When you get burned...

... would it be better to use ice or oil to get this swelling down faster?

Lavender essential oil

Sophia Jackson87 said:... is it better to use ice or oil to get the swelling down faster?

I think the best thing is probably just running it under cold tap water. I can't really remember the specific reason why... geez, I guess I'm just getting old...

Cooling, cooling, constant cooling... whether it’s ice water or just some cubes from the freezer. The logic is simple—your tissue is essentially protein, which means it literally cooks—much like an egg—and you halt that cooking process by plunging it under cold water (a rather vivid analogy from a doctor on TV that stuck with me😉 )

Exactly. Just get that burn under some cool running water right away.
Forget about slathering on creams or greasy ointments, and honestly, don't even bother with those old-school home remedies you see floating around online.

To hell with hydrochloric acid! 😈

Man, this water is freezing... I've been sitting here for like 15 minutes now

Anything cold. I start with a cold soak, then follow up with a cold compress.

Run cold water over it first, then maybe apply some burn cream.

As for oil—some people swear by it, insisting it’s a must, but I was listening to this specialist doctor recently who actually argued the exact opposite. He said skip the oil entirely because it heats up way too fast, which just ends up making the burn feel even more intense.

I honestly can't say for sure if it's "healthy" or anything like that... but it definitely helps ease the pain. I don't even remember where I first heard about it, to be honest...
The trick is to take some cool water, stir in a bit of baking soda, and then just submerge the burned area in it. Once the water starts getting warm, you just repeat the whole process over again...

Now, the thing is, I’m always accidentally searing my own fingers on the stove, so I know how to handle it. But if it were someone else with a burn in a harder-to-reach spot, I have no idea how they'd even manage to dunk it in there.

Kimberly Nguyen said:Regarding oils—some people swear by them, but I heard some doctor mention they might actually be a bad idea because they heat up too quickly and could make the pain worse.

I'm not entirely sure if it's medically sound or healthy... but it does provide relief. I can't really remember where I first heard about it.
You just mix some baking soda into cool water and soak the burned area in it. Once the water warms up, you just repeat the process.

Then again, I usually end up burning my own fingers, so I suppose I wouldn't know how one would go about soaking a more difficult-to-reach part of the body.

If you were referring to my lavender oil, it tends to evaporate.

Michael Anderson10 said:lavender essential oil

Aren't essential oils way too harsh for skin, especially on open wounds like burns??😲

Michael Anderson10 said:Lavender oil evaporates if you were talking about my oil

I was referring to essential oils in general (not motor 😬 oil, obviously!)... though I find myself wondering the exact same thing as Lisa Moore7

Well, I'm running a bit behind schedule here..😬

When you’re dealing with a burn... you take an egg... separate the white... whip it up until you get this light, airy foam, and then apply that directly to the burn area.... just gently holding it there with something to keep it in place....
Let it soak in completely and you shouldn't end up with any scarring or anything of the sort....
As for how much it actually dulls the pain, I can't quite recall the specifics.

Once everything has cooled down and you're dealing with that specific burn or wound... I usually head over to a local CVS to grab some Vitamin E capsules, then carefully prick the capsule with a needle—just making sure I don't pop the whole thing 😱—and apply the oil directly onto the area.

Dana Allen3 said:Dammit... I'm late to this... 😬

Look, when you actually... take an egg... separate the whites... whip them until you get that thick "foam" and then apply that to a burn... just gently hold it there with something...
Let it soak all the way in and you won't end up with a scar or anything....
As for how much it actually dulls the pain, honestly, I can't recall.

Oh, and I also heard that honey works too. 👍

Nah, forget about any egg-based recipes. Honestly, once you've got a sunburn, the only thing that actually matters is getting that skin cooled down immediately.

Lisa Moore7 said:aren't essential oils a bit too aggressive for the skin, especially when dealing with open wounds like burns??😲

Lavender isn't, and I suppose they're right about it cooling things down; it helps prevent scarring and might speed up the healing process a bit.

Dana Allen3 said:Once you have the egg... separate the whites... whip them until you get a nice "foam"... then apply that to the burn... just hold it there GENTLY with something to keep it in place...
Let it soak in completely and you won't be left with any scarring or anything at all....

while you're busy mixing all that, your finger is already swelling up,`` 😬

I always go straight under cold running water—for about ten minutes at least...

As for oil, I've also heard that it’s actually one of the worst things you can do, since it essentially prevents the skin from breathing...

Drew Mitchell55 said:while you're busy messing around, just stick your finger under the tap😬

I always go straight for the cold water and leave it running for about ten minutes...

I’ve also heard that oil is probably the absolute worst thing you can use because it basically seals the skin and stops it from breathing...

hehe..true enough.....

I actually burned myself once back in fifth grade... I was trying to catch a falling clothes iron (please don't ask 🤣 )

Burned my palm... walked into class... my English teacher noticed and nearly lost her mind.... she grabbed my hand and marched me down to the school cafeteria kitchen.... she made this concoction with egg whites and spread it over the burn, then wrapped it up in a cloth... by the time school let out that afternoon, I took it off and honestly, I don't even have a scar today or anything 🙂