Home Remedies for Sunburn Relief That Really Work

The warm summer sunshine is wonderful. Summer festivals, gardening, swimming – but oh-oh! – too long in the sun and we’re burned. 

Here are the proven, tried-and-true home remedies for sunburn relief that really work to soothe the pain and discomfort of the burn. 

Tea

Black tea is rich in antioxidants and is a wonderful treatment for irritated, damaged and sunburned skin. Soak a few tea bags in water until the water darkens with the tannins releasing.

You can put the tea bags directly on your eyelids. Soak a cloth in the tea water and pat this solution on sunburned skin. Black tea removes the heat, pain, and stinging quickly. The tannins reduce inflammation and help restore the skin’s pH balance.

Potatoes

Potatoes are also well known as a pain reliever for skin irritations.  They reduce inflammation and draw heat from your skin. Grate two potatoes in a bowl or cut them up and put them in a blender or food processor to make potato mush. 

Soak cotton balls in the mixture or make a gauze dressing and apply to sunburned areas.  Change the dressing several times a day until the pain is relieved.

Drink Water

Keep a bottle of ice cold water on hand. Sunburns will dehydrate your skin and the best way to help your body heal faster after a sunburn is to drink more water to replenish the liquids your body has lost

Moisturize

Sunburns dehydrate your skin. Use a gentle, fragrance-free moisturizer such as Aveeno Fragrance-Free Moisturizing Lotion with Natural Shea Butter & Triple Oat Complex. You can also chill your moisturizer  in the refrigerator before use for added relief.

Vinegar

A vinegar solution applied to sunburned skin is a popular sunburn remedy. Apple cider vinegar is a natural astringent, and soothes the pain and speeds up the healing process. Acetic acid in apple cider vinegar will help ease itching and inflammation.

Here are a few ways to use vinegar as a sunburn remedy:

Mix half and half equal amounts of apple cider vinegar and cool water. Soak a cloth or paper towels in the solution and place them over the sunburned areas. Leave the paper towels on until they are nearly dry, then remove them. Repeat this process several times over a few days.

Add a cup of apple cider vinegar to a cool or lukewarm bath and soak for 30 minutes. 

Put unfiltered apple cider vinegar into a spray bottle to spritz onto your skin. 

Chilled Cucumber

Put one or two chilled cucumbers in a blender to create a paste and apply this mixture directly to sunburned areas. A cool cucumber is quite soothing and its antioxidants and analgesic properties promote healing

Aloe Vera

The #1 most popular sunburn remedy is aloe vera which has amazing anti-inflammatory properties. The most popular is the gel form of aloe vera that you find in most stores. But you can also use an aloe vera plant. Break open the leaves and squeeze out the healing liquid.

The application works the same for both store-bought products and plants. Apply a light coating of chilled aloe vera gel onto any sunburned areas and allow it to dry so your skin fully absorbs the beneficial elements.

Soothing Soaks

Baking Soda Bath Soak

Soothe the burn in a cool bath with a few heaping tablespoons of baking soda mixed in. Soak for about 15 to 20 minutes.

After your soak, don’t towel dry. Just let your skin air dry to better absorb the baking soda solution into your skin. The alkaline in the baking soda soothes the burn and has antiseptic properties to relieve the itchiness.  

Oatmeal Bath Soak

The polysaccharides in oatmeal will coat and heal your skin, locking in moisture to keep your skin hydrated.

Fill a clean cotton sock with 2 cups of plain, uncooked rolled oats. Tie off the top of the sock so the oats can’t spill out into the tub. Place the sock full of oats in the bathwater to soak for a few minutes. Then squeeze the sock to release the polysaccharides.  The water will start to look cloudy.

While you’re soaking in the bath, you can squeeze the sock every few minutes to continue releasing the healing oatmeal. Your skin will feel a little slippery. After you’ve been soaking for 20 – 30 minutes, get out of the bath and just air dry or pat lightly with a towel.  

You’ll find these natural sunburn remedies really helpful but prevention is better than suffering with the pain. So plan ahead before venturing out into the sunshine. Put on some sunscreen, wear a hat, find some shade and check in with your skin. 

Stay Cool!