Using Mustard to Relieve Mild Burns

At one time or another during our lives, everyone has suffered through a burn. Whether it is a severe burn or a minor burn like you get from touching something hot on the stove, burns hurt and the pain tends to stick around for a while. So what do you do if you happen to burn yourself while cooking dinner for your adoring family? Well, first of all, putting the burned body part under cool, running water is a probably the first thing you should do. This will relieve some of the pain right away and will help to stop the progression of the burning. When a burn occurs, the skin will continue to 'cook' unless something causes it to stop. This is similar to when you're cooking pasta or potatoes and need to run them under cold water to 'shock' them and put an end to the cooking.

Unfortunately, once you remove the burned part from the water, the pain returns with a vengeance. If the burn is blistered, it's best not to put anything at all on it and simply keep cool compresses or water on the area. If the burn is a first degree burn, or one that is only red and maybe slightly swollen, you can try one of the home remedies. Most people have heard about putting butter or margarine on the burned area, but this doesn't seem to work well and can make a mess. There's aloe vera oil also. This can be squeezed out of an aloe plant or obtained in lotions, but probably the best, and least known remedy is ordinary mustard. There is something in everyday yellow mustard that quickly takes away the pain of a burn. Just spread a nice layer of mustard over the area and go about your business. You'll find that the pain goes away almost immediately.

As the mustard dries and flakes off, the pain will come back. Maybe not as strongly, but it will come back. To bring more relief, just reapply some more and keep doing this until the pain has disappeared for good. I have even had a paramedic recommend mustard instead of expensive burn creams, so long as the burned area isn't blistered or an open wound, as mentioned above. Home remedies, however, are probably not a good option for a severe burn, either second or third degree, where the skin or epidermis, is damaged very badly. For any of these burns, it's best to seek medical attention quickly so that the area doesn't get infected. But, for those mild and annoying burns, including the occasional sunburn, try a little mustard.