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Nothing can damper a beach vacation like a bad sunburn. Once the damage is done, you need some Sunburn Relief to enjoy the rest of your vacation.
Living on the coast most of my life, I have had (and seen) my fair share of sunburns.
As a matter of fact, the picture above is my most recent ‘mommy forgot to put sunblock on herself’ moment.
However, I was pain-free in less than 24 hrs. after using one of these 6 natural remedies for sunburn.
A sunburn is the skin’s response to extreme ultraviolet (UV) exposure and indicates severe damage. In as little as 10 minutes of intense UV exposure, the skin sets into motion a system of defense against this enemy.
Signs of a Sunburn
Signs of a Sunburn from WebMD
When you get a sunburn, your skin turns red and hurts. If the burn is severe, you can develop swelling and sunburn blisters. You may even feel like you have the flu — feverish, with chills, nausea, headache, and weakness.
A few days later, your skin will start peeling and itching as your body tries to rid itself of sun-damaged cells.
It doesn’t take long to realize a sunburn is in the making after leaving the beach.
The pain normally starts before you’ve even made it back to the house.
Whether it’s you or someone in your family that gets burned, you need to find relief and fast so here are 6 natural remedies for you to try.
6 Natural Remedies for Sunburn Relief #1 – Vinegar
Vinegar contains acetic acid which is one of the components of medications such as Aspirin. It can help ease sunburn pain, itching, and inflammation.
Vinegar for sunburn relief
- Add AVC (Apple Cider Vinegar) to a clean, empty spray bottle and spray sunburned area
- Add 2 Cups of ACV to lukewarm bath water and soak for 20 mins, pat (not rub) yourself dry.
- Soak washcloths or paper towels in AVC, ring out and place on affected area.
#2- Black Tea Can Offer Sunburn Relief
Tannic acid and theobromine in tea help remove heat from sunburn.
Other compounds in tea, called catechins, help prevent and repair skin damage and may even help prevent chemical and radiation-induced skit cancers.
Black Tea for sunburn relief
- Soak 2-3 black tea bags in hot water and let sit till cool. Drain excess water from tea bags and place bags on burn. Continue process until you find relief.
- Make strong black tea and let cool. Emerge washcloths or paper towels in tea, ring out and place on affected area.
#3- Milk Is Good For Treating Sunburn
A cool milk compress is one of the quickest, simplest and low-cost ways to treat sunburn.
It doesn’t get much easier than just heading to the refrigerator for relief-and easy is good when treating anything.
The initial coolness of the milk will ease the heat, while it also creates a layer of protein to protect your skin, help it heal, and further soothe discomfort.
- Place a washcloth or cotton gauze soaked in cool milk on the reddened area to create a protein film that eases discomfort and reduces heat
#4- Jewelweed
- Anti-inflammatory, antihistamine, and antifungal.
- Reduces inflammation and itching, combats skin allergic reactions including rashes and hives, and treats fungal infections of the skin.
- Is an anti-inflammatory and fungicide that’s an active ingredient of Preparation H (used for hemorrhoids).
This may be why preparation H worked for sunburns?
Jewelweed for Sunburn Relief
- Liquefy the plants in a blender at the highest speed possible. Filter the juice out through a cloth, common strainer, or fruit press. Use immediately or refrigerate—this stuff spoils rapidly at room temperature. Don’t refrigerate for more than 5 days without freezing.
- Crush stems and leaves can be wiped onto the skin or poulticed to the affected area.
Want to learn more about the healing properties of Jewelweed and where to find it?
Go to the Weekly Weeder at Common Sense Homesteading.
6 Natural- Aloe Vera For Treating Sunburn
The inner gel of the Aloe Vera leaf has been shown to speed the healing of radiation-induced burns.
According to University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Initial research has shown Aloe Vera aids the skin in healing from sunburns and mild burns.
In addition, Aloe Vera oil can moisturize the skin, helping you avoid the peeling normally associated with sun damage.
#6- Store Bought Ointments or Sprays For Sunburns
Do you have a natural sunburn remedy that has worked for you?
Our wonderful members all sent us their sunburn remedies that they swear by!
What our readers use for Natural Sunburn Remedies:
- My doctor told me to make tea and dip a washcloth in it to put on the blisters I got from getting sunburned – on a cloudy day, I’ve also used Milk of Magnesia to cool a sunburn– Tamara T.
- My granny used to rub us down with old school Noxzema. I don’t remember if that actually worked or not, but the smell is unforgettable. – Arleen K.
- My grandmother would open a can of evaporated milk and rub it on our sunburn. It felt sticky and uncomfortable but it really took the burn away. – Diana B.
- If you cut open a few vitamin E capsules, and rub the oil into your sunburn, it turns the burn tan overnight. It worked when I tried it. I’ve also used kombucha tea or vinegar to sooth a sunburn. – Lynn P.
- I’ve heard that you should soak in milk, but I’ve never tried it. Witch hazel and aloe are soothing; those I have tried. – Karen G.
- Vinegar and aloe Vera straight from the plant are the only two I’ve tried. Both worked wonderfully. – Brandon S.
- Vinegar. My Aunt took a bath of vinegar when we were vacationing in Key West and her back got burned bad while snorkeling- Jennifer F.
- We use coconut oil, coconut oil plus tee tree and lavender EO, ACV, or aloe from the plant. – Kelly K.
- I don’t remember the name of the company, but there was a company that made both a sunburn ointment and a hemorrhoid ointment. Apparently, the hemorrhoid ointment worked better than the sunburn ointment did – my friend kept it exclusively for sunburns and not for any other purpose. 🙂 – Tamera T.
- There is ample jewel weed growing around the cottage. The juice from the stems is great for sunburn and poison ivy. – Erynn B.
- Cold black tea bags.. Sandra K.
- Cider vinegar- swab it on the sunburn. -Shirley Anne C.
