You’re trying to get a tan at the beach on your vacation and end up with a nasty sunburn instead. Or maybe you forgot to put sunscreen on before going out to the pool for the day.
No matter what the case, sunburns are red and painful. Severe sunburns can produce swelling and sunburn blisters, and you can even feel like you have the flu with nausea, chills, fever, headache, and weakness, according to WebMD.
A few days after you develop a sunburn, your skin will begin to itch and peel as your skin tries to heal itself.
If you develop a sunburn, try one or more of these remedies to relieve the symptoms and help your body heal.
Aloe Vera
Aloe vera gel is a great home remedy for a number of ailments, including sunburns. Aloe vera gel is soothing, cooling, and can relieve the pain from your sunburn. Aloe plants are readily available at your local nursery, and they are easy to take care of.
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If you don’t want to maintain an aloe plant, you can purchase a high-quality gel from the store. Put aloe vera gel directly onto your sunburn several times a day to help it heal.
Oatmeal Bath
Oatmeal contains ppolysaccharides which help coat and heal your skin. Water helps keep your skin hydrated and cools you down. To make an oatmeal bath, grind one cup of raw, unflavored oatmeal into a fine powder using a blender, coffee grinder, or food processor.
Make yourself a tepid bath, and sprinkle the ground oatmeal into it. Soak in the tub for 15 to 20 minutes. After you get out of the tub, pat yourself dry or allow yourself to air-dry.
Coconut Oil
Coconut oil contains lauric acid. Lauric acid is transformed into monolaurin in the body, which is an effective antimicrobial agent. Additionally, it helps with cell growth and repair. Coconut oil also has analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties as well.
You can apply coconut oil directly to your sunburn multiple times each day. Coconut oil has an SPF of between 5 and 10, making it a good sunscreen for very mild sun exposure.
Baking Soda
Baking soda has antiseptic properties that can help relieve the itchiness associated with a healing sunburn. To reap the benefits of this home remedy, fill your bathtub with tepid water. Add one cup of baking soda to the water, and stir well. Soak in the baking soda bath for 15 minutes.
Pat yourself dry or allow your body to air-dry after you get out of the tub. Take a baking soda bath once each day until your sunburn heals.
Mint and Green Tea
Mint is soothing while the theobromine and tannic acid found in green tea helps relieve pain and repair damaged skin. To reap the benefits of this soothing home remedy, bring one quart of water to a boil on your stove. Cut the strings and tags off of five green tea bags.
Put the five green tea bags as well as three cups of fresh mint leaves into a separate pan. Pour the boiling water over the tea bags and mint leaves, and cover the pan with a lid. Allow the tea, mint, and water to sit covered for one hour before straining. Chill.
After the mixture has been chilled, you can use a clean cloth or gauze pad to apply the liquid directly onto your sunburn.
White Vinegar
White vinegar contains acetic acid, which is a compound found in aspirin. White vinegar can help relieve the inflammation, pain, and itchiness associated with a sunburn.
Soak a paper towel in white vinegar, and apply it to your sunburn as a compress. Leave the paper towel on your sunburn until it dries. Be cautious when using vinegar around your eyes because it can sting.
Alternatively, you can pour one cup of white vinegar into a tepid bath. Soak in the tub for 20 minutes before patting yourself dry.
Honey
Honey is also an excellent sunburn home remedy. Honey traps moisture in the skin and helps heal damaged skin. Studies have shown that honey may work better than some antibiotic ointments at speeding the healing process, minimizing pain, and reducing infection.
Additionally, honey reduces the swelling and inflammation associated with sunburns. You can apply honey directly to your sunburn. Allow the honey to dry. Apply honey two to three times each day for one week.
Potatoes
The natural starches found in raw potatoes help draw heat out of a sunburn. Slice a raw potato, and rub a slice of it on your sunburn. Alternatively, peel two potatoes, and slice them into small pieces.
Put the pieces into a blender, and grind them until the potatoes have formed a paste. Put the paste directly onto your sunburn, and allow it to dry. Once it has dried, wash it off.
You can repeat this process once a day until your sunburn has healed.
Strawberries
Strawberries, like green tea, contain tannins, which can help relieve the pain of a sunburn. Mash up a cup of strawberries. Apply the paste directly onto your sunburn, and allow it to sit for five minutes. Rinse the paste off with tepid water.
Lettuce
Lettuce contains natural pain-killing properties, which can help relieve the sting of a sunburn. Boil lettuce leaves in water on your stove. Strain before chilling the liquid in the refrigerator.
Use a clean cotton ball or cloth to apply the liquid directly onto your sunburn, and allow it to dry.
Witch Hazel
The leaves, bark, and twigs of the witch hazel plant are effective for treating a number of ailments, including sunburns. Witch hazel contains tannins, which can fight off bad bacteria, help heal damaged skin, and reduce swelling.
You can usually find witch hazel in a distilled liquid extract. Use a clean cotton ball to apply witch hazel directly onto your sunburn, and allow it to dry on your skin. Reapply as often as you need to for pain.
Calendula
Calendula contains anti-inflammatory properties that are useful in the treatment of sunburns. You can use fresh calendula blossoms to make your own poultice. Apply the poultice directly to your sunburn to help it heal.
Milk
Milk is great for mild sunburns. It is gentle on your skin and seals moisture in. To use this home remedy, pour a cup of milk into a bowl, and let it sit out for five minutes.
Wash your hands as well as the sunburned parts of your body. Use a cotton ball to apply the milk directly to the sunburned areas of your skin, and allow the milk to dry.
If you don’t like the smell of milk, you can add a few drops of peppermint or lavender essential oil to it. After a few hours, wash the milk off, and reapply.
Turmeric
The main compound in turmeric, curcumin, can help relieve pain and help heal sunburn blisters. To make a turmeric paste, combine equal parts turmeric powder and aloe vera gel or honey.
Apply the mixture directly onto your sunburn, and allow it to sit for 30 minutes. Wash the mixture off with cool water.
Cucumber
Cucumbers having a cooling effect. They also contain anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, which are useful in the treatment of sunburns. Chill a cucumber, cut it into thin slices, and put it into a blender to mash it into a paste.
Apply the paste directly to your sunburn.
Give Some of These Remedies a Try to Heal Your Sunburn
Sunburns are painful and damaging to your skin. If you have a sunburn, try one or more of these home remedies. Most of the remedies in this article use ingredients you probably already have in your home, making them good sunburn home remedies to try.
All of these home remedies will help ease your discomfort while helping your skin repair itself.
