How to Ease the Pain of Sunburn (and Lessen the Long Term Damage)

Everybody has done it. . . spent a little too much time in the sun, with no or too little sunscreen. Our kids have been crispy critters too. The burning, stinging pain of sunburn is hard to forget, and hard to endure. You can ease the pain, and help combat the side effects, with the ingredients for a simple, old-fashioned breakfast.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Bathtub
• 1 Cup Old Fashioned Oatmeal
• 2 Cups Whole Milk
• 1/2 Hour of Free Time

1. Pour roughly 1 cup of old-fashioned oats into a tube sock, tie the open end of the sock in a loose half-knot. Plug the tub, set the water temperature (luke warm is best) and begin to run your bath. Drop the oat-sock into the tub. The oats will release a milky-looking starch that will coat and sooth your sunburn (and other minor skin irritations).

2. Add the milk slowly to the running water, the resulting foam will soften your skin, as well as coat and sooth your sunburn. In addition to the immediate easing of your pain, the fat in the whole milk will be absorbed by your skin to help replace essential oils lost to sun damage, restoring natural balance to your skin and helping to prevent wrinkling and other long-term damage.

3. Soak in the tub as long as you can, 1/2 hour to an hour, adding warm water as needed to maintain a comfortable temperature. When you get out air dry if possible. If you need to dry off quickly, try patting dry with an old t-shirt or cotton pillowcase to avoid abrading the burn.

Tips & Warnings

• For additional relief apply an alcohol-free aloe vera gel (available at your local health-food or natural grocery store) immediately after your bath.
• Avoid additional sun exposure even after your burn has stopped hurting, that skin wil be extra susceptible for a few weeks after your initial burn. A single layer of clothing is not always enough to prevent the sun from adding to an existing burn.