Sunburn can be very sore and itchy but with so many home remedies for sunburn, you should be able to provide relief in a short period of time. Remember however that the damage resulting from sunburn is permanent so don’t get sunburned again.
Home Remedies for Sunburn or Sunburn Remedies at Home or Homemade Sunburn Remedies
So you forgot to apply sunscreen on your way out to the beach or poolside and now look like a lobster. Well, don’t worry; there are numerous home remedies for sunburn that you can always resort to get that flawless skin back. Here are some of them:
Keep cool and moisturized: Sunburn usually makes the skin dry and the heat retained in the sunburned can continue to bake the skin. Take a cool shower or bath every now to stay cool and then follow it up with application of a good water-based lotion such as Eucerin, Aquaphor, etc, but never petroleum jelly (e.g. Vaseline)
Aloe vera: Aloe vera usually helps to soothe the inflammation and pain that accompanies sunburn. Fresh juice from an aloe vera plant works great but if that is not available, applying an over-the-counter aloe gel after shower will work just as fine.
Reapply aloe vera several times each day until you get relief from sunburn pain.
Calendula: Calendula also ranks among the best home remedies for sunburn. It not only helps to lessen inflammation caused by inflammation, but also stimulates the growth of new skin cells to replace the damaged ones. This essentially speeds up the healing process.
There is a great array of skin care creams that feature calendula as one of the ingredients. Check out with one of your local health-food stores.
Cucumber: Cucumber is a natural analgesic according to the Medicinenet website. It is also rich in ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and caffeic acid which have natural antiedemic properties that are beneficial to sunburn swelling.
To use cucumber for relief of sunburn, simply slice a cucumber into thin slices and then place them directly on the sunburned skin. For sunburned eyes, place the slices on each eye while lying down and rest for a while.
Cornflower: Cornflower is rich in cichoric acid, chlorogenic acid, and caffeic acid, all of which have been shown to be beneficial to sunburns. These compounds reduce the destruction of collagen, the protein responsible for maintaining skin elasticity.
You can get Echinacea tea from your local health-food stores and apply it directly on your skin or get one of the lotions and ointments that contain Echinacea as one of the ingredients.
Plantain: Plantain is rich in allantoin which has been shown to help with healing of skin cells.
An easy way to use this remedy is to mash up some plantain leaves and apply them directly on your sunburned skin, but for larger areas of skin, you may want to soak in water to which mashed plantain leaves have been added.
Witch hazel: Witch hazel or Hamamelis virginiana if you like, is also a good remedy for sunburn. It is particularly helpful for sunburn itching. Simply soak a cotton ball with witch hazel and dab it on your skin.
Baking soda: Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) also offers relief for sunburn and is especially helpful for sunburn itching.
One way to use this remedy is to add a cup of baking soda into bathwater but mixing water and baking soda to make a paste and then applying it on the skin works just as fine and may be a preferable option for smaller areas of sunburn.
Oatmeal: Dabbing the skin with steamed oatmeal flakes wrapped in a small washcloth helps to stop itching.
Simply wrap some oatmeal flakes in the washcloth, boil it for five minutes, allow it to cool, and then use it as a bath sponge, without soap. Alternatively, you can get an OTC oatmeal powder such as Aveeno.
Apple cider vinegar: Apple cider vinegar also offers relief from sunburn related itching. It however needs to be diluted with water due to its acidic nature. Simply mix it with water in the ratio of 1:1 and then rinse the skin with the solution.
Over-the-counter painkillers: For sunburn pain, you may want to take some OTC anti-inflammatory medications such as aspirin (Bayer, Panadol etc), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) etc.
Sunburn Remedies Tea
Tea or Camellia sinensis is a popular home remedy for sunburn. It is claimed that the tannic acid and theobromine in tea helps to draw the heat out of the sunburned skin while a compound called catechins prevents further skin damage while promoting faster repair of damaged skin cells.
As antioxidant, tea also fights free radicals that results from exposure of skin to UV rays.
Green tea and black tea work just fine. To use this remedy, simply prepare tea as you normally do, allow it time to cool down, and then use it to wash the skin. Don’t rinse it off; just let it dry on the skin.
Home Remedies for Sunburn on Face
The face is very prone to sun damage given its prominent position and it is thus not surprising that it is one of the parts of the body that most commonly suffer from the wrath of the sun. So what are the best home remedies for sunburn on face, you ask?
Well, aloe vera is always a great bet and rinsing the face with cool tea and placing thin cucumber slices on the face can also offer instant relief.
In case of itching, applying a baking soda paste and then rinsing it off with cold water after 20 minutes or so can also help and so can dabbing the face with boiled oatmeal flakes.
Best Home Remedies for Sunburn
Just yesterday, one of our readers asked us which the best home remedies for sunburn are. Well, this is a rather tricky question given the fact that the suitability of a remedy will vary depending on the extent of damage and the actual symptoms.
Aloe vera however makes for a safe bet for most cases of sunburn. Research has shown that aloe vera aids the skin in healing from burns, including sunburns. It also keeps the skin moisturized and minimizes the extent of peeling. Aloe vera is so effective that it is used in hospitals to treat burns.
As for sunburn pain, your best bets are over-the-counter painkillers and potatoes [see a subsequent section of this guide].
Itching is best treated with baking soda, oatmeal, or apple cider vinegar.
Home Remedies for Sunburn Blisters
One rule of thumb applied to treatment of sunburn: leave them intact.
Keeping the blisters cool with frequent baths is all you need to do, but you may want to soothe symptoms by rinsing them with cool tea (if they are not broken), taking some painkillers or applying moisturizing lotion, mashed potatoes, baking soda, oatmeal and aloe vera on the surrounding areas of skin.
If blisters burst simply wash them with cold water and soap and dab some antibiotic ointment e.g. Polysporin.
Home Remedies for Sunburn Pain
Pain is one of the most common symptoms of sunburn. You can however get some relief by taking over-the-counter pain relieving medications such as ibuprofen, aspirin, or acetaminophen or by applying a potato paste on the sunburn.
Yes, potatoes have natural analgesic properties and can help to take that sunburn pain away.
Simply mash some clean peeled potatoes or cut them into small slices and then apply them directly on the skin. For mashed potatoes, allow them to dry and then wash them off with cold water.
Home Remedies for Severe Sunburn
A for severe sunburn, you may want to apply aloe vera gel, take over-the-counter painkillers, and soothe any itching with some OTC Oral antihistamines such as Benadryl. Talk to your pharmacist about these options.
Watch out for symptoms of sunburn poisoning e.g. Fever, chills, nausea, malaise (weakness) and dehydration e.g. extreme thirst and seek medical attention urgently as soon as they are noted.
