Monday, June 22, 2009

Autumn Asks: Have You Burned Yourself Lately?

I recently had a run-in with a shattered pot of boiling water. Don't ask how. I did something stupid and I don't wish to relive it.

Anyway. After screaming at the top of my lungs, my teenager ran in and immediately grabbed the yellow mustard out of the fridge so I could yank my clothes off and lather up.

I had doused my thigh and stomach pretty good. And as the scream was fading I thought I was in for a trip to the hospital.

So - got the clothes off and put the mustard on.

Now, when it first goes out it STINGS. Really. But only for a bit.

You let it dry on and then wash it off after its dried.

What I thought would be an entire burned thigh, became a half dollar sized red, tender spot. Not blistered even.

We learned the mustard trick from my friend Tricia. Not sure where or how she learned it.

I don't know why this works but it does. I can't explain it, but I believe it. (I will say that I have never used this on something I thought was a SERIOUS burn needing medical attention....just stuff I thought didn't deserve a doctors time. BAD burns need medical attention.)

To date I have used this on several kitchen burns....you know, grabbing the cast iron skillet that is still hot, or hitting the oven rack while pulling something out. Also, Songbird stepped on a live sparkler once and we used it on her foot. I branded myself with a foam cutting knife and was able to save the skin and return it from white and crispy brown to a healthy pink color. Used it on iron or curling iron burns also. Perfect for those camping trips. Anyone with boys knows there will be a burn at some point on a camping trip. LOL!

Several of these burns should have left small scars....but they didn't. They didn't even blister after using the mustard.

So, since people tend to be rather surprised by this home remedy as they never heard of it, I thought I would share with the internets.

One of these days I'm going to try it on a sunburn and see what happens.

Just one word of warning....mustard can stain, so watch your clothing.

8 comments:

  1. I have NEVER heard this home remedy before. Filing it away... because you know what a total klutz I am.

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  2. Glad you weren't seriously hurt. The last burn around our house didn't get the mustard treatment, but a trip to the dr. It was that bad - 2nd degree, immediate blistering, etc. And... a nurse told me about the mustard, years ago. It has prevented many trips to the dr since.

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  3. Glad you were not hurt! Miss you:)

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  4. WOW!! Thanks for the great tip. i would never have thought of it. I'm always cooking, so I'm always getting burned. I'm going to give it a whirl next time.... which i hope is a long time. Glad you were not seriously hurt.

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  5. Thanks for sharing about the mustard, I can't wait to try it......
    Wait....

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  6. OUCH! How wonderful that you knew such a great remedy. I've never heard of this!!!

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  7. Go figure - we were at a birthday party on Saturday and one of the guys burnt himself pretty bad on the grill. They were telling him to put butter on it. Isn't that an old wives tale that actually makes it worse?? Wish I had known about the mustard! We had plenty of that around!

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  8. I have never heard of the mustard remedy, but I will def. file it away in the recesses of my brain... and hopefully be able to recall it at a time when it will actually be useful.
    I'm glad that you are okay - sounds scary. Boiling water and skin are never a good combo!

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