Initially I put ice on it because I rode out to a restaurant and was unable to get to my arsenal of medications at home for a few hours. The ice did help and even numbed the area a bit, but I could still feel the heat of the burn deep into my calf. Once I got home I immediately put lavender essential oil on the spot and, as I knew it would, it took the burning pain away instantly.
Lavender has many attributes; one virtue is its quick absorption and healing ability. As with all essential oils, lavender has antibacterial properties. With any kind of skin injury, including today’s burn, keeping bacterial infection away is priority #1. Lavender is also soothing to cuts and scrapes as well as burns, whether it’s a sunburn or a burn from an oven, an iron, or a hot motorcycle muffler. In fact, lavender is said to be a contact healer, meaning that it soothes burns (and other injuries) on contact. I know this was definitely the case with me today.
- Lesson 1: Don’t lean into a motorcycle’s muffler (or burn your skin in any other way)
- Lesson 2: Use lavender essential oil if you do
This and many essential oils can be found in most health food stores. Lavender is in my personal medicine cabinet as one of the essential oils I reach for often.
The
next thing to do for my skin injury is to keep it covered, away from sun
exposure. Learn more about the importance of this and how to keep hyperpigmentation away:
- Do you have pigmentation or hyperpigmentation? Perhaps post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation? Why keeping UV rays off injured skin is important (coming soon)
