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.
Toothpaste
Posted by Mike (Powell River, B.C.) on 01/19/2009
★★★★★
my wife had told me that when you have a burn use tooth paste.well i thought she was crazy. but i guess its some remedy in croatia that they use .... well long storey short i tried it one day and it worked. all you do is put as much or little as you want on your burn and let it sit and dry up .wash it off maby a few minutes later. (15-30mins)..so my wife is not crazy after all...love you hun =-)
Vinegar
Posted by Lindsy (Grand Rapids, Michigan) on 01/13/2009
★★★★★
I burn frequently because I am very fair skinned...redness, itching, blisters, peeling, the whole thing. Often. The best cure is the one my grandma made me do when I was young.
As soon as you notice the burn, get out of the sun and soak up some white vinegar with a cotton ball. Dab it on your burn. No measuring. Put it on straight out of the bottle. Don't wipe. Just dab.
Do this regularly and the burn will go away a lot sooner with little to no peeling. The sooner the better with this cure! Don't wait. Also, the smell subsides after a little while. Don't worry about smelling like a big pickle!
DMSO
Posted by Josh (New York, NY) on 12/17/2008
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.
Toothpaste
Posted by Molly (Bradenton, FL, USA ) on 11/26/2008
★★★★★
Toothpaste really does work for burns. When I burn myself cooking, I put a thick layer on the burn and the next day when I take it off (if it hasn't already rubbed off), there is no burn mark left behind.
Aloe Vera and Egg Whites
Posted by Montene (Wichita Falls, Texas) on 11/20/2008
★★★★★
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.
Alcohol
Posted by Denise (Bridgewater, Canada) on 08/27/2008
★★★★★
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!!!
Mustard
Posted by Steve (Toronto, Canada) on 08/27/2008
★★★★★
I laughed when I seen yellow mustard as a remedy to a burn, but so far I've had it on my finger for almost 40 minutes and I feel no pain at all. The remedy says to wait for it to be fully dried so I'll wait abit longer before I took it off but wow it works. I burned my hand when trying to take out chicken from the oven. Turned out there was a hole in the glove, bummer.
Rubbing Alcohol
Posted by Demetrios (Bayonne, New Jersey) on 07/23/2008
★★★★★
If you get a kitchen burn that has not broken the skin, but you know you will definitely get a blister. Apply a paper towel or tissue with rubbing alcohol soaked on it and leave it on for awhile. Keep it wet. The time depends on the severity of the burn. If after 15 minutes or more you take the paper off and it still stings place it on again with more alcohol. What this does it it soaks up the burn and prevents the skin from forming any blisters. I have been doing this since I was a child and was taught it by my Mother, and have never gotten a blister in 50 plus years.
This is an old Greek remedy. Good health to us all. Demetrios.
Mustard
Posted by Suzy (Novi, Mich) on 07/22/2008
★★★★★
When I was in grade school a lunch lady told me about putting mustard on a burn after a girl in the kitchen burned herself badly.
I have used mustard ever since and it works miracles.You have to IMMEDIATELY apply the mustard in a thick layer. It will still burn for a few momments but as the mustard dries it takes the heat with it. especially helpful on burned fingers since the burns do not blister!
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Tan Koon Peng (Singapore) on 06/27/2008
★★★★★
If you are burned by fire immediately pour ACV over the wound, there will be no pain or scar. Try it and be amazed.
Toothpaste
Posted by Tim (Columbus, Ohio) on 06/17/2008
★★★★★
re: small burns and toothpaste -- YES!!!!!! Spread a little bit of toothpaste on a burn i got from bein a stupid kid and the burns stopped hurting after about 20 minutes. go get some toothpaste, rub some onto the burn, and it will sting, be better, sting, be better, but after a while the pain just stops.
Ice
Posted by Freman (Baltimore, Maryland) on 06/13/2008
★☆☆☆☆WARNING!
ice is the most dangerous of all to put on a burn. r u serious. u will damage the tissue by using it.
Milk
Posted by Sara (Moorpark, Ca) on 06/11/2008
★★★★★
I just burnt my finger and ice wasnt helping so I looked it up on google and came across this and it really worked!
Mustard
Posted by Sandra (Birmingham, USA) on 06/11/2008
★★★★★
A coworker told us that she had put yellow mustard on a burn and the pain stopped right away. Others in the room stated that they too had the same experience. I've not heard of using yellow mustard for burns but, as one who is always getting burned on the stove, I will be giving it a go.
Toothpaste
Posted by Jessica (Maryville, Tn.) on 06/07/2008
★★★★★
I just burnt my hand while taking a pan out of the oven. I put toothpaste on it. After about 10 mins the pain is almost gone! It really works! I just smeared a good coating on.
Vinegar
Posted by Cyndi (Roethis, Austria) on 06/07/2008
★★★★★
I have always known ACV is good for sunburn, one cup in a tub of water and the sunburn is gone! So, when I was at work alone and severly burned my hand, I put ACV in a sink of water with ice cubes. I had to wait until someone else came into work before I could go to the hospital. On and off for about an hour I kept soaking my burnt hand in the ACV solution. When I arrived at the hospital my hand was bandaged and treated and I was told to return the next day to have this treament repeated. The next day I went back to the hospital and as the bandages were removed, the doctor was shocked! The deep red welt, the blister and all signs of a burn were gone.I had only a pink line. When I explained I had used ACV and ice, the staff were amazed! It truly worked a miracle, where I would have had a scar and therapy, I had onle one day of discomfort. I thank my mother for this.
Baking Soda, Black Tea Bag
Posted by Jasmine (Chicago, IL) on 05/25/2008
★★★★★
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.
Aloe Vera
Posted by Stella (Cleveland, Ohio) on 04/20/2008
★★★★★
Dear All -- If you don't already own an Aloe Vera plant then please go buy one! 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.
Onion Juice
Posted by Kristina (Waukesha, Wisconsin) on 03/11/2007
★★★★★
Hi, my grandma was a chef for forty years and whenever she got burned she would cut a fresh onion in half and apply it directly to the burn, I am not sure for how long. It would heal very quickly. I don't think she needed to do it more than once.
