When dealing with burns, immediate and comprehensive treatment should be prioritized. Unfortunately, DIY home remedies can sometimes trap heat in and lead to infection as well as scarring – things you want to avoid!
Reducing heat, relieving pain, and decreasing swelling with cool running water is an effective way of dissipating its effects and alleviating swelling. Soothing aloe vera may also provide great comfort in these cases.
Aloe Vera
Aloe vera is an effective natural anti-inflammatory that promotes circulation to speed healing of burn wounds. Additionally, its antibacterial properties help fight infections; therefore it can be taken both orally and topically for use.
Aloe vera gel should be applied directly onto burns for maximum relief, either purchased at stores or made yourself. You can either grow an aloe vera plant and extract its gel directly, or just apply some chilled aloe vera leaves directly over burns in order to extract its healing properties. Do this several times each day until your burn heals completely.
Turmeric can also be mixed with aloe vera to form a paste that helps soothe itching in burned areas while moisturizing your skin (7). You could add several drops of vitamin E oil, which has antioxidant properties to protect from free radical damage (8).
Honey
Honey acts as a natural antibacterial and prevents the burn from becoming infected, as well as offering anti-inflammatory and skin regenerative properties that speed healing of burns faster. Furthermore, honey soothes pain relief while relieving itching. Finally, honey hydrates the affected area for fast recovery.
Apply a thick layer of raw honey directly over the affected area or use honey extract from stores and websites – make sure it says “raw honey” when choosing.
Use a cold milk compress on affected areas to ease pain and discomfort by constricting blood vessels and reducing swelling. Massage lavender, peppermint or tea tree oils over your burn to provide soothing effects such as linalyl acetate, beta-caryophyllene and linalool to ease inflammation. Alternatively, try applying a mixture of salt water directly over burned areas.
Black Tea
Burns can be devastatingly painful. While serious burns require medical care, smaller ones may be treated at home using natural remedies for burns.
Cold water will quickly help bring down skin temperature, providing relief from discomfort. A cool wet cloth or tea bag could also be used to soothe burns.
Black tea contains tannic acid, which helps draw heat away from burns to soothe them and make them less tender. You can use tea bags to alleviate sunburn pain. Consuming black tea may even increase good gut bacteria populations to combat inflammation or other effects associated with excessive UV exposure (40).
White Vinegar
Vinegar contains acetic acid, which soothes minor burn pain and itching by balancing pH of burned skin, thus helping prevent scar tissue formation.
Apply a diluted solution of white vinegar directly onto the burn using cotton ball to help soothe redness and inflammation while hastening healing of wounds. This should reduce redness and inflammation, aiding rapid wound closure.
Lavender oil is another effective home remedy for burns. Thanks to linalyl acetate and beta-caryophyllene present in lavender oil, its antiseptic properties make healing quicker (2). Furthermore, lavender’s soothing, pain-relieving, analgesic properties help speed the healing process for any wounds (2).
Milk is another reliable kitchen cabinet remedy for burns. Its rich blend of fatty acids and proteins help soothe a burn while relieving pain and speeding healing, according to Dr. Hops’ book Kitchen Cabinet Cures. However, using ice may shock the skin further and exacerbate damage; furthermore toothpaste could irritate it further while creating an environment favorable for infection.