Easing Sunburn

I love Aloe Vera, but I've also used Noxema (face wash/cream) it's very cooling and soothing......
good luck!

I have used tea bags in a bath of luke warm water. I just bought the regular lipton tea, I put 4 in the tub and soak, it has worked take the sting out for me! Good Luck!!

Neutragina makes a after sun product that is made with soy. I liked this product a lot because it was like a lotion, smelled good and isn't sticky like aloe.

100 percent pure cocoa butter (not the lotions which have alcohol in them), and Pure Shea Butter (not the lotions) are very good for healing scarred and damaged skin such as sunburn, pregnancy and weight loss related stretch marks, and burns. The secret is these are loaded with antioxidants.

It's an effective natural method, and very soothing, especially when you get into the peeling skin phase. It pretty much eliminates that part of the healing process, and gives skin a nice glowy sheen. Both of these will give you absolutely gorgeous skin if you use them as your daily skin care regimen. I've had great success in fading old scars to non-existent with pure cocoa butter. Sometimes it comes in a stick (sort of like large sized lip balm) or in a tub.

You can find these butters in their pure form at most health food stores and co-op type markets. Because of their thickness and intesnse smell (I think cocoa butter sort of smells like chocolate cake, and the Shea butter a little sweeter sort of like pine apple or papaya) so you won't want to do this if you're planning on heading out, or hanging out where there's a lot of bugs.

Vitamin E oil is also great too. I've put this on burns from the cooking. I've also used A & D ointment found in the baby diaper section of the store. It works almost as well as cocoa and shea butter, but smells a little medicinal, and is often alot cheaper.

Last but not least. One of my favorite things to do is to refrigerate aloe and vitamin E gel, so that when you need it, it's cold and soothing to the skin, and helps bring down swelling.

My mother in law has some cocoa butter that she bought for her rought skin, but I read on the jar yesterday that it is good for sunburns. I have never tried it for that though. I believe they bought it at walgreens.

Vinegar works good but smells. Making a paste of baking soda & water also works but is messy.

pickle juice
It contains vinegar, which is really helpful, but doesn't smell as bad as straight vinegar (though you'll still probably wanna take a shower) :)

Also Ocean Potion makes a fabulous after-sun lotion that smells great and has really helped some of my sunburns go down a lot overnight.

This is going to sound gross, but mustard works everytime. You have to put a thin layer on your skin and leave alone until it dries then just rinse off. The viniger in the mustard cools the burn along with the mustard being cool from the fridge. It also has somewhat of a tanning quality to it, so the burn goes away faster. I did this and then used a good lotion after the burn was gone and my skin didn't peel. K.

Fill your bathtub with warm water and add about a cup of plain white vinegar. Then shower afterwards to get rid of some of the vinegar smell. It does not smell the best, but it works(if you are really sunburnt the vinegar will sting a little so be careful). It takes out the redness and the sting.

The only other remedy I know for a sunburn is using Noxema. I'm not sure what ingredients are in it, but putting it on a sunburn definitely cools the skin. I've tried it on myself, and it really works. Good luck!

When I was young, my parents took my family to Mexico on a family vacation. My brother and I were each burned to a crisp! A local there told us to buy plain oatmeal and put some in the middle of a wash cloth. You grab up the ends of the wash cloth, so the oats are in the middle (like a little bag). Run it under cool, but not cold water, until the water gets "milky." Then dab this on the burned area. It's very cooling and soothing to the skin! We've used this trick ever since. Good luck!

Brew some strong black tea, let it cool, and then apply it to the burn. This will extract some of the pain and also prevent cancerous cell formation.

Try putting white vinager on it. it takes the burn out. It is pretty cold at first but makes it feel much better right away. Good luck!
N.

I use noxema. You just apply it to the sunburn and it will cool and soothe.

Apply it several times and it should shorten the how long the skin is red.

I used white vinegar growing up and as an adult. It really helps!

Hi J.~ I'm a 50 yr. old mom of 4 boys (some who would rather burn than put sunscreen on) and have tried many things in my lifetime, including aloe vera, Noxema, cold water, Solarcain, and many others. But the best products I've found to date come from Arbonne (a Swiss based health/wellness company with incredible skin care products). They have a whole line of Sunscreen products, including a great After Sun lotion that will soothe and cool the skin, leaving it soft, soothed and moisturized without peeling or itching afterward. There is also a new product from their SeaSource Detox line, the Renewing Body Gelee, that is very cooling and soothing (it will even pull out the pain and black/blue from bruising!). I highly recommend all of Arbonne's products; which are botanically based (certified vegan) and don't contain added fragrances or dyes - just pure, safe benefits. They are not sold in stores, but can be ordered online through independent consultants like myself. Go to their website at www.arbonne.com to check out the company and all the products. My Arbonne home based business is also listed in Mamasource. Feel free to contact me at 888-717-8629 and I can tell you how you can get these great products at a substantial discount if you are interested. Good luck!
D. J

Solarcaine makes several products. The one I have is Aloe based though. If it is a bad burn, I'd get the spray-on kind.

Anything with analgesic properties will work, including anti-itch creams in a pinch.

HYDRATION- drink lots and lots of water. That will help more than anything to reduce pain longer term, especially that head-achy feeling you get along with a burn.

I remember sitting in front of the fan with a wet washcloth one summer, applying the cloth then letting the air evaporate it.

Do NOT use Noxema! It only feels cool on your skin. It actually holds the heat in and causes you to burn deeper into your skin. Aloe vera is your best bet and I have also heard that vinegar is good or extra virgin coconut oil.

Naturally my family swears by the Emu Oil
Good Luck

I have heard that cold milk (on a towel or washcloth) works really well, you just place the towel/washcloth over your sun burn and let it sit for awhile. You could just use cold water on the towels/washcloths instead, just change them out when they feel warm. It helps to cool down the burn and keeps the skin moist.

I have not had the chance to use this because I have not got sunburned yet this summer... which is not normal but fine by me.

Vitamin C is the best sun prevention and remedy. If you take enough vitamin c, your skin will not burn when in the sun. It also works to repair your skin faster after being burned. I use a powdered vitamin c for myself and my 10-yr old - just add to orange juice. And my 6-yr old takes chewable c vitamins.

A baking soda bath will help get rid of the sting.

Banana Boat has a great product called After Sun - LOVE it. Have used it for years! Good luck!
K.

Hi J., my name is L. Faber and am very humbled to tell you I'm involved with a 28 year health and wellness company called Arbonne International. We have several products that have testimonials linked to sun burns (several of my own testimonials on my 4 and 7 year old sons). The company is formulated in Switzerland and is pure, safe, and beneficial. I would love to send you free samples to try and become a beleiver yourself. You will not be dissapointed. If interested, contact me at 1-###-###-#### or my email.

Good luck and hope to hear from you!!!

I second the oatmeal baths, also use solarcaine?? It is a lidocaine spray.

J.,
My Mom burns super easy and will always blister and peal afterwards until we heard of mixing vinegar with olive oil. Mix Apple Cider Vinegar and Olive oil together and dab on skin. The vinegar takes the heat out and the olive oil helps the vinegar stay put on the skin. Best part - completely natural. She smelled like a salad, but she didn't blister. Good Luck.

I have always used vinegar for sunburn, I never used aloe vera until I was 17. It works well, but you have to use it the day the sunburn happens because it isn't very effective after about 15 hours. Just soak a washcloth in vinegar and lay on the sunburn. You will physically feel the skin cool down as you apply it.

A friend of ours went on a Carribean Cruise and got a really bad burn. Their porter went and got a really ripe tomato and sliced it in half and had him rub it all over the burn and let it sit until it was almost dry and then rinse it off. He said it worked better than anything else he had ever used. It took the sting right out and he said it softened the skin up so it didn't feel like he was going to crack open everytime he moved. A.

There is a product on the market called Solar-cane. It's an aerosol spray and is available in the pharmacy isle at Wal-Mart, Target, etc. It instantly relieves the sting and burn.

Hi there! We're going through this right now as well (the weekend of the 4th will do that!) Its not all natural, but the one thing that just works WONDERS for our family is Solarcane. Its a spray on topical coolant/pain reliver you get at the grocery or drug store. Its amazing. Otherwise, just keep lots and lots of lotion or aloe on it to help keep it from peeling or cracking. Good luck!

I've not made much effort to try this, but when we got badly burned in FL one year one of the girls bought white vinegar. I think you need to really douse it/sponge it on, not just a little wipe with cotton. I think it's supposed to take the red out overnight. Of course I wouldn't do this just before going anywhere important as you'll be smelling of vinegar, lol.

My grandma always used to put vinegar (cider, if available) on a cotton ball and rub it over the burn. We used to complain about the smell, but it INSTANTLY relieved the burn and back out to play we went! Motrin is also good to take/give the children to help with the swelling.

Soak paper towels in vinegar and apply it directly to the sunburned area. It smells horrible but it feels SO GOOD!!!

Oatmeal baths(aveeno, walgreens make these packets) can be helpful.

I've always used Noxema on my sunburns. It takes away the sting for a while...

I burn very easily, and the best thing I have used is leaves (shoots?) from an actual aloe plant. Cut them open and smear the inside on the burn. It works much better than the gel you can buy in a store. I have also used it to heal burns on my hands-just cut it open, put the inside against your skin, and put a band-aid on to hold in place. Added benefit is it is completely natural! Good luck!

This is an old remedy but it works. Soak a wash cloth in vinegar water and put it on sunburn. Doesn't smell the greatest, but takes the sting out.

I have read that soaking a wash cloth in brown vinager and laying it on your skin is suppose to work. My cousins says it works well for her. Also I recently heard that places tea bags on the worse part of the burns is suppose to bring instant comfort .Good Luck

This may be a bit late to help, but one of the best things I've ever done for a bad sunburn is Advil. Adults should take at least 600 mg (3 tablets, not 2) because the larger dose helps reduce inflammation, in addition to relieving pain. The sun dries out your skin, so re-hydrating is important, too. Lots of water and a moisturizer of some kind (it looks like you've already gotten lots of advice on that one) will help. Enjoy your summer!

Use vinegar in a spray bottle and spritz all over burned area - you'll smell like a pickle, but it will completely get rid of the stinging. Best of all it is cheap AND natural! I'm very fair skinned and tend to burn easily and this has always helped to relieve the pain where other things have failed. After vinegar has dried, lather up with a lotion with cocoa butter to keep the burned skin supple to prevent peeling.