At some time or another, we’ve all experienced the effects of sunburn, whether it be a light burn or a skin searing, wish-you’d-used-more-sunscreen, makes you feel like you have a fever – Burn!
Although the sting of regret of inadequate sunblock/clothing/hat protection can be an excellent incentive to plan more carefully in the future, it’s of little help in soothing the immediate physical pain that accompanies sunburn.
What Causes Sunburn?
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Overexposure to the sun’s UV rays causes the skin to burn and then peel and itch while healing.
If you’ve found yourself having spent too much time in the searing hot sun this summer, — These 5 ah-maz-ing home remedies for sunburn are probably already in your kitchen!
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The BEST Way to Treat a Sunburn Fast (Near-Magical DIY Relief!)
1. Honey
My #1 favorite way to heal a sunburn fast is to apply honey to the affected area as a mask! Leave the honey on the skin for 20 minutes, and then rinse off under with cool water, or a cool shower.
For whole body sunburn relief, you can take a whole milk and honey bath!
- Simply warm 3 TBSP raw organic honey into 6 ounces of whole milk, until honey is dissolved completely.
- Be careful not to boil or overheat.
- Let cool completely.
- Pour into a cool or room temperature bath for soothing sunburn relief deliciousness!
Always use raw honey when using these sunburn remedy, as none of its healing compounds have been cooked out of it.
2. Cool Milk or Plain Yogurt Compresses
Since the fat and lactic acids in milk and yogurt, are known to have soothing qualities for sunburned skin. Soak a soft cloth or cotton gauze in cool whole milk or yogurt, and dab carefully onto the burned skin.
These Gauze Bandage Rolls work great for skin compresses!
Do this for around 20 minutes, and follow by rinsing off with cool water, or taking a cool shower. (Whole milk works best for this treatment because of its high milk fat content).
3. Cooled, Sugarless Tea
The tannin in tea is the active ingredient which helps to soothe and relieve the discomfort of sunburns. I especially love green tea, but black tea usually has the highest concentration of tannins.
These Organic Black Tea Bags are a steal on Amazon and the perfect size for sunburn baths!
Love these Eco-Friendly Large Size Green Tea Bags for a great price!
Depending on the size of your sunburn, you can soak multiple tea bags in room temperature water for 20 minutes (allowing time for the tannins to release).
Then, use a VERY soft washcloth or sponge to soak up the tea and apply to sunburned skin.
Let the tea soak into skin for 20 minutes. Rinse with cool water if desired.
You can also take a cool tea bag bath for larger sunburns! Simply soak the tea bags in a large bowl or water pitcher in room temperature water.
Then fill up the bath tub with cool water and pour the tea bag mixture in!
Pro Tip: Add a few ice cubes to the tea mixture to provide incredible cooling relief!
4. Aloe Vera
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 sunburned 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, use a high concentration of aloe vera gel, such as this.
Pro Tip: Keep the aloe vera gel in the fridge for extra cooling and burn pain relief.
5. Water – Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate
When exposed to too much sun, your body loses water & essential body salts (all the good electrolytes!). Dehydration occurs when your body loses too much fluid, and begins to reabsorb fluid from the blood and other body tissues.
To prevent dehydration, increase your fluid intake to ensure you adequately re-hydrate your body for recovery and health. Besides drinking extra water, coconut water and water with a TBSP of real lemon juice are excellent at rehydrating your body and promoting healing!
Sunburn should be avoided wherever possible — particularly as its adverse affects not only include damage to the skin, but also the increased risk of skin cancer.
Protect yourself with sunhats and lightweight sun protection jackets whenever you can!
I looooved this Lightweight SPF 50+ Sun Protection Jacket on our last trip to the lake (which has no trees for shade!) It made ALL the difference in keeping me from getting sunburnt, and was not hot to wear!
Prevention and protection should always be considered the best treatment for sunburn, and will assist in ensuring your optimum long-term health!
** Medical Disclaimer. … This Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. **