A Texas mom's rather unorthodox hack for soothing a sunburn is getting tons of attention.
The secret is this stuff — menthol shaving foam. Seriously.
It's pretty simple. All you do is apply a layer of the foam and leave it on for 30 minutes before rinsing it off.
She shared before and after photos, taken three days apart, showing a much less angry-looking burn.
And although it sounds strange, there's a reason it works, according to one doctor.
"We actually use menthol in dermatology all the time, we use it to combat itch and sometimes pain as well," said Dr. Julia Carroll, who is a director at Compass Dermatology in Toronto and a certified dermatologist.
She told BuzzFeed News that this method isn't without risks, however. Shaving cream isn't designed to stay on the skin for very long, so it could cause irritation. That being said, it's no surprise that menthol would make a burn feel better.
The best option, she said, is aspirin, cool compresses, and hydrocortisone cream that can be bought at the pharmacy.
The best policy, the doctor insists, is prevention. "Obviously I always warn people to not get a sunburn because it does increase the risk of skin cancer."