Minor burns (like first degree/superficial burns, or small partial thickness/second degree burns) can often be treated at home. The most important thing to do is stop the burning process!
Put out any fire or flames — stop, drop, and roll if your clothes are on fire. Remove hot/burned clothing if possible. Stop contact with hot steam or a hot object; your reflexes make take care of this one. In other words: if you stay in contact with the heat, you will continue to burn.
Next, you want to cool the injured area.
- Run water over the burn for at least 30 seconds — this may limit the severity of the burn.
- Apply a cool, wet compress, but do not apply ice. Ice applied directly to the skin can actually worsen the injury. Keep the cold water running, or apply a cold, wet cloth.
The cold water or cold compresses will help reduce the pain and swelling, but you may want to take an over-the-counter pain medicine like ibuprofen or acetaminophen to help keep the pain in check.
The third step is to start the healing process.
- Apply aloe vera gel or lotion.
- Apply vitamin E oil.
- Use antibiotic ointment on small and superficial burns to help reduce the chance of infection.
Other natural burn remedies include compresses of white vinegar and water or olive oil and baking soda. Though traditional folk medicine suggests applying butter to a burn, there isn’t any evidence that butter can help. It may be the coolness of the butter that made it a good remedy — rather than the butter itself.
If your burn forms blisters, it isn’t a good idea to try to remove the blisters at home. You may need to see your doctor or talk to a health care professional if blisters form. Be especially careful with burns and blisters on the palms and the soles of the feet.