Whoops! You spilled boiling water on your hand. You grazed your forearm on a hot skillet on the stove. You forgot to wear a hat to the annual picnic. Accidents always happen, but it’s always good to know how to deal with the unexpected. Do you know how to respond with minor burns at home? I’ll give you a hint… head to the kitchen!
Sour Cream for Burns
I always keep a small container of sour cream in the fridge, not for eating, but for small burns. It’s a trick I learned from a couple of mom friends, who were both looking for quick natural fixes during the “clumsy” stages. Simply apply a small spoonful of cold sour cream directly onto the burn. There’s no need to rub it in. Once the sour cream approaches room temperature, gently wipe it off and replace it with more straight from the fridge. You’ll find it works for instant relief (1)!
3 More Home Remedies for Burns
1. Aloe Gel
Most people know about this remedy for sunburns, but aloe gives effective relief for all kinds of minor burns! You can either mix it with sour cream or use it on its own. Either way, we recommend using gel directly from an aloe plant leaf whenever possible. Simply cut open the leaf, and scrape out the gel inside with a small spoon and apply directly to the burn. If that’s not available, you can look out for all-natural versions of aloe vera gel in many superstores and drugstores. Either way, keep it in the fridge for faster relief.
2. Raw Honey
Raw honey (otherwise known as Manuka honey or medicinal honey) is another great option for treating burns. Research has proved its effects as an antibacterial agent against a large number of types of bacteria, so not only will applying honey give temporary relief, it will help to prevent any infections while your skin is still vulnerable (2). More and more medical professionals are vouching for honey as a well-supported option for unwanted bacteria, and one that won’t contribute to the antibiotic resistance crisis.
To use honey for minor burns, apply a generous coat onto the affected area, about 1/4 of an inch thick. Spread the honey over your skin as necessary using a clean Ziploc bag, plastic wrap, or a wooden stick (like the tongue depressors you see at the doctor’s office). Then, dress the area with a bandage. Change the dressing often to avoid infection and encourage healing, and add more honey as needed. Keep an eye on the healing progress, and only wash off the honey once your skin is back to normal (3).
3. Coconut Oil
Take a generous amount of coconut oil and apply it directly to the burn to soothe the pain. Preliminary studies done on rats showed that coconut oil was an effective topical treatment for speedy burn recovery (4). Coconut oil is also well-known to be antibacterial, and just like honey, will help to protect your skin from infection. (5)
A Note on What Not To Do
While it is a good idea to run a mild burn under cold water, you should never put ice on a burn. This can cause your blood vessels to contract and prevent the necessary healing process your body is designed to put into effect.
Also, there are a few sources recommending using black tea bags dipped into cool water as a poultice for burns. We do not recommend this, not only because of potential pesticides found in many popular tea brands but because the active ingredient that these claims are founded on tannic acid (or tannins) has since been discovered to be a potential carcinogen (6).
Sources:
(1) GetExcellent. How to Care for burns in the kitchen with sour cream. Home-Remedies Wonder How To. 2008. Accessed September, 2016 from: http://home-remedies.wonderhowto.com/how-to/care-for-burns-kitchen-with-sour-cream-242932/.
(2) Barkaat et al. Manuka honey and its antimicrobial potential against multi drug resistant strains of Typhoidal salmonellae, Ph.D. thesis, Department of Microbiology, University of Health Science, Lahore, Pakistan, 2004. Retrieved from: https://www.hindawi.com/journals/btri/2011/917505/#B7.
(3) Wikihow. How to Treat a Burn Using Honey. Wikihow. Accessed September, 2016 from http://www.wikihow.com/Treat-a-Burn-Using-Honey.
(4) Srivastava P, Durgaprasad S. Burn wound healing property of Cocos nucifera: An appraisal. Indian J Pharmacol [serial online] 2008 [cited 2016 Sep 2];40:144-6. Available from: http://www.ijp-online.com/text.asp?2008/40/4/144/43159.
(5) Taylor Shea. Home Remedies for Burns: 11 Surprising Treatments to Soothe & Heal. Reader’s Digest. Accessed September, 2016 from http://www.rd.com/health/conditions/home-remedies-for-burns/.
(6) Chung, et al. Tannins and Human Health: A Review. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition. 1998; 38(6): 421-464. Available from: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10408699891274273.
