Table of Contents
Burn Remedies
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EARTH CLINIC WARNING:
Never put butter on a burn! You may have heard that butter is a good healer for burns, but nothing could be further from the truth! Butter delays the healing time of a burn and in cases of severe burns, may cause infection.
DISCLAIMER
Our readers offer information and opinions on Earth Clinic, not as a substitute for professional medical prevention, diagnosis, or treatment. Please consult with your physician, pharmacist, or health care provider before taking any home remedies or supplements or following any treatment suggested by anyone on this site. Only your health care provider, personal physician, or pharmacist can provide you with advice on what is safe and effective for your unique needs or diagnose your particular medical history.
POPULAR REMEDIES:
| EGG WHITES | 31 YEAS |
| BAKING SODA | 12 YEAS |
| VINEGAR | 11 YEAS |
| HONEY | 9 YEAS |
| TOOTHPASTE | 7 YEAS |
| MUSTARD | 6 YEAS |
| ALUMINUM FOIL | 5 YEAS |
2 YEA
[YEA] 02/19/2007: Josh from Joilet writes: "put a little alcohol in your burns and it will go away. It will burn for a moment but it will get much better. I tried it and it worked."
[YEA] 08/27/2008: Denise from Bridgewater, Canada replies: "I burned myself on tim hortans green tea, i went to the hospial and got bandages on it than a teaspoon of alcohol on my burns, it works! baking soda didnt work for me though. but my burn was big all around my leg, wait for your tea to cool off completely, dont even take the bag out, i was wearing shorts!!! be careful after all the cup does say hot!!!"
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1 YEA
[YEA] 07/25/2006: Jenny from Austin, TX writes: "when i was little and got badly sunburned my dad would always mix pure aloe with some vanilla extract, and it always makes the pain stop and keeps me from peeling."
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1 YEA
[YEA] 04/20/2008: Stella from Cleveland, Ohio writes: "Dear All%uFFFD If you don't already own an Aloe Vera plant then please go buy one%uFFFD My husband had a bad accident over the weekend, he was lighting a gas smoker grill and it blew up, burnt his whole arm and hand it was pretty severe, he was in a lot of pain. We looked on earth clinic and tried the ACV & ice water, unfortunately it didn't relieve the pain enough, he tried the store bought stuff and nothing worked at all. Mind you he was hoping to not have to go the emergency room since we don't have medical insurance. Finally a friend brought over an Aloe Vera plant and squeezed the juice of a leaf on to his arm, it Immediately soothed the pain. He has been applying it 3X a day the pain has stayed away, the redness is almost gone and there is minimal blistering that is healing Fast. We already went to the health food store to buy our plant I myself have also been using it on my face and hands and it is wonderful!! Thank God for the Awesome Gifts of Nature that he has given us."
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1 YEA
[YEA] 11/20/2008: Montene from Wichita Falls, Texas writes: "YEA, YEA!!!! Egg Whites & Aloe Vera
Today while trying to soften some glue I heated it in the microwave. When I picked it up it had melted a hole in the side of bottle. Hot, hot glue went all in the palm of my right hand. Tried the cold water thing but it didn't help. Got computer going and found out about egg whites and aloe vera. Layed a piece of gauze over burned area and with a large eye dropper alternated egg white and aloe vera. Kept the gauze wet all the time but still must have taken over an hour for all the pain to stop. That has been 4 hours ago ....... the palm is red but there are no blisters and is only sensitive in the worst part of burn. This is first time I have heard of this remedy and thankfully it has worked. "
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5 YEA
1 NAY
[YEA] 06/13/2009: Julia from Brooksville, FL writes: "Yea, for aluminum foil for burns. While I was cooking tonight I got a pretty bad steam burn. After running it under cold water and having ice pack on it for a while, I wasn't getting any relief. I jumped on this site and came across the aluminum foil cure for burns, and by golly gee wilikers, it worked! I had it on for 15 minutes. Just took the aluminum off 5 minutes ago, and I can say absolutely, I feel no pain. Yea!!!!!"
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[YEA] 04/19/2009: AmynMatt from Warrenton, VA writes: "I burned my whole right hand on a pan I removed from a 400 degree oven. I remembered the aluminum foil cure from reading this site. Put it over my whole hand immediately and left it on for 15 minutes. My hand feels like nothing ever happened! Thanks so much for the tip!"
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[YEA] 02/02/2009: Joey from Birch Bay, WA writes: "Old family cure from Nova Scotia! If you get a burn of any kind (Steam, etc) wrap the burned area in aluminum foil and leave it be! Depending on the severity of the burn, it will generally be healed within 5 to 15 minutes. You'll feel it get cool and you can check the progress if you like, but this heals like nothing else does! I know it sounds wierd, but the first time I tried it, I became a believer - I always have a box of foil on the counter when I'm cooking, just in case!!"
[YEA] 04/03/2009: Amy-May from Birmingham, England replies: "i had badly cut my hand and the nurse said its a bad friction burn and i'd have to take painkillers, i did that but the pain still remained. so i looked up how to stop it from scarring and hurting, not help at all.. then i found this site. The aluminum foil really helped, i used the non shiney side of it and it stung from the pressure on the burn, after 10 mins there was no pain at all, it will scar [ but thats because of how severe it is ] atleast it doesn't hurt though, thanks xx [ i'm 17, have to live with it forever! ]"
[NAY] 04/14/2009: Sarah from San Diego, CA replies: "In response to the aluminum foil and burns... I do not recommend trying this at all!! When you put aluminum over anything hot, it traps the heat inside and continues to cook... Why would you do that to any part of your body!!?? This is a big NAY from me..."
[YEA] 06/07/2009: Josh from Pittsburgh, PA replies: "In response to the "nay" for aluminum foil... a little science (and actually trying it) will go a long way to believing it. First of all, aluminum is an excellent conductor of heat, so when you put it against something hot, it will conduct any heat from the point of contact until it can't hold anymore thermal energy, or the stored energy dissapates into a cooler mass (usually air) so more can be conducted from the heat source. For the same scientific reasons, it also transfers cold equally as well (cold is simply the lack of heat). A basic burn injury actually dissapates alot of its heat before any treatment is actually given anyway, provided the source of the burn is removed (i.e. hot oil, steam, hot metal conductor, etc). The internal body temperature agitates the burn causing more pain that lasts even after cooling it off under cold water (NOT TO BE DONE TO EXTENSIVE BURNS). In short, the foil acts as a conductor of your body heat, alleviating pain due to added warmth on the burn. It works quite well. For extensive burns, seek professional help, preferably from a specialized burn center over a general hospital."
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1 YEA
[YEA] 07/20/2009: Gean from Salina, KS writes: "Today I got a second degree burn (immediate blistering) on my finger when I accidentally touched the heating element in my oven. I immediately wrapped it in aluminum foil (no cold water rinse - our water takes forever to get even semi-cold). I kept the foil on for a couple of hours. Then I applied raw honey and a band-aid. There were moments here and there when it hurt a bit during the first couple hours, but hardly at all. After I put the honey on, I don't remember any more pain. Kept the honey on for a couple hours. There is still a blister, but no pain."
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2 YEA
[YEA] 03/09/2009: Felicia from Ellensburg, WA writes: "I once saw years ago a mention in an article that ACV was good for burns. I remember my mother putting it on me when I was young and dumb and got a sunburn. But I don't remember it ever doing much. Strangely though several years ago I got a fairly bad burn on several of my finger tips taking chicken out of the oven. At the time all I could think was that I had to get some ACV, don't ask me why but I did, especially since my experience so far wasn't good. But I got it out (not even the good natural, unfiltered kind) and I soaked my three fingers in ACV for about 45 minutes which was about how long it took for the fingers to quit throbbing. Instead of getting blisters all that happened was about a week after the incident a small patch of dry skin appeared on the finger where I received the worst of the burn. So the skin was still damaged and I still lost it, but there was no blister or lingering pain or tenderness. Same exact thing happened when my young son burned the palm of his hand on a light bulb. When he did it he immediately said through his tears, "Oh, no, not the stinky stuff, Mom!" I had him soak it for about 45 minutes and he experienced the same result I did, just a small patch of dry dead skin about a week after the incident. I now know that ACV isn't very good for sunburns because you would need a vat of the stuff to soak in, but for everything else burn related, I swear by Apple Cider Vinegar. It works miracles!"
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[YEA] 06/27/2008: Tan Koon Peng from Singapore writes: "If you are burned by fire immediately pour ACV over the wound, there will be no pain or scar. Try it and be amazed."
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12 YEA
[YEA] 10/08/2009: Rhonda from Rockwood, Tn writes: "I had read about this at Earth Clinic and finally thought to try it. It works so well! I burned my hand taking a pan out of the oven. I ran cold water over it and, without drying it off, sprinkled baking soda over the wet burn. The first two burns I tried this on the pain went away immediately and I never had to reapply. The third burn was more severe (grease popped out on my hand) and I had to reapply the baking soda several times."
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[YEA] 06/23/2009: Latoya from Dallas, Texas writes: "baking soda relief: My one year old burned her hand on an iron. Nothing could relieve her pain and she cried for an hour. I googled pain relief for burns and found your site. It was a lifesaver!!!! My daughter's crying subsided within five minutes and she immediately fell asleep. She is now still sleeping peacefully:)"
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[YEA] 01/22/2009: Elaine from Chicago, Illinois writes: "Baking Soda Paste stopped the pain in my severe burn.
Tonight I picked up a very very hot pot without a pot holder. I badly burnt half of the palm of my hand. It hurt really badly. I put ice on it and that did not help. I remembered seeing something on Earth Clinic about baking soda paste to stop the burn.My daughter made a paste using baking soda and water.There really is not a measurement here; just combine both ingredients until it is pasty. I applied the paste to thickly to the entire affected area. I used the person's advice above and covered it with a baggy and put a sock over it. I fell asleep on the sofa and woke six hours later; took it off...not one bit of pain or blistering. You would not even know there was a burn there!! I am amazed and thrilled!! I would love to know how that works!!
Thank you once again Earth Clinic for saving the day!!"
[YEA] 05/31/2009: Fireyv from Chicago, IL replies: "Baking Soda Paste cured burn. I was baking a cake for my women's small group at church. I had a bad fall on Friday, 3 days earlier & injured my left hand so my 12yr old son was trying to help me by taking the cake out of the oven while I rested. He burned his middle finger on the oven rack. It had already started to swell & turn red. I had heard something about putting a cut potato on burns...but that didn't work at all & he was complaining about the pain. So I googled burn remedies & this site came up. I scrolled down & red the reviews about the baking soda & water paste. I mix what seemed to be 3-4 table spoons of water to about an eighth of a cup of baking soda. I made it so that it was very thick. I saturated his entire finger with the paste, wrapped it in a piece of paper towel, then wrapped it in saran wrap.Within about 10-15 minutes, the pain was gone. Who knew? Thank you. Yv"
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[YEA] 11/25/2008: Christine from Saint Paul, MN writes: "I burnt 2 of my fingers with my flat iron. As I soaked them in cool water, I went online. I found this site & some remedies. I tried the baking soda & water. It feels much better now. Thanks."
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[YEA] 10/18/2008: Jenn from Chuluota, Florida, United States of America writes: "First off, Id like to say I'm somewhat of a pyro, burns are nothing new to me. I usually just grit my teeth and bare it though. I burnt myself lighting a fire in my fireplace, it wasn't really bad, but I decided since I had the internet, I would try to find some type of home remedy. I used the baking soda paste and I was surprised at how well it worked. I applied it about 4 times, reapplying when the paste dried and the pain started to flare up again. After the 4th time I couldn't feel any pain at all. This is an amazing home remedy and I plan on using it if, no when, I ever get burned again."
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[YEA] 10/10/2008: Katie from Garland, TX writes: "I was trying to make sugar wax for hair removal at home. I had poured the sugar in a bowl and was waiting for it to cool.. I got bored and decided to pick at the edges to see if it was setting right. The edges were hard. I picked more and caught my knuckle of my middle finger on the HOT, melted sugar. It hurt A LOT! Running cold water on it helped, but eventually, the pain and swelling got so bad, nothing was working. I went to the 24 hour drug store and the manager sprayed some burn pain relief on it. It worked but I kept having to spray it on, and eventually, it stopped working, too.
Out of desparation, I went with my first instinct I had when I burned myself and made a paste out of baking soda. The pain went away immediately. But it came back as the baking soda dried out. I had to go to bed so I could work the next day. So, I made more paste, caked it on my finger, covered my hand with a ziploc baggie and covered the baggie with a sock. Then, I took Excedrin PM and went to bed. When I woke up, the baking soda paste was still wet and my finger no longer hurt. There's a blister there, but no pain!"
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[YEA] 07/11/2008: Robin from Walhalla, SC writes: "I recently had a bad burn from a lawn mower. I put burn medicine on it, but it didn't put out the fire at all. I read a post on here about baking soda, and decided to try it. I made a thick paste out of baking soda and water and put it all over the burn. It was amazing! The fire went out of the burn IMMEDIATELY. I few days later, my son was stung by a wasp. I made the same paste and put it on his sting and it took the pain away for him. It worked on a four year old who was screaming in pain."
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[YEA] 06/23/2008: Chasity from Chattanooga, TN writes: "I burned my finger with boiling water. I followed the baking soda paste suggestion here and after reapplying three times, the redness and pain were gone!"
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[YEA] 09/28/2006: Mariana from Grannis, AR writes: "I was baking a cherry pie and i burned my hand on the baking pan. About two hours later i couldn't stand the pain anymore and i looked this web site up and tried the baking soda paste. It worked!!!!! My pain was gone within 10 min. I would recomend this to anyone. It is great and it really works!"
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[YEA] 07/19/2006: Reese from Huntersville, NC writes: "i mixed up the baking soda and the water and put it on right away and the pain stopped. i had been utting ice on it for about an hour before, but the pain just came back over and over again."
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[YEA] Mae from Georgia writes: "I love baking and, unfortunately, burns go with the territory. I have found making a paste of baking soda mixed with a little water is effective if applied immediately. The baking soda seems to draw out the heat and reduce (or eliminate, depending on the degree) the redness. This works great for me, because when you are baking you always have baking soda right at your finger tips!"
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1 YEA
[YEA] 05/25/2008: Jasmine from Chicago, IL writes: "I saw that many had mentioned that baking soda when mixed into a paste (using water) relieves and sometimes eliminates burns. This is true, however, in my own experimentation, I no longer retain burns if I have baking soda on hand.
Apply the paste thickly over the burned area. The thicker the better. I leave it on until it dries, then rinse it off with water and reapply. Continue doing this until you have no pain. This completely takes the pain and redness out of 1st and 2nd degree burns. You won't even know you were burned! The first time you apply it, it will relieve the pain, but it may return. I've never had to apply it more than 4 times but trust me, taking the time to do this remedy will save you blistering, pain, and irritation later on!
There is one other remedy for burns. I once burned my hand on a very hot light bulb. My skin turned white on one site of the burn, indicating a 3rd degree condition. I didn't have any feeling in the area, the skin was completely dead. The other parts were red and sore, indicating a 2nd degree burn. A day past and I had no relief. The burn started looking worse. I tried honey, it only made me sticky but the heat was still there.
I knew that tea was an astingent, so I took a normal lipton black tea bag and dunked it in hot water twice, then I allowed the bag to cool. I placed the wet bag over the burn and wrapped my hand to keep it in place. I fell asleep for 2 hours and when I woke up the burn no longer hurt and was beginning to heal! I changed bags and rewrapped it for a few hours. My skin turned temporarily a little orange/brown but the burn gave me no problems afterward, healed perfectly and didn't scar at all."
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1 YEA
1 WARNING!
[YEA] 02/12/2006: Julia from OR writes: "For BURNS: After getting a burn from irons, stoves, glue guns, etc. RUSH and pour regular bleach on it ASAP and let it sit on the affected area for a minute or two, then rinse. This will keep the area from blistering and cut the pain in half or eliminate it all together. If it's a small burn, it will kill all pain, if it's a larger burn, then it may be painful for the first few hours, but the pain will go away soon. I use this EVERY time I get a burn and it works wonders!"
07/07/2009: Shona from Baytown, TX replies: "I burned my thumb pretty badly with a sparkler on the 4th. It is now the 7th and my thumb looked like one huge blister. It popped finally, releasing alot of fluid. It also hurt very badly and I thought it may becoming infected. I have only been using soap, water, and neosporin. I remembered back to when my kid brother caught his hand of fire by accidently putting a wind jacket on a candle. The wind jacket caught, he slapped it out, but ended up with melted plastic all in his hands. My mom had him soak his hands in a solution of bleach in water twice a day. He never got an infection, and it healed up just nicely. I tried this today. Filled a coffee cup up half with warm water and added 2 cup fulls of bleach. It turned my thumb white, burned for the first minute. Now I have it wrapped, clean, with neosporin. Bleach was always used by my mother's mother. For every thing, from cuts to burns, anything that needed a deep cleaning, bleach was used. I hope it works on this burn. Its the first time I have tried."
[WARNING!] 07/08/2009: Philip from Dearing, GA replies: "Warning about bleach. While I believe that bleach may be able to be used externally if it is very diluted, I have NO experience in dealing with bleach and WOULD NOT be able to give the recipe anyway...So to the WARNING, A fellow living in this area, who was an alcoholic, had developed a severe sore on his leg and was putting STRAIGHT BLEACH on it. HE DIED from blood poisioning, which the doctors said was because of the bleach getting into his blood stream. I don't know the reason why, but this gentleman had stopped drinking alcohol at the time he was treating his wound and the doctors ALSO said if he had CONTINUED drinking the alcohol at the time, that he would have NOT DIED. Something about the alcohol and his blood purity. Be careful when using bleach for anything. Be sure to do your research."
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1 YEA
[YEA] 06/06/2009: Angela from Federal way, WA writes: "burn help: Try collidial (sp) silver sprayed on for not only pain relief, but quick healing to even better than before skin, after a burn. Even on 3rd degree burns!"
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1 YEA
[YEA] 09/03/2007: Bill from Santa Ana, ca writes: "I burned my finger one day at home. I quickly grabbed the DMSO washed my finger, poured it over the finger. The pain and swelling stopped immediately. No subsequent problems. While winter hiking in the Sierras a girl in our group burned her hand on a hoy stove. I applied the DMSO from my back pack. She came to me the next morning to say she had no distress at all from the burn. I also used it on my mother's face when she fell on the cement, smashing her glasses and nose. It moved the blood right out. The next day she had on a yellowing of the skin. Great stuff. I carry it everywhere."
12/17/2008: Josh from New York, NY replies: "DMSO or Dimethylsulfoxide is used to carry things threw your skin, it penetrates nearly anything, its used for cancer treatment, brain swelling and lots of things but topical use on yourself? I dont think so. the reason it cleared up your mothers blood is because it sucked up the blood in solution and carried it trough the skin, and while it doesnt hurt to have dead blood cells floating around, you could just whip it off. Large amounts of dmso causes a garlic odor on the breath and sometimes the skin for days. Because it so readily penetrates the skin, it can carry things with it that are otherwise impossble to contract such as bacteria and toxins. So if you insist on using it THOUROGHLY wash the area befer hand and only wash with things you wouldnt mind floating around in your blood."
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