12 Quick and Easy Natural Home Remedies to Soothe Your Sunburns
Prevention is better than cure. That's what they always say. It would be nice if you are conscious regarding your skin’s health to prevent sun damage. There’s a lot of ways to prevent yourself from getting a sunburn. You can wear sunscreens, protective clothes, and accessories.
However, I can’t deny the fact that we sometimes enjoy so much leisure activities under the sun that we forget to take precautions for our skin. That’s why it’s common to have sunburns at the end of your summer escapade. If that happens, worry not because we got you these quick and easy natural sunburn remedies you can do at home.
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First Things First…
Before we go searching our house for natural remedies, immediately do this first aid resolution to someone who suffered sunburn: cool compress (not too cold). This will give an immediate soothing effect to the affected area.
After the initial intervention, you can now look around your house for these home remedies to cure sunburn:
Items Typically Found Inside the House
#1- Lotions that Contain Aloe Vera
- Aloe vera is a great skin moisturizer and has the soothing effects. That is why it is a common ingredient used in moisturizers, body creams or lotions.
- Applying aloe vera will prevent your skin from painful peeling.
- Some aloe vera products have lidocaine - an analgesic substance.
- To use, just apply product directly on the skin, preventing too much pressure and friction. You can lightly apply it using circular pressure.
#2- Topical Over-the-Counter (OTC) 1% Hydrocortisone Cream
Via Amazon.com
- You can usually find it in your medicine cabinet or your first aid kit. It’s a usual first aid used for skin inflammation, swelling, and redness.
- Apply it directly on the area and gently rub it in a circular motion.
#3- Cool Milk
- It’s a common item inside your fridge. Just like applying cool (not too cold) water, this will soothe the area immediately.
- Milk also has high moisturizing properties that prevent your skin from drying, cracking, and peeling.
- It is also high in protein - the building blocks of skin. The temporary protein film applied over the sunburnt skin will soothe discomforts.
- You can use it as an alternative to cool water compress by soaking a clean towel with cold milk and applying it to the affected area.
#4- Vitamin E
- This is a supplement that is greatly known for its benefits in keeping your skin healthy.
- Applying vitamin e oil immediately after severe sun or UV exposure has proven to lessen the sun damage to the skin.
- Initially, you can puncture a vitamin E capsule and apply the oil to your burnt skin. You can foster its effects by taking vitamin E regularly after.
#5- Brewed Tea/Tea Bags
- The moisturizing and soothing properties of this natural antioxidant can be used to treat sunburns.
- Tannic acid is commonly found in green and black teas. It is known to have protective properties on the skin by effectively drawing the heat from the sunburn.
- You can either brew the tea and apply it using a clean cloth in the affected area once it cools down or just place moistened tea bags on the affected area.
#6- Cornstarch/ Baking Soda
- Cornstarch is a widely known remedy for treating skin allergies. This soothing effect is also beneficial for your sunburn.
- Just make it with water to form a paste and apply it like a regular cream or ointment in the affected area.
#7- Petroleum Jelly
- It’s rare to find a house with no petroleum jelly in it. It has so many skin benefits that you can’t live without. It is particularly known as a great moisturizer, especially for cracked lips.
- As a humectant, it prevents your skin from drying and peeling, and at the same time, leaving a protective barrier to prevent moisture, and bacteria from coming in.
Plants or Vegetation Typically Found in Your Garden
#8- Potato
- A potato is rich in vitamins and minerals that are known beneficial for the skin. It is widely used in many skin care products to improve the skin’s condition.
- Grate clean potatoes and extract its juice. You can also use a juicer or a blender for this. You can apply it on your skin using a cotton ball or just leave a soaked gauze over the area.
- If you want to do it easier and faster, just leave slices of potatoes on your burnt skin.
#9- Aloe Vera
- As previously mentioned, aloe vera is a natural skin soother and moisturizer.
- The application can be done in two ways:
- Chop a portion of the aloe vera leaf, cut it in the middle for it to open flat, then lay it on your affected skin.
- Squeeze the gel out of the aloe vera and apply it like a regular soothing gel or cream.
#10- Cucumbers
- Cucumbers are cool and soothing to the skin. It also has antioxidant and analgesic properties that will alleviate skin discomforts effectively while promoting healing.
- Like treating your eye bags, just place slices of cucumber on the sun burnt skin. Flip it as it heats up.
- You can also create a paste by the help of a blender.
#11- Lettuce
- Cold lettuce from the fridge is not only beneficial for cooling effects. It’s prime importance is its ability to provide natural pain relief for its analgesic properties.
- You can apply a cool pulp directly on your skin or you can pulverize the lettuce leaves to create a paste/ointment.
#12- Eggplant
- This is used in folk medicine to cure sunburn for its soothing properties and ability to heal the skin.-It is also used in Australia for skin cancer treatment.
- You can mash or pulverize the eggplant and apply it on the affected area.
Conclusion
As you can see, there’s a lot of ways to cure your sunburn--but that doesn’t mean you’ll go around spending too much time under the sun. Sunburns don’t look good and it’s painful! I know you also have your own proven remedies for sunburns.
Care to share it with everyone else? Feel free to tell us through the comment section below.
