6+ things you should do if you burn yourself

Injuries happen in life. You grab a hot pan without thinking; oil splatters while cooking; you hit a hot place on an engine. If you have lived life for any length of time, you have probably suffered a burn.

You can't go back and undo the problem, but you can keep from making the burn worse by being sure you are wise with how you treat it. Here are 6+ things you should do to help heal the burn.

1. Cool water. One of the first things you should do for a burn, according to the Mayo Clinic, is to use cool water to help reduce the temperature of the skin. Hold the burn under cool, running water for 15 minutes. A caution is given against using ice to cool the burn as that can increase the damage.

2. Remove tight items quickly. If the burn is a place where you are wearing jewelry or restrictive clothing, the Mayo Clinic says to remove the restrictive items as soon as you possibly can. The longer you wait, the more painful and difficult removing them can become.

3. Clean the burn. Medical News Today reminds you to make sure you clean the site of the burn thoroughly using an antibacterial soap. Don't scrub the area hard as that can damage the burned tissue.

4. Protect the burn. Keep the burn site clean from further dirt. To do so, WebMD says to cover it with a loose, gauze bandage.

5. Aloe vera. Shown to help heal first- and second-degree burns, aloe should be applied in a layer to the burn site. Healthline recommends using the actual aloe vera plant, but if you don't have one, use aloe vera gel with a high percentage of the actual aloe vera.

6. Vitamins C and E. If you want to aid your body in the healing process, the Reader's Digest says to, "take 2,000 milligrams of vitamin C and 1,000 IU of vitamin E for a week." If you want to, you can also squeeze the vitamin E oil from a capsule and spread it directly on the burn.

7. Honey. Manuka honey is good for healing skin issues including burns, according to Medical News Today. Besides sterilizing and preventing infections of the burned area, honey may be soothing to the burn. Put a thin layer of honey on the wound and cover it with a sterile, gauze bandage.

2. Butter or oil. Butter and oil actually trap in the heat and make the tissue burn even more, making the burn worse.

3. Egg whites. Because raw eggs contain bacteria that can cause infections, spreading them on the burn actually puts you in a worse position.

Being armed with reliable information is important. Use these tried-but-true treatments to help with your next burn.