As forwarded

"Put ghee, toothpaste or ice on a burn."

A household remedy repeated in family groups; a September 2026 first-aid myths article in Indian media warns against toothpaste, butter, oil, creams, ice or freezing water on burns [S1]. Ghee is not named there; it falls under WHO's "oils, butter ... traditional pastes or other household substances" [S2]. Reach figure: not available. Reach not available

Verdict

Dangerous

Ghee, oil and toothpaste can trap heat and irritate the skin, and every guideline opened rules out ice. Cool the burn under cool running tap water for 20 minutes, remove rings and tight clothing, cover loosely with cling film or a clean cloth, and get help for large, deep or facial burns.

What the evidence says

Supported

What is right: the instinct to cool and soothe. Cooling is the right first step; running water does it, and ice and greasy pastes do it badly or harmfully. Ice held in the mouth for a few minutes is acceptable for a small mouth burn from hot food; that is the only use of ice in the guidance opened. [S4]

Established

WHO. "Cool a thermal burn promptly with cool running water" and "Do not apply ice, oils, butter, toothpaste, traditional pastes or other household substances to a burn." WHO estimates about 163,000 deaths worldwide in 2023 from fire, heat and hot substances; in the South-East Asia Region, which includes India, females accounted for about 70% of these deaths, and households cooking over open fires or unstable stoves face substantial exposure. [S2]

Established

NHS and Mayo Clinic. NHS: "Cool the burn with cool or lukewarm running water for 20 minutes"; "Never use ice, iced water, or any creams or greasy substances like butter"; remove clothing and jewellery near the burn but leave anything stuck to the skin; cover with a single layer of cling film; keep the person warm; do not burst blisters. [S3] Mayo Clinic: do not apply butter, toothpaste or oil, which "can trap heat and irritate the skin", do not use cold water, and do not pop blisters. [S4]

Supported

Cooling works. In 2,495 children treated at an Australian children's hospital, 20 minutes of cool running water within 3 hours of injury was linked to lower odds of skin grafting (odds ratio 0.6, 95% CI 0.4–0.8), hospital admission (0.7) and operating-theatre procedures (0.7). This is observational evidence, not a randomised trial. [S5]

Honest note

Many small kitchen burns heal well whatever is put on them, which keeps the remedies alive. The evidence for 20 minutes of cooling is observational and only the study abstract was opened [S5]; the pages differ on duration (NHS 20 minutes, Mayo Clinic about 10 minutes for minor burns), and the outcome study supports 20. No study measuring harm from ghee or toothpaste specifically was opened (not available); the guideline consensus against them rests on trapped heat, irritation, infection risk and the need to assess the burn. An Indian provider survey on burn care could not be opened, and Indian first-aid guidance was not opened (not available). The WHO (2026) and Mayo Clinic (2026) pages are current; the NHS page shows no date. The myths article [S1] documents circulation only.

What to do instead

Large or deep burns (bigger than the person's hand), white or charred skin, burns to the face, hands, feet or genitals, any electrical or chemical burn, smoke inhalation, or signs of shock: call 108 or 112 or go to hospital now. [S3][S4]
Stop the burning safely: move away from the heat; for electrical burns, switch off the power first. [S3][S4]
Cool under cool or lukewarm running tap water for 20 minutes, as soon as possible. [S3][S2][S5]
Remove rings, bangles and tight clothing near the burn, but leave anything stuck to the skin. Cover loosely with cling film laid on, not wrapped round a limb, and keep the person warm. [S3][S4]
Do not apply ghee, oil, butter, toothpaste, ice, pastes or creams, and do not burst blisters. [S2][S3][S4]
Children, older people and people with diabetes or other long-term illness: get medical help even for smaller burns. [S3][S4]

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Sources

S1
Boldsky. World First Aid Day 2026: why toothpaste on burns and sucking out snake venom are both wrong.Circulation only; not evidence · 12 September 2026
boldsky.com/health/world-first-aid-day-2026-why-toothpaste-on-burns-and-sucking-out-snake-venom-are-both-wrong-172759.html
S2
World Health Organization. Burns fact sheet.Tier 2 · 21 October 2026
who.int/en/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/burns
S3
NHS 111 Wales. Burns and scalds.Tier 4 · page date not shown
111.wales.nhs.uk/Burnsandscalds
S4
Mayo Clinic. Burns: first aid.Tier 4 · page dated 7 April 2026
mayoclinic.org/first-aid/first-aid-burns/basics/art-20056649
S5
Griffin BR et al. Cool running water first aid decreases skin grafting requirements in pediatric burns: a cohort study of 2,495 children. Annals of Emergency Medicine 2020;75:75–85.Tier 3 · 2020; abstract opened, full text not opened
em-consulte.com/article/1340436/cool-running-water-first-aid-decreases-skin-grafti

Tiers are as graded in the research file. "Circulation only" sources document that a claim circulates and are never cited as evidence. Where a primary paper could not be opened, the page says so in the Honest note.

Reviewed by

Medical review: being arranged

Every evidence sentence on this page traces to the sources listed above, but no registered physician has yet signed it off. When one has, their name, registration number and date of review will appear here. Until then, read this page as a sourced guide, not as medical advice: for any symptom, call 108 or 112, or see a doctor.

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