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5 Surprising Treatments and Home Remedies to Soothe and Heal Burns

Burns can be extremely painful, even the tiny ones, and depending on how severe, they can cause scarring as well. The most obvious ways to get burned of course are from cooking or working with open flames, but there are countless other ways to burn your skin as well, and some are probably much easier to do than you think. Whether it’s from the wrong flick of your wrist with a curling iron, reaching into a hot oven and catching the side with your arm, or even just piping hot tap water, the bottom line is that burns are a “pain.” So what are some ways to treat them that work?

Of course there are plenty of over the counter burn creams, salves, and treatments to choose from, but just how much can you do at home yourself with just what you have around the house? Do the home remedies you’ve heard about over the years actually work, and what exactly do they entail? Are treatments like mint toothpaste, vanilla, tea bags, honey, and vinegar successful at treating burns? While some home remedies, like applying ice to a burn, which actually restricts blood flow to the area, do not work as well as some may think, other home treatments still ring tried and true.

Mint Toothpaste. While it may not be the greatest treatment for burned skin, mint toothpaste can definitely provide some quick acting relief for minor burns. Other home remedies may work better, such as simply holding the burned area under cold running tap water until the pain begins to pass, but toothpaste can be used to help ease pain and inflammation quickly as well. If you do use toothpaste, it is important to remember not to use one that contains whitening agents, mouthwash, or other harsh ingredients as they may irritate the skin and actually produce more inflammation and/or pain. To use, pat the area dry after holding under cold water and apply a thin layer of mint toothpaste to the burn.

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