9 Surprising Remedies That Work Best To Treat Burns

When your skin gets hit with something hot, your first thought might be what to put on the burn to soothe the pain and help prevent damage. These home remedies for burns turn stuff from your pantry (or even your bathroom—hello, mint toothpaste!) into treatments that can provide quick relief.

Burns can be minor medical problems or life-threatening emergencies. Many people die each year from fire-related burn injuries. Electricity and chemicals also cause severe burns. Scalding liquids are the most common cause of burns in children.

Treatment of burns depends on the location and severity of the injury. Sunburns and small scalds can usually be treated at home. Deep or widespread burns need immediate medical attention.

People with severe burns often require treatment at specialized burn centers. They may need skin grafts to cover large wounds or to minimize scarring with deep wounds. And they may need emotional support and months of follow-up care, such as physical therapy.

Use Aloe vera instead of Ice

Ice can restrict blood flow to the skin, and further damage tissue. Here’s how to treat a burn instead: Immediately place the burned area under cool running water, which helps the injury from spreading, and keep it there for at least 20 minutes if possible. What else works? Aloe, probably the most well-known home remedy for burns, will stop pain and inflammation, reduce swelling, and stimulate skin growth and repair. But if you don’t have any on hand, treating a burn with any of these other options should offer relief.

Mint Toothpaste

Here’s how to treat a burn if you accidentally touch something hot without a potholder, or get splattered by something that’s boiling: Keep a tube of white, minty toothpaste in the kitchen as a home remedy to relieve a minor burn. First, run the scalded area under cold water, then gently pat it dry with a paper towel and cover with a layer of the toothpaste.

Vanilla

For minor burns, reach for vanilla extract. Use a cotton swab to gently dab vanilla onto the burned skin. The evaporation of the alcohol in vanilla extract will cool the burn, alleviating pain.

Tea bags

Black tea contains tannic acid, which draws heat from burns to help make them less painful. Here’s how to treat a burn with it: Place two or three cool, wet black tea bags on the burn, using gauze to hold the bags in place.

Vinegar

White vinegar contains acetic acid, a component of aspirin that can help relieve the pain, itching, and inflammation of a burn. It is also an antiseptic and astringent, so it will help keep your burn from becoming infected. Vinegar also draws heat from the burn, helping to dull pain naturally. Soak paper towels in diluted vinegar to create a soothing compress or use cotton swabs to gently dab the burn with vinegar.

Honey

A famous sore throat remedy, honey is a natural antibiotic, which helps to prevent your burn from becoming infected. It has a natural pH balance that is inhospitable to bacteria, so once applied topically, it can also kill any existing bacteria or infection lingering on the skin. Honey will also cool the burn, relieve pain, and help the skin to heal.

Milk

The fat and protein content in milk soothes burns and promotes healing. Soak the burn in milk for 15 minutes for quick relief. Full-fat, whole-milk yogurt can also help cool and hydrate your parched skin.

Oats

With its skin-soothing properties to reduce inflammation, oats might be the most useful solution for how to treat a burn that is healing and you’re tempted to scratch it. Add a cup of oats to bath water and soak for 20 minutes to soothe a large burn. For smaller irritations, add some oats to a small bowl of water and soak the affected area. Air dry your skin so a thin layer of oats remains, further reducing itching. For added relief, toss some baking soda into the bathwater. Bicarbonate of soda helps soothe skin inflammation.

Coconut oil

Coconut oil is an excellent source of skin-healing vitamin E, and it also contains fatty acids that are anti-fungal and anti-bacterial, which help keep your burn from becoming infected. If a scald has left a nasty mark on your skin, one home remedy for burns is adding lemon juice to the coconut oil before massaging it into the mark. The acidic properties of lemon juice will help lighten the scar while the coconut oil helps it heal.