We’ve all experienced the effects of sunburn. Although the sting of regret when using inadequate protection (from UV exposure) can be an excellent incentive to plan more carefully on ‘future’ occasions, it’s of little help in soothing the immediate physical sting (i.e. pain) accompanying sunburn. However if you ‘have’ found yourself having spent a little too much time in the sun, — here are 11 natural remedies to ease sunburn, and assist in the body’s healing process:
1. The fat and lactic acids in whole milk are known to have soothing qualities for sunburned skin. Soak a soft cloth or cotton gauze in cool whole milk, and dab carefully onto the burned skin. Do this for around 20 minutes, and follow by rinsing off with cool water.
2. The tannin acid in black tea reportedly helps draw heat from sunburned skin, and aids in restoring the pH balance. Add mint to the tea for a more cooling effect. After brewing a big pot of black tea, and allowing it to cool completely, slosh the affected areas with a soft sponge or washcloth. As with the vinegar, you could also fill a spray bottle, and spray the tea directly on the skin.
3. Aloe Vera is commonly used to treat sunburn. As well as providing soothing relief, it may also assist in the healing process. Apply to the affected areas as needed. Although the gel extracted directly from an aloe Vera plant works best, if you don’t have ready access to one, you may use an ‘over the counter’ Aloe Vera Cream that contains the gel. For this to be effective, just ensure that the cream contains a high concentration of Aloe Vera than it does water or other solutions.
4. When exposed to the sun, your body loses water and essential body salts. Dehydration occurs when your body loses too much fluid, and begins to reabsorb fluid from the blood and other body tissues. To prevent the consequences of dehydration, increase your fluid intake to ensure you adequately re-hydrate your body for optimum recovery and health.
5. Soak in an oatmeal bath. This is especially helpful for itchy, sunburned skin.
6. Add some lavender or chamomile essential oil to the bath to help relieve some of the stinging pain and ease sunburn.
7. Add one cup of apple cider vinegar to a bath to help balance the pH (acid or alkalinity) of sunburned skin, and promote healing.
8. Apply teabags soaked in cold water to sunburned eyelids to ease sunburn and reduce inflammation.
9. Like milk, yogurt applied to sunburned skin also can be soothing.
10. Vitamin E is an antioxidant, and can help decrease inflammation caused by sunburn. Apply to the skin with lavender essential oil and aloe vera. Vitamin E oil also can be rubbed onto peeling skin.
11. Cucumbers have natural antioxidant and analgesic (pain relieving) properties. Chill cucumbers, then mash in a blender to create a paste, and apply to affected sunburned areas including the face. Cucumber also can be soothing for peeling skin following a sunburn.
Sunburn Topical Recipe:
- 1 cup Aloe Vera
- 20 drop Lavender Essential Oil
- 1 tbsp Vitamin E
Mix and pour into spray bottle. Spray onto skin every few hours.
Sunburn Bath Recipe:
- 1 c. Apple Cider Vinegar
- 5 drop Lavender Essential Oil
- 1 pouch ground oatmeal
Fill tub with cool water, mix in vinegar and essential oils. Throw in oatmeal pouch. Soak for 20 minutes or more.
ALSO, TRY OUR AFTER SUN ITCH SALVE RECIPE.
Sunburn should of course be avoided where possible — particularly as it’s adverse affects not only include damage to the skin, but also the increased risk of skin cancer. Prevention and protection should always be considered the best treatment for sunburn, and will assist in ensuring your optimum long-term health!
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If you are interested, make sure to check out the Essential Oils section on Amazon. There are a ton of Essential Oils that you might want to look at.