Minor burns (first degree) occur every day in homes all across America. These burns aren't serious enough to call an ambulance or to visit a doctor but first aid is necessary. Home remedies for minor burns are useful to know in order to take care of non-emergencies that crop up occasionally in the home.
Honey
Apply clear honey in a thin layer on the minor burn to kill bacteria and speed healing. Cover the burn with a sterilized gauze pad secured with medical tape. Change the dressing three times daily. Honey has amazing medicinal properties that have been used for thousands of years by ancient civilizations. Honey is antimicrobial, antibacterial, antiseptic, and antifungal, which makes honey a mainstay in the medicine cabinet.
Aloe Vera
Pluck a plump juicy aloe vera stalk from your aloe plant. Make a slit in the stem and squeeze the gel out on a clean saucer or piece of card. Apply the aloe vera gel to the minor burn, cover the wound with a sterile gauze pad, and secure with medical tape. If you have no plant, aloe vera can be purchased in handy tubes from supermarkets or health food stores. Simply apply the aloe vera from the tube in exactly the same manner as you would apply gel from the plant.
Cold Water
Run cold water over the burn for 10 minutes until the heat has dissipated from the burn. Cold water removes the heat from the burn, and stops the area from blistering (second degree burn). Should the heat return, repeat the action of running cold water over the burn for 10 full minutes.
Milk
Soak the burned area in milk. The soothing action of the milk prevents burns from getting too hot. Saturate a cloth with milk and apply to the first degree burn making sure you rinse the cloth out thoroughly after treatment to prevent souring.
Tags: aloe vera, aloe vera, cold water, cold water over, degree burn, first degree