Summer entertaining is upon us which means plenty of time outdoors enjoying time with friends and family. If you or one of your guests accidentally soaks up too much sun, turn to these six Natural Sunburn Soothing Remedies with ingredients from your kitchen for relief!
As a working mom to four little kids, I’m always on the lookout for helpful ideas, including kitchen hacks for my family. On our blog, Sustain My Craft Habit, my sister and I write about simple, nature-inspired DIY, crafts, and home decor ideas. We’re on a journey to find more natural solutions and options for our homes and non-toxic skin care is high on our list.
Summer Entertaining the Natural Way
Summer entertaining happens often at our family cottage. Even with sunblock, sunburns often happen with our friends and family who aren’t used to the higher intensity of the sun by the lake. As a must, we grow aloe which is a go-to in our home for all sorts of minor aches and pains, including sunburns. You’d be surprised at how many other sunburn soothing remedies you can find in your kitchen. Here are a few of our favorites.
6 Sunburn Soothing Ingredients found in your Kitchen
1. Apple Cider Vinegar
With its natural cooling properties, diluted apple cider vinegar can help to soothe sunburned skin and may help to prevent against infection. By adding a small amount to your cool bath water, the apple cider vinegar will help relieve the burning sensation, redness, inflammation, and itching due to excessive exposure to the sun. When applying on to your sunburned skin, be sure to dilute the vinegar with cool water.
You can easily make your own homemade apple cider vinegar to use on your salads as well as your sunburns and try this detox tea with apple cider vinegar.
2. Lavender Oil
Lavender essential oil has antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties which may help to promote new skin growth and healing. Add a few drops to your warm bath or to a cool wet towel and apply to the sunburned area. You can also learn how to make your own lavender infused oil to use.
3. Aloe Vera Plant
An aloe vera plant has long since been used as a natural remedy for healing scrapes, cuts, and sunburns. With all of its anti-inflammatory and cooling properties, it helps reduce immediate discomfort caused by sunburns as well as protect the skin by providing a protective layer that holds in the moisture. To learn how to harvest the healing gel from an aloe vera plant, refer to the how-to steps found here.
If you like these mandala-inspired painted heart rocks, you can head over to our blog for the full tutorial.
4. Chamomile Tea
Chamomile flowers are a high source of antioxidants that are associated with reducing pain and swelling. The floral fragrance of chamomile tea possesses soothing properties that relieve pain. It also aids in sleeping and reducing anxiety. As a natural anti-inflammatory, chamomile helps to reduce skin irritations and redness while promoting healing. Enjoy it as a hot beverage or soak the chilled tea in a towel to apply directly on to a sunburned area.
5. Coconut Oil
Coconut oil is high in saturated fats which helps to moisturize all skin types. Since skin over exposed to UV rays tends to be dry and itchy, applying coconut oil will help to moisturize and relieve some of that discomfort. Although coconut coil won’t necessarily heal sunburns, it may make the burn less uncomfortable by soothing the area. For your skin, only use organic, virgin coconut oil that is free of other oils and additives. Experts recommend applying only after the skin has cooled naturally after some time.
6. Cucumber
Cucumbers naturally possess antioxidant and analgesic properties making them an excellent option to help heal sunburns. Make a paste with your blender from a chilled cucumber, or simply mash the cucumber and apply it to the sunburned area. The cucumber will cool the burn, which in turn reduces pain and inflammation. Mix some cucumber with aloe vera gel for added healing benefits of both natural ingredients.
If you’d rather eat the cucumbers, try our rainbow pepper spiralized salad recipe!
We hope you find this information about DIY Sunburn Remedies from Jane at Sustain My Craft Habit useful during the summer entertaining months. If you enjoyed this article and you’re looking for more ways to help with your outdoor entertaining, check out some of our other hacks and tips. For daily recipe inspiration, subscribe to our newsletter, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Pinterest. Enjoy!
Disclosure: Allergic reactions to these natural remedies are rare, but can occur. If you experience a rash, increased redness or increased itching after use, stop using and contact your doctor for advice. The author of this article is not a trained medical professional, nor a dietician. All of the information in this post is based on research, doctor recommendations, and personal experience.
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