There’s nothing worse than getting a sunburn, but these DIY at home sunburn relief hacks will have you feeling better in no time!
Being a Floridian, I’ve had my fair share of sunburns. Mostly when I was younger and naive about the dangers of the sun and wanting that golden glow that all my friends had. Unfortunately for me, my half Irish roots caused me to turn a pinkish hue before turning into a tan. Being older now I take way better care of my skin and use sunscreen on the regular, but there still has been those few times where I either forgot or didn’t think to reapply and the inevitable sunburn came back.
If you’ve ever had a sunburn, you know how uncomfortable they are. Since summer time is when they mostly occur, I thought I’d share 20 DIY home remedies to soothe it and bring some relief back so you can get on with your week. Here’s how…
- Drink a lot of water! Your skin is super dry and dehydrated so fluids will help your skin heal from sunburns more quickly.
- Apply cool milk with a clean cloth to your sunburned skin. The milk will create a protein film that helps ease sunburn discomfort.
- If you don’t want to use a cloth soaked in milk, yogurt applied directly onto the burn will do the same thing.
- Steep some black tea and then let it completely cool, after it has cooled soak a cloth in it and put the cloth in the fridge for a few mins and then apply to sunburnt skin. The tannic acid in black tea helps draw heat from sunburned skin, and also helps in restoring the pH balance.
- Use apple cider vinegar, plain or diluted, to ease a sunburn.
- An oatmeal bath will help with that itchy feeling you sometimes get when sunburns begin to heal.
- Take over the counter pain meds like Advil or Ibuprofen to help ease the pain.
- Chill 1 or 2 cucumbers and toss them in a blender to create a paste to apply on burn. Add in cornstarch if you want it a little thicker.
- Cornstarch mixed with water to make a paste is also a great way to soothe a sunburn.
- No cornstarch? Baking soda is also good to make a paste and will help take away some of that pain.
- Obviously, Aloe definitely helps. I like to chill it a bit in the fridge before applying.
- Add some lavender or chamomile essential oil to a lukewarm bath to help relieve some of the stinging and pain a sunburn brings.
- Boil and mash some peeled potatoes…weird I know, but it helps! Let them cool, and apply to sunburned areas. The starch in the potatoes helps draw out heat, which can reduce pain and speed healing.
- Witch Hazel applied to the skin can help reduce inflammation, and can help relieve sunburn.
- Add 2 cups of baking soda to a lukewarm bath to help ease irritation and redness from sunburn.
- Egg whites beaten and then applied to the sunburn will also help relieve the pain.
- Strawberries just like tea contain tannic acid so mash some up and apply on the burn for some relief.
- Honey is known to repair damaged cells. So for a sticky solution, apply to the burn and then take a cool shower after about 20 minutes.
- Ice will chill out the burn for some temporary relief.
- Frequent cold showers will keep your skin cool. Then you can use one of these other remedies to apply on the burn for relief.
I can remember when I was 14-15 I got a super bad burn from the beach which resulted in blisters on my shoulders and upper back. Whatever you do, don’t pick at them. Try to keep them covered and they will start to pop on their own. Then apply lots of Antibiotic Ointment over the areas. Blisters mean a severe burn so it’s probably wise to head to your doctor too.
Remember…Prevention is key to not getting a sunburn. So find a sunscreen you love with high SPF and get into the habit of routinely wearing it.
I hope you found these sunburn relief hacks helpful! If you have a trick that works, I’d love to hear it in the comments below!
Talk to you soon, friends. Take care!
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