The tannic acid in black tea draws heat from burns, thereby making them less painful.
To do that, place 2 to 3 cool and wet black tea bags on the burn. Use gauze to hold the bags in place.
Source: rd.com
4. Vinegar
White vinegar has acetic acid (a component of aspirin). This is a skin burn treatment which helps bring relief from itching, pain and inflammation of a burn. Since white vinegar is an antiseptic and astringent, it will keep the skin burn from becoming infected.
You know how vinegar dulls out the pain? By drawing heat from the burn.
To make the most of this natural remedies for burns, soak paper towels in diluted vinegar in order to create a soothing compress. You can also use cotton swabs to dab the burn with vinegar.
5. Honey
‘Shahad’ or honey doesn’t stop at treating sore throats. Being a natural antibiotic, honey helps prevent your burn from becoming infected. Honey has a natural pH balance which does not allow bacteria to fructify. So when honey is applied topically, it can kill bacteria residues on the skin. Honey also cools down the burn, and helps the skin in healing.
6. Milk
Milk and burn treatment?
7. Oats
Known for its skin-soothing properties, oats is yet another example of home remedies for burn. To get the benefit of oats in burn treatment, add a cup of oats to bath water. Soak the burnt area (if it is a large burn) on your skin in this oats-treated water for 20 minutes. If it is smaller burns, add oats to a small bowl of water and dip the burnt skin patch in this bowl. Now air-dry your skin so that a thin layer of oats remains, reducing itching.
Want more of skin burn treatment?
Put some baking soda in the bathwater. Bicarbonate of soda brings a soothing effect from inflammation.
Heard of oatmeal bath? It is a great sun-burn soother.
[sc:mediad]
8. Coconut Oil
An excellent source of skin healing is coconut oil. It also has fatty acids (anti-fungal and anti-bacterial) which keep the burns from getting infected.
Supposing you have developed a nasty mark on your skin (thanks to the scald on it), add lemon juice to the coconut oil and then massage it on the mark. Lemon juice has acidic properties which lightens the scar. And the coconut oil heals it.
9. Lavender Oil
There is an interesting story behind the lavender oil connection with burn treatment.
In the early 1900s, a French chemist burned his hand in a lab test. He was quick to apply some lavender essential oil on the burnt hand. Lo and behold! This eased his pain. As a result of which, his burn healed quickly.
Here’s how to adopt this technique of skin burn treatment.
- Mix 1 tsp of pure lavender essential oil in about 2 ounces of water in a misting bottle.
- Shake the misting bottle.
- Now apply few drops of this lavender oil mixture on the burnt skin.
By the way, witch hazel and tea tree oil are also effective natural remedies for burns.
10. Aloe Vera
‘Burn Plant’!
This is what Aloe Vera is called. Why but? Because, Aloe vera is effective in healing first-to-second-degree burns.
Just apply a layer of aloe vera gel (extracted from the leaf of an aloe vera plant) directly to the affected area (meaning the area which has burns).
11. Vitamins C and E
If you think Vit. C can only tackle colds, you are wrong. It also helps in healing skin.
While Vitamin C helps in wound healing by promoting the production of collagen (which is the base for developing new skin), Vit E being an antioxidant repairs and protects skin.
Here is how to speed healing –
Either eat foods that are rich in vitamins C and E. The other option is to take 2,000 milligrams of vitamin C and 1,000 IU of vitamin E for a week after your burns.
Now that you know this tip coming from the scientist, don’t you think you have a great option for burn remedies?
Break open a vitamin E capsule and apply it directly on your burn. This will help in healing and preventing scars from happening.
Remedies Not To Use
Not everything your grandma told you works. Same thing applies to skin burn treatment. It is best to avoid the following burn remedies:
- Butter: Stay away from doing ‘Butter on a Burn’. Butter retains heat and can also harbour harmful bacteria which can infect the burned skin.
- Oils: Cooking, coconut or olive oil hold in heat and can lead the skin to continue to burn (except lavender oil which is reported to help in healing the burns).
- Egg whites: Eggs can be a cause of allergic reaction on skin – which is why, uncooked egg whites should not be placed on a burn.
- Ice: Cold water and ice can irritate the burnt area on your skin.
When To See A Doctor
Before starting burn treatment home, always know whether it can be treated at home or does it need a doctor’s consultation.
Take the help of a doctor if:
- A burn is more than 3 inches in diameter.
- The burn is on the face, hands, buttocks, or groin area
- The burn-related wound becomes smelly or painful
- You start to develop a high temperature
- You think it’s a third-degree burn
- If the last tetanus shot you got was more than 5 years ago
Please Note:
Never make the mistake of treating third degree burns at home. They can lead to infections, complications, blood loss and shock.
So, what is your take on these home remedies for burn? Have you ever applied these natural remedies for burns or are you hearing them for the first time? Share with us your experiences on home remedies for burning feet and home remedies for burns on hand.
