Texas mom's viral sunburn hack works, but it's not 'magical cure,' dermatologists warn

(FOX News) -- A Texas mom's "miracle" trick to soothe a sunburn within just 30 minutes seems odd -- but it actually may work, dermatologists say.

Cindie Allen-Stewart, of Mount Calm, shared her decades-old family secret on Facebook hoping to help some friends who, like her, are prone to sunburn despite using sunscreen. The June 22 post has since been shared nearly 230,000 times.

First, Allen-Stewart advised people to apply menthol foam shaving cream on the burned area and let it just "sit on your skin."

"It will start bringing all that heat out (you'll be able to feel it). You may feel like you are itchy too, but that's a good thing! Itching means healing," Allen-Stewart, 34, explained.

After about 30 minutes, the area covered by shaving cream may start to feel cold and dried out, she said, and that's when you should rinse it off in lukewarm water. If you still feel discomfort from the sunburn the next day, Allen-Stewart recommended repeating the routine.

"Usually after that second treatment, the sunburn disappears," Allen-Stewart claimed.

Dermatologist Lauren Eckert Ploch, who works at the Georgia Dermatology and Skin Cancer Center, agreed that menthol-containing products can help ease pain associated with sunburns.

"[These] products cause a cooling sensation on the skin and can also numb the skin to pain," Ploch told FOXNews.

However, this hack isn't a "magical cure," Ploch warned. "Menthol should not be applied to a blistering and/or peeling sunburns, as it can irritate the skin."

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