Gardening Advisors

okay so i was shaving my leg and cut my knee so i went and took care of it. anyways i decided to put nair on the rest of my legs cuz i wasnt in the mood to keep shaving. my leg started to burn in some places worse than it usually does and wen i went to take off the nair it killed to even touch where the buring was on my leg. now its all red and it hurts like H3ll anyone know what i can do? please help!

You have a chemical burn from the Nair. I cannot use that stuff. Tried it once, and it removed my skin, and left the hair. Nasty stuff.

If you have used it before, and had no reaction, you may have a bottle that got a bit stronger batch, or an older bottle, where it has settled, and you have stronger chemicals in a layer you happened to use.

Are you black, or any sort of darker skinned ethnic? If so, you may want to go to the doctor, as it can cause really nasty scaring on darker skin tones.

You treat this chemical burn the same as you treat any burn. First make sure every bit of the Nair is completely washed off. Pat very gently dry with a clean towel.

I HIGHLY recommend you go to WalMart (or a store like them) and purchase "Fruit Of The Earth Cooling Blue Aloe Gel." It is an absolutely wonderful product. It also has medication in it, which will relieve the pain in about 10 minutes after it soaks into your skin.

I've used it to treat some very nasty burns (from the stove) which actually blistered. It works wonders. Takes away the pain, and really helps everything heal beautifully.

Hint: Keep this product in your refrigerator, so it's really cold when you apply it. Makes it feel even better.

~Garnet
Permaculture homesteading/farming over 20 years
Worked in the medical field for over 15 years
Worked 8 years for a Dermatologist (skin doctor)

Nair is composed of calcium and sodium hydroxides -- very caustic substances. If you leave it on long enough, you'll burn your skin. It's possible you left it on for longer than recommended, or mixed it more strongly than on the directions, but you now have a chemical burn. It'll hurt, but the odds are it's not terribly dangerous.

Chemical hydroxides normally burn by removing water from organic tissues, so the best thing to do would be to rehydrate the skin. If your skin is broken, however, you may be at risk of infection, so I'd see a doctor and ignore what's below.

If the skin is inflamed and painful, but not broken, I'd suggest taking some anti-inflammatories and/or painkillers and then soak in a tub of warm water (possibly with some added salt, but not too much -- just enough to allow it to penetrate your skin a little more easily). The good news is that if a burn hurts, it's usually superficial -- burns that penetrate deeply cause less pain.

You may also find topical analgesics like rub A-535 useful (but don't overdo it -- check the directions).

But the critical thing is to rehydrate your skin before it peels, cracks, or bleeds.