Fresh Onion Juice for Kitchen Burns

If you have ever reached into the oven without a potholder in place, you know why first aid remedies for burns are popular. Let’s start with the official first aid advice: Get the burned skin under cold tap water right away. Ice could injure the skin further, but cool running water stops the damage from getting worse. Presumably, this is available in most kitchen. Ideally, you should keep the burn under the water for 20 minutes (Annals of Emergency Medicine, Sep. 22, 2025). After that, people have tried a number of options to soothe the pain (and possibly avoid blistering). One of these is soy sauce. Another is fresh onion juice.

Could Fresh Onion Juice Ease the Pain of a Burn?

Q. I learned a home remedy a couple of years ago when I stupidly leaned on a small coil burner. I rubbed a freshly cut onion on the burn after running the arm under cold water. It saved me. I had full motion the next morning with no pain or blistering. It was absolutely amazing!

This weekend I tripped while carrying a cup of cocoa made with freshly boiled water. It spilled on the hand holding the mug as well as on the side of my neck and face when I landed on the arm of the couch. I couldn’t run my neck and face under cold water, so I used only the onion juice there. Both water and onion went on the hand. Four days later, the only way I can tell that it was burned is by dark red-colored skin around the edge of the thumb and the forefinger. No blisters. Nowadays I tell everyone I can about this burn remedy.

A. We have been collecting burn remedies for decades. You are not the first person to find fresh onion juice helpful. A kitchen worker shared that it could ease pain and prevent blistering. Soy sauce is another time-tested burn remedy.

We always advise getting burned skin under cold tap water as quickly as possible. And any serious burn requires immediate medical attention.

Amazing Demonstration of Fresh Onion Juice for a Burn:

Q. While I was working at a restaurant, one of our chefs was burned badly by a fryer. I happened to be in the kitchen when it happened, and the manager screamed, “get me a fresh onion out of the walk-in refrigerator.”

I didn’t ask questions; I just got it. He asked me to cut it in half and give it to him, which I did. He squeezed the fresh onion juice on the chef’s burn. What was amazing is not only that it calmed the awful pain, but also that the burned skin NEVER BLISTERED!

The manager later explained to me that it must be a fresh-cut onion. I proved that later when, in another restaurant, I got burned and I reached for onions that were cut up that morning. That didn’t work, so then I had to cut a fresh onion. Seconds count when it comes to a burn.

That happened back in the 80s and I have sworn by it every time. It always works! Something about the chemical of the onion juice works wonders.

A. Thank you for sharing your experience. We have heard of using cut onion on wasp or bee stings, but not on a burn. First aid for a burn is soaking it in cold water immediately. After that, if the skin is intact, a home remedy such as cut onion might be worth a try. Soy sauce is another kitchen remedy for burns. Obviously, a severe burn requires medical attention.

Learn More:

You can read more about remedies for burns and many other common problems in our book, The People’s Pharmacy Quick & Handy Home Remedies. Hundreds of other home remedies can be found in this 263-page publication in the books section of the store at www.PeoplesPharmacy.com.