Tip of the Day - Sunburn Home Remedies
The other day when we talked about nanoparticles in sunscreen, Aimee asked about after sun care, so I did a little research and here’s what I came up with.
Getting too much sun can be very unhealthy. It’s important to be careful, use sunscreen and/or cover up. But everyone has an oops moment — that strip of skin you missed when you were smoothing on the sunscreen, or not realizing your shirt doesn’t cover your back when you bend over to garden (yeah, that’s me). Once the damage is done, what should you do?
Spa Index warns that you shouldn’t apply any lotion or petroleum product to burned skin for 48 hours after getting the burn.
Aloe vera gel is a great way to get some relief from a burn and keep your skin moisturized and soft. Unfortunately, a lot of gels out of the market have a little bit of aloe and a whole lot of additives. Get an aloe plant. It’s great to have around for burnt fingers and other home injuries anyway, and especially useful in the summer. Break the leaves and squeeze out the gel when you need it. Enjoy the plant and the air cleaning benefits of live greens when you don’t.
Cucumbers, lavender oil, oatmeal, rosewater and green tea are all great ingredients to help you recover from a sunburn. Check out Spa Index and Skin Care Recipes and Remedies for the recipes.
And make sure to visit your dermatologist for a skin cancer screening. I know it’s a scary thing to do, but the peace of mind you’ll have from staying on top of your skin health is worth it. I have pale skin and lots of spots and dots, so I go every six months for a recheck. It was SO hard to make that first appointment, but now it’s just a part of the routine. I even had a mole removed last year (turned out to be nothing) and it didn’t hurt at all. The fear is far worse than actually doing it.
May 21st, 2008 at 6:24 pm
Growing up, we always put cool tea bags on sun burns. Aloe is nice too.
May 21st, 2008 at 8:09 pm
i had a freckle turn “pre”cancerous almost over night. they did a biopsy then removed a chunk of skin. honestly, it was no big deal — but yeah, us pale and spotty folks need to be extra careful!
May 21st, 2008 at 8:31 pm
I’ve heard that vinegar can bring sunburn relief as well.
Thanks for the useful home recipe links!
May 21st, 2008 at 8:32 pm
Oops, I just read on one of your links that vinegar is not recommended, BUT I have read in other places that it has really helped people.
May 22nd, 2008 at 1:40 am
My fiance got me an Aloe plant for Valentine’s Day (I had asked for it) and I think it’s definitely a gift that keeps giving. We have used it to treat minor burns, scratches, and itchy spots and it works great. I also love the bright green color and architectural look of it.
May 22nd, 2008 at 8:47 pm
Thanks for this post! I was thinking about getting some rosewater for my skin–nice to know there’s an additional reason to use it.
May 24th, 2008 at 8:56 pm
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