Sometimes after a day out in the sun, you realize that regardless the measures you have taken to prevent the dreaded sunburn, it has happened anyway. Your exposed skin becomes weirdly itchy and you notice some slightly red patches. What can you do short of rushing to your nearest pharmacist or skin care expert? Well, unfortunately, you cannot turn back the clock to reverse the sun damage, but there are plenty sunburn remedies which can bring your skin closer to what it was in no time.

Simple Sunburn Remedies

Take a Cool Bath

After spending the day “accidentally” soaking up some sun, the first thing that you should to do is take a bath to cool down your sunburned skin. Not just any kind of bath, but the right kind of bath. Make sure to avoid perfumes or soaps that can irritate your skin, because these will easily add more damage to the already dry and sunburned skin.

To help ease the irritation and the redness, add 2 cups of baking soda to the bath water.
And if the skin is itchy soak in an oatmeal bath.
To relieve some of the stinging, add some chamomile essential oil or lavender to the bath.
Adding apple cider vinegar to the bath water can also soothe the sunburn. Mix one cup of vinegar with the cool bath water.

Visit the Kitchen

Where else can you get some natural sunburn remedies other than your beloved kitchen? You might be surprised by the simple kitchen staples that can hydrate the skin and soothe sunburns.

Mix cornstarch with a bit of water and apply to the sunburned skin for anti-inflammatory relief.
Milk contains anti-inflammatory properties. Soak a clean cloth in a mixture of milk and ice cubes, then compress it on the sunburned skin for 20 minutes. Repeat until you feel some relief.
Apply yogurt to the sunburned areas to keep irritation at bay then rinse off with a cool shower later. The anti-inflammatory properties of yogurt will help your skin a great deal.
Hold a cold compress over the sunburned area. This will constrict blood vessels and absorb some of the heat from the skin.

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Avoid Peeling the Skin

If your skin has been badly sunburned to the extent of having blisters then this can be classified as a severe sunburn. If this is the case, head over to your skin care expert for more advice. Also, avoid peeling the skin because this will be increasing the chances of getting a nasty infection.

Coconut oil

As one of the favorite sunburn remedies for most people, which is also my go-to, coconut oil does wonders. Simply moisturize the sunburned area with coconut oil (organic is best) once the sunburn has calmed down. Also, keep in mind that coconut oil is not a sunscreen.

Prevention

We are always talking about this, but preventing direct UV exposure is the best of all sunburn remedies. Wear protective clothing, wide brimmed hat, and sunglasses, and always use a sunscreen that has an SPF of 30 or higher. Also, apply the said sunblock about 30 minutes before leaving your safe space. Remember to also protect your lips by applying a lip balm with SPF 30+.

If your sunburn is very severe, and the sunburn remedies are not working, which I’m sure you will be able to tell by listening to that little voice at the back of your head or by looking at your blistered skin, seek medical advice as soon as possible to avoid those nasty infections.

xoxo

Images: Pixabay