How to Make Natural Sunburn Remedies

The easiest way to avoid sunburn is to avoid the sun. But when sunscreens don't do the job and you--or the kids--stay out too long, sunburn is a painful reminder that you'd better take more care next time. Sunburn is actually a type of radiation burn, ultraviolet rays from the sun that penetrate underneath the surface of the skin and can raise blisters as well as the typical redness and inflammation. Years of summers at the beach have encouraged frantic parents to try all sorts of home remedies, some of which are surprisingly effective. Your challenge is to put out the fire and keep the skin from drying out. If you can do this, you can soothe the pain and minimize peeling.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Fruit and herb oils
• Tea and herbs
• Yogurt
• Water
• Spray bottles
• Clean, soft cotton wash cloths

1. When you're dealing with sunburn, your skin's biggest enemy is dehydration. Drink lots of fluids and eat raw fruit to keep hydrated. Eat lean, protein-rich foods like fish and poultry to help your skin grow new cells. Stay away from high-fat foods like fast foods and snack foods that contain oil and chemicals that can irritate your skin rather than help it. Best also to avoid foods with spicy ingredients like jalapeno and habanera peppers--if you sweat, it's like pouring salt on your burn.

2. Plunk into a cooling bath. Dissolve a few cups of baking soda, lemon juice or oatmeal in a tub of cool (not cold) water and soak your burn for a half hour. All soothe and oatmeal is a gentle cleanser that softens, too.

3. Try a cool poultice. Apply a layer of plain yogurt and let sit, then wash off with cool water. Or make cool compresses using equal parts of milk (also good for bath soaks) and water. Teas and herbs make good poultices, too. The tannin in tea and the slightly acidic nature of some herbs helps calm inflamed skin. In addition to black and green teas, mint, chamomile and bergamot tea can be used. Essential oils of bergamot, chamomile and lemon can be also be used to make compresses.

4. Grow an aloe vera plant and feed it plenty during the winter so that, come summer, you can pull off the lower leaves and strip them for the gooey juice inside. Combined with a little vitamin E (break a gel cap), you have a soothing lotion. Calendula (pot marigold) tincture can also be used to make a lotion.

5. Finally, after all the soaking and daubing, you need something to keep your skin cool. Put one of the following in a spray bottle and spritz the burn periodically to keep it from flaming up: apple cider vinegar, tea (any kind) or red wine. All are tannin-rich and will sooth. Lemon water can also be used successfully.

Tips & Warnings

• Use antibacterial soap to wash sunburned skin to protect from secondary infections and keep your skin clean.
• Be sure to wash the skin gently between applications of various remedies so you don't end up smelling like a salad bar or old refrigerator.
• People used to slather oils (such as butter and mineral oil) on burned skin. We know now that these remedies only seal in heat and that the skin heals faster when you can help the heat of the burn escape, or radiate into the air. So try things like tea, vinegar, cool baths and compresses before using lotions like aloe and vitamin E. Use the lotions after the burn is gone to help keep skin hydrated (soft).
• There are hundreds of suggestions for natural sunburn remedies--experiment and find your own. Just remember to cool it, then soothe it with a solution rich in tannins or antioxidants.
• If the skin is so burned that it breaks or bleeds, don't fool with home remedies--get thee to a medical professional immediately! Secondary infections of a burn can be extremely dangerous,
• Be careful with cold water. Plunking a child with a bad sunburn into a cold water bath or giving him a big glass of ice water to chug as he comes in the door can lead to shock or even seizures. Keep it cool with adults and older children and tepid with little ones.

Resources

• Long list of natural cures for sunburn
• General burn information

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