4 Natural Home Remedies to Ease the Pain of Sunburn
My father lived in Las Vegas. I went to visit him in early spring around the end of February or March. I certainly was not used to the hot desert weather. My step sister and I went swimming. We swam for hours. When I came home I had the most awful sunburn I ever had. I could not stand anything to touch my skin. The only clothing I had with me was levi jeans and they were kind of new and stiff. I will never forget how miserable I was. My Step mother tried to help she put vinegar on the burn. In my mind as a teenager who did not like sharing her father with a step sister and a step mother I was sure she hated me and put the vinegar on to punish me further However, Vinegar has some anti-bacterial effects, but how exactly does this apply to sunburn? If you have pustular (ie draining gooey stuff) blisters, vinegar soaks can help dry them out and prevent infections. However, (and I'm paraphrasing here) it can potentially burn like a fire eating dragon vinegar is an acid, after all.
Although the sting of regret of 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 some natural home remedies to help ease the pain of sunburn, and assist in the body’s healing process:
1. Cool Milk Compresses: - The fat and lactic acids in 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. (Due to the importance of the milk’s fat content, it’s important that whole milk be used in this treatment).
2. Cool, sugarless tea: - The tannin in tea is the active ingredient here, which helps to soothe and relieve some of the discomfort of sunburned skin. After brewing a big pot of tea, and allowing it to cool completely, slosh the affected areas with a soft sponge or washcloth. As with the vinegar (4), you could also fill a spray bottle, and spray the tea directly on the skin. And don’t throw away the used (cool) teabags. These are especially good for sensitive areas around the eyes – simply place the teabags over your eyes if they feel hot and tired. (If you have ‘St. John’s Wort’, consider using this as it contains cooling properties, which can help tone down some of the heat in your skin, as well as soothing the nerve endings damaged by the sunburn).
3. 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 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. Water: - 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 it up. For immediate relief, soak the sunburned areas in cold water (but not ice water) or with cold compresses for 15 minutes. The cold reduces swelling and wicks away heat from your skin.
6. Take an oatmeal bath. Simply grind up a cup of oatmeal and add it to your bath.
Finely ground oatmeal (sold as colloidal oatmeal in drug stores) works as an anti-inflammatory when mixed with bath water.8. Green Tea I have tested this one myself and it works.
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!
9. Brew up a pot of green tea and let it cool. Soak a clean cloth in the tea, and use it as a compress for sunburned areas. The tea contains ingredients that help protect the skin from ultraviolet radiation damage and reduce inflammation.
10. Noxzema, When I was a girl my mother always used Noxzema on sunburn. Noxzema contains camphor, menthol, and eucalyptus. The menthol is soothing and the camphor is a mild pain reliever.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.
Of course preventative measures are the best protection. Do not spend long times in the sun. Wear a good sun screen to protect you from sunburn. Your sunscreen should have SPF rating of 30 and is also a moisturizer. It should be a light feeling cream that absorbs quickly and completely in the skin and can and should be used 365 days a year. If you are swimming and going in and out of the water a lot reapply the sunscreen often as it will wash off.
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!
DISCLAIMER: These are home remedy tips only, and should not replace your regular health care provider. If in doubt at any time in relation to your sunburn, please seek the appropriate health care assistance.
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