Home Remedies for Sun Burn

The hot sun has a way of wreaking havoc on the skin. We all do our best to keep the skin protected every summer but sometimes we get distracted and may miss a critical prevention step or two. It is imperative to remember sun safety during these warm months as to avoid very painful sunburns that we will deeply regret after it is too late. Try to use a sun block with SPF of 30 or above as well as limit exposure to sun no greater than twenty minutes. Also be sure to use a block that screens UVA and UVB rays from the sun. If necessary, reapply block if the lotion appears to be worn off due to perspiration or water activities.

So perhaps you forgot one of the sunburn prevention steps. Maybe you played eighteen holes of golf without block or swam at the public pool all day without re-applying the SPF 30. You get home and look in the mirror and see a red lobster staring right back at you. This new found red skin tone probably is accompanied with a painful sting to the touch. If the burn is unbearable and discolored purple or has any open blisters, then this exposure is very serious and will require medical attention immediately.

The less serious but still painful sun burns will have us free of any doctor' s visit but still scrambling the house for lotions or gels to relieve the pain. You may reach into the medicine cabinet only to realize that there isn't anything available to put out the fire on your skin. The good news is that there are a number of household products that are capable of suppressing the pain of a sun burn. First and foremost, one should consider taking a pain reliever reduce pain prior to following up with compress, baths, or ointment therapy.

Compress

One way to put out the fire with painful sunburn is through application of gauze or towels soaked in a tannin rich solution. One great remedy is tea. Brew about a quart of tea and cool down to lukewarm to cool temperature. Immerse a clean towel into the tea and squeeze out excess liquid. Apply this cool towel to the burned area and you will be amazed at the pain relief provided by this miracle tea cure. Avoid using your favorite towels or cloths since the tea color will more than likely permanently dye the cloth.

Apple cider vinegar is another tannin rich solution that makes a great compress for sun burns. Simply soak the towel or gauze in the vinegar and apply to burned area. Vinegar will soothe the inflamed area as well as mitigate peeling. It is amazing how many uses vinegar has.

Baths

A bath is gentler to the skin as opposed to a shower after being subjected to too much ultraviolet rays. A shower will shoot the pain meter right off the charts and have you screaming in agony. The better option is to draw a cool to lukewarm bath. Instead of using bubbles, consider some other medicinal household items such as a few cups of baking soda or oatmeal. These items do magic wonders to the skin and will alleviate the pain as you sit immersed in the tub for about twenty to thirty minutes. You will come out of the tub with less pain as well as having cleaner skin.

Ointments

Probably the best item to apply to sunburned skin is the magic pain relief power of aloe vera. An aloe vera plant produced thick waxy leaves that when opened contain a gooey cool gel. This gel works great on the sunburned area when mixed with a little oil and vitamin e. This homemade ointment is a good follow up to the baking soda bath or compress.

Hydration

Whether using a compress, oatmeal bath, or applying homemade ointments you need to make sure the body stays hydrated after exposure to the sun. After falling victim to nasty sunburn, drink extra amounts of water and eat a generous amount of fruit and vegetables. The hydration therapy may not do a whole heck of a lot to get rid of the pain, but it will aid in moisturizing the skin.