Burns
Natural Remedies

Effective Natural Remedies for Burns

| Modified on Jan 24, 2025
The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Cornstarch
Posted by William (Michigan) on 07/13/2020
★★★★★

Editor's Choice

Here's a good one if you have any burn from Heat or chemical or road rash:

if you apply dry cornstarch to the burn and leave it for 10 minutes the burn will never hurt again. It won't sting, it won't pang, it won't ache. You will still have a hole in the skin and a sensitive area but no pain after 10 minutes.

It's a miracle. I've used it 50 times, even on third degree burns over my whole back when my shirt caught on fire at the stove and it was polyester and melted to my back.

It also works on chemical burns when I spilled turpentine down the front of me.

Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Ellen (Huntersville, NC) on 01/13/2025
★★★★★

My 18 year old daughter just burned her fingertip when she tried to pick up melted sugar that fell to the floor, before the dog could get it. My husband had her hold her hand under cool, running water. Then he applied aloe vera gel, pain relieving gel. She was still in a lot of pain. I came to Earth Clinic, saw these posts, and remembered using white vinegar on the worst sunburn I ever had. I have the organic apple cider vinegar with "the mother" in it. I grabbed it and poured a lot in about a cup of cold water. I then took 2 paper towels, folded then in half, and dunked them in the mixture. I wrapped her fingertips with the wet paper towels, then poured more of the mixture over her towel wrapped hand. I threw a plastic bag over her hand and sent her to the couch to chill. The wailing stopped within 30 seconds of applying the wet paper towels. Ten minutes later, she took the towel off. She said it was only sore if she touched it. We applied the pain relieving aloe gel. All is well. Her fingers look better than they should. Thanks to all!


Castor Oil
Posted by Sharon (Redding, California) on 08/26/2008
★★★★★

My daughter sunburned the shins on both legs. They had 3rd-degree burns. Big yellow blisters. She could walk for about 3 days. I was told by an elderly man to soak gauze in Castor Oil and wrap her legs with the gauze and leave it for 3 days. The next day my daughter was able to walk. The 3rd day I removed the gauze and she was healed. Blisters gone. Her legs we just a shade pink. It left no scars. Awesome stuff.


Lavender Oil
Posted by Pasqualina ( Minnesota) on 04/23/2016
★★★★★

Editor's Choice

Lavender Oil is the fastest of all pain relief methods of all the applications I have tried from this site so far! It also stopped the development of the blister, and promoted extremely fast healing.

After picking up a searing hot metal frypan from a 350 degree oven, I knew I had a severe burn forming on my fingers and palm of hand. Extremely painful!

I immediately applied lavender oil that I had nearby, and the pain subsided almost instantly. I reapplied it again in a few minutes when I could feel a very small amount of pain starting up. I applied it again in about 20 minutes when I was heading out to the door for a meeting but no pain at that time. No need for bandages, although I was concerned earlier that I would be in too much pain to drive a car. But nothing.

The burns never developed into blistering, but the next day there only a few light reddish flat areas like a burned area would look weeks out after the skin had peeled. Only 1 spot peeled in a matter of a day or two, and it was completely healed underneath.

I applied the lavender a couple of times in the next day just for good healing. But I don't know if that was necessary.

I know this works and is not psychosomatic because it was tried on my toddler grandson who burnt his fingers and nothing could instantly stop his howls without truly working. Instant quiet and no burns.

Gattefossé, a French scientist, discovered and recorded his success with lavender essential oil after using it for a severe personal burn in the lab. This remedy led to his interest in how essential oils work.

Other EARTH CLINIC remedies tried that work:

I also have used egg whites remedy from this site which also works very nicely. I had a huge burn the size of a silver dollar and depth of blister about 1/3" on my inner lower arm. The egg white removed the pain although I had to keep applying it and healed it within 24 hours: The blister was gone before the next day (dehydration of the fluid?) and there was no scarring. Beautiful remedy.

The mushrooms remedy which are recommended on this site also works for pain and healing, but it smells of mushroom and is messy under the bandages. The healing process is fairly rapid within a couple of days, however, I found the skin color to be quite dark in the healing process and to be more rigid and maybe more susceptible to being broken. I used to keep raw mushrooms in the freezer.


Colloidal Silver Gel
Posted by Mama to Many (TN) on 10/03/2022
★★★★★

The other night I burned my index finger on steam.

I immediately put it under cold running water for many minutes to take out the heat. (An important step, because the heat retained in the skin can continue to burn the skin.)

I had just restocked my silver gel supply with a new for me brand. (Silver Miracles.) The pain stopped instantly when I applied the gel. I never reapplied the gel or did anything else. The pain did return but was not bad.

The next morning, in a hot shower, I didn't even notice it. (That is when I usually am reminded of a burn.)

I mentioned this to my neighbor. Interestingly, he said sliver gel works the same for him, but for his wife it doesn't seem to help as well. Everyone is different!

I had actually restocked the silver gel because my son uses it as part of his poison ivy regime.

Anyway, Silver gel is worth keeping on hand! (No pun intended. :))

~Mama to Many~


Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Rob (Kentucky) on 02/20/2022
★★★★★

I called a friend of mine and at that very moment his mother-in-law (she suffers from Alzheimer's) had just put her hand on the stove burner from the tips of her fingers to the palm of her hand and she is freaking out and screaming in pain. They were going to take her to the emergency room at the hospital. So, I told him to get a washcloth, put it into a bowl and soak it in apple cider vinegar and wrap it around her hand. Then secure it in place so it won't dry out to fast with plastic wrap so they did.

I told him to call me from the hospital once she has been seen by a doctor. Well, about one hour later, he called me to tell me that he had explained to the doctor that “a friend” had suggested they wrap the hand in vinegar. Her pain had disappeared about 15 minutes after that.

The doctor removed the plastic wrap and the vinegar cloth and discovered her hand was completely normal with no signs of a burn or blistering. He touched and poked the parts of the hand that were burnt and his mother-in-law said “no pain at all”. The doctor told them he really did not know of anything else to do the hand but keep a watch on it. Doctor also said your friend was pretty smart for thinking of this remedy. It saved her from a 2nd degree burn.

Butter
Posted by Art (California) on 07/18/2020 2373 posts

Juanita,

I agree, my parents always used butter or tomatoes for burns, but I always remember those two not being very effective for the purpose.

What I find works very well for me now is colloidal silver (AgNPs) sprayed on to the burn right away and several times within the first 30 minutes after getting a burn. For minor burns the burn seems to be completely gone in an hour or so. Obviously more critical burns will take longer. I use either 20 or 30 parts per million AgNPs which I usually have on hand. Gelatin capped AgNPs are shown to be even more effective than uncapped, but uncapped works fine in my experience.

Another effective burn remedy is lavender essential oil (LEO) If you don't mind the smell of LEO. LEO application with AgNPs are likely to be synergistic!

Art


Cornstarch
Posted by Bill (Michigan) on 09/01/2018
★★★★★

Cornstarch​

If my skin is ever burned by flame or heat all I have to do is cool it off with water dry it off and put cornstarch on it dry and just leave it on for 10 minutes dry cornstarch in for 10 minutes. All pain of the burn no matter if they are third degree or just little light burns you'll never be in any pain from the burn ever after you put cornstarch on it and just leave it dry for 10 minutes. I've been using it for 30 years.


Yogurt
Posted by Mama To Many (Tennessee) on 08/31/2018
★★★★★

I dealing with a bunch of jalapeno peppers. My daughter was helping me, but not touching the peppers. (I had gloves on.) Somehow she got some of the pepper oil onto her hand and touched her eye. Her eye instantly began to burn. The first thing we tried was plain yogurt. It relieved the burning fast and the pain never returned.

Usually my first thought would have been coconut oil, to dilute the jalapeno oil, but this daughter doesn't do well with coconut oil externally.

~Mama to Many~


Lavender Oil
Posted by Connie (Boston, Ma) on 03/31/2015
★★★★★

I have been extremely successful with using 100% essential Lavender Oil for any type of burns. Just apply liberally and don't cover. I continue applying it for a few hours and get immediate results with no burning or blistering, just a little tenderness. My bottle is stationed in my kitchen so it is handy.

I was as surprised as you will be.

Lavender Oil
Posted by Maria (Montreal, Quebec) on 01/22/2012
★★★★★

Use lavender oil (preferably pure) to relieve pain from burns, also speeds up healing process and leaves burn area with no or almost no scarring.


Vitamin E
Posted by Shiningstar (Gainesville, Fl) on 09/07/2009
★★★★★

Editor's Choice

My husband had 3rd degree burns and went to the hospital burn unit. His face had nose, ears, facial skin and neck burned. Also hand and back. ER spent 5 hrs pulling sand out of his face which caused him to swell up so bad he almost died from that.

As soon as we got on the burn unit, my health food store lady came up and brought me Vit E. I bit the end off of 100 capsules and put them on him.

Drs said he would not be able to shave (if he lived) for a yr and hand would not work unless 5 yrs of Physical Therapy. After 4 days of them torturing him I took him home wrapped in a sheet. Continued Vit E, Vit C and lots of others and he was back to work soon. But he did look so bad (to others) that people stopped to ask if we needed an ambulance. He went back to the hospital and they refused to believe that he had even been there.

The hospital administrator kept up with him for years as he had no pain and no scars and healed perfectly. I discovered that other countries use Vit E and other things that WORK but our hospital system is about money. We settled with the insurance company for 1,200.00 for vits and the hospital bill.They said they had never settled a claim like his for less than 5 M.

Vitamin E
Posted by Shining Star (Gainesville, Fl) on 09/11/2009

While in the hospital I put natural vit e on him over and over again. Synthetic vitamin e will not do for a burn. Once home I soaked his hand in a foot bath with powered vit c. We used vits c orally. All I could get down him. Pantothenic Acid.

The burn unit said he was burned worse then any of the patients. When I asked the most painful part of the burn I was told the scabbing made grown men cry even with drugs. My husband never had a scab. The worst part is that they take you down to bath and spend hrs taking tweezers and pulling off the new skin ??? every day. The patient goes into shock after that. Speech was limited but he could say "take me home" and I did.

Drs would not even give him antibiotics to take home. He went off of their pain medication after 24 hrs and they could not believe it. He looked like a cross between Mickey Mouse and Frankinstein due to ER pulling all of the skin off of him???

We never did see another dr and lips, ears, nose grew back without redness or a scar. Hand had a hole in it and looked like a huge glove. No scarring and full dexterity with no PT.

Had a horse burned after that and vet said to put her down as her hoof would never grow back. Did same thing and hoof grew back, no limp and one could not tell the difference in one hoof from another.

EC: Thank you so very much for the update!


Silver Gel
Posted by Mama to Many (TN) on 03/18/2023
★★★★★

My granddaughter got a bad burn on her palm and wrist. We immediately cooled the burn with cool water for many minutes.

After patting the burn dry we applied colloidal silver gel.

The burns were blistering. I did my usual treatment of plantain leaves and comfrey salve but after a a couple of days it seemed to be staying too moist. We switched to silver gel.

I applied a thick layer of silver gel to a gauze pad and held it on with cohesive tape. We were very impressed with the progress from the silver applications! The dressing does need to be changed twice a day or the bandage can stick to the wound and tear of tender new skin.

You can buy silver infused bandages on amazon, but gauze pads are cheaper, and I always keep silver gel on hand for burns, poison ivy, and other skin infections.

~Mama to Many~

Silver Gel
Posted by Art (California) on 03/18/2023 2373 posts

M to M,

I use an Ace elastic wrap to hold CS dressings in place almost anywhere on the body and it keeps the CS wetter longer to maximize the healing effect. The CS prevents infection and significantly speeds the healing process, which is confirmed in multiple studies.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6719912/#:~:text=Indeed, an active role in, healing rate, and stimulates the

Here is a relevant quote from the study :

' Indeed, an active role in wound healing was attributed to silver, and, along with its distinctive role in preventing infection, silver nanoparticles can also drive the differentiation of fibroblasts into myofibroblasts, which in turn promotes the wound contraction, quickens the healing rate, and stimulates the proliferation and relocation of keratinocytes [92, 95]. '

It is useful for multiple serious wound issues such as diabetic ulcers also :

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8491782/#:~:text=Nano-silver can effectively enhance, burden of diabetic foot patients.

Here are a few relevant study quotes :

' Nano-silver can effectively enhance clinical symptoms, control infection, reduce ulcer area, reduce the number of changes, reduce amputation rate, promote patient wound healing, shorten hospitalization time, and reduce the economic burden of diabetic foot patients. '

' When compared to other antibacterial dressings, nano-silver has remarkable characteristics and advantages when treating diabetic foot, including broad-spectrum effect, wide and safe application, and long post-treatment action time. Empirical studies have shown that nanometer silver reduces pain, as well as the probability of time and infection, in diabetic foot patients. Moreover, if widely developed, nano-silver dressing popularization can also reduce the economic burden on patients, minimize unnecessary pain, enhance the patient survival, and play a specific role in treating high-risk diabetic foot patients. In addition to improving income of diabetic foot patients, nano-silver dressing plays a role in improving the efficacy in other trauma fields. '

' In addition to protecting the wound, facilitating better drainage, and improving safe broad-spectrum anti-infection role, related studies show that its application in the treatment of diabetic foot holds significant advantages, particularly several comparative experiments with different dressings have shown that nano-silver dressings effectively improve the cure rate, the safety of diabetic foot patients, and alleviates pain to a certain level. Effectively improving nano-silver dressing in terms of the limitations of using nano-silver dressing and the method of use can provide crucial benefits to diabetic foot patients in many aspects. '

Special colloidal silver wraps are sometimes used in hospital burn units to help prevent infection and speed the healing process.

Art


Aloe Vera
Posted by Pamaley (Sacramento. CA) on 11/13/2020
★★★★★

Aloe Vera [AV] is miraculous for burns but I think it's in the plants skin. It should be a standard household item just for burns. It may save a life and definitely prevent the agony and suffering of a burn.... yet it's not even listed in the First Aid at the Mayo Clinic website...sad how money weighs more than lives.

Anyhow, I have included some pics of my burn as proof of AV's incredible healing power.

On my left hand I had a burn so severe that it had a double blister. It only took 6 days to heal thanks to AV.

My right hand finger had a small burn, that I didn't really feel so it got no AV. Notice the pic with both hands. The small burn was still healing while my left finger was completely healed. I cannot imagine how bad it would've been or the pain if I had no AV.

It's best to put the leaf on asap to better heal it. This burn hurt so bad I was putting a new leaf every 5 mins, thn 10, thn 20...until it no longer hurt and I left a leaf on. Thereafter I changed leaf 3xs a day...til it healed. Its important to have it on constantly, especially the first 2 days. If you leave it off the burn may com back, that's how I got a double blister. I thot it was healed but it wasnt and developed another blister.

I love my AV plant. The older the plant, the more powerful and lower leaves are the oldest....so get an AV plant today..




Flour
Posted by Gert (Alabama) on 09/06/2018
★★★★★

When I was 4, I severely burned my hand on an open oven door. My grandma immediately put my hand down in the crock of flour--it was cool, no air could touch it. She made me keep it there for hours (seemed like it, anyway). No blistering at all. By the time my dad got home with the car to head for the hospital, I was ok enough to not need the trip.


Comfrey Burn Paste
Posted by Green (Wa) on 09/21/2017
★★★★★

For burns, 1st degree to severe 3rd degree, mix into a paste equal parts of wheat germ oil and liquid honey, and add comfrey leaf or comfrey root (chopped fresh or dried powder). Mix into heavy spreadable paste, and spread 1/2 inch or more over whole burned area, and cover lightly with gauze bandage. Over next several days, add more paste to areas where it has been absorbed into the skin to retain 1/2 inch of paste over all burned areas. Don't remove paste, just add more as needed. This comfrey paste keeps well for months in tightly covered glass jar at room temp.


Lavender Oil
Posted by Evelina (United Kingdom) on 01/26/2014
★★★★★

I badly burnt the back of my right hand when putting the top back onto the coffee percolator, my hand going into the pot of hot coffee, in my panic to get my hand out I forgot to make my hand small enough to exit the narrow top of the pot. A blister the size of my hand appeared immediately. A & E ran my hand under the cold tap and applied cream. My hand was frying with this cream. They told me to come back in a few days and I may need a skin graft. In agony that night I took out my natural remedy book. LAVENDER it said. Grabbing the lavender from the bedside cabinet I saturated my hand, within minutes the pain subsided. I continued to use it over the next few days. Went back to the hospital who could not believe how it had healed and no scarring. I always keep a bottle of good quality lavender oil in my bag for burn emergencies. I hope by sharing this I may help someone, somewhere. Evelina

Lavender Oil
Posted by Mama To Many (Tennessee) on 07/07/2016

Dear Sharon,

Even diluted, essential oils should never be used in or close to the eyes.

Honey, however, is safe for use in the eyes, though it may sting. And honey is excellent for burns. A raw and local honey would be the best.

~Mama to Many~


Lavender Oil
Posted by Medina (Birmingham, W.mids, England Uk) on 10/22/2012
★★★★★

I've used neat lavender essential oil on minor burns for years for pain relief and speedy healing, but the real test came when I burnt my hand fairly badly with steam. Despite running it under a cold tap & applying ice my hand turned bright red & began to blister. It hurt like crazy. I applied neat lavender essential oil for the pain which took my breath away every time I moved my hand or a slight breeze caught it. The lavender oil dulled the pain for an hour or two then had to be reapplied. The next day, the pain had gone completely, as had the blisters and redness. It was really quite a dramatic healing effect. It calms the pain immediately, but needs to be reapplied every 2 hours or so, and also heals the burn. Amazing stuff.



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