Home Remedies for Sunburn

It’s summertime and for many of us that means more time outside, which can lead to a little too much sun.  If you get burned, try out these home remedies for sunburn to help relieve the pain and speed healing.

Home Remedy for Sunburn #1 – Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar is one home remedy that comes up time and again, and sunburn treatment is no exception. It’s the top sunburn remedy recommendation at Earth Clinic, and the top recommendation in Home Remedies:  What Works.  Some people use it straight, some dilute it in lukewarm water.  (Straight vinegar may sting a little because of the acetic acid.)  Apply gently with a cotton ball or lay a soft washcloth soaked in the solution on the area.  Apply on the hour as needed.

Home Remedy for Sunburn #2 – Aloe Vera

Aloe vera is a trusted skin soother and moisturizer, and also acts as an herbal antibiotic.  Long recommended as a treatment for burns from other sources, it works just as well on sunburn.  If you have an aloe plant, simply clip off a leaf and slice lengthwise to extract the gel and apply gently to the affected area.  You could also juice the leaves if you have a juicer available.

If you don’t have an aloe vera plant, you can purchase aloe vera gel, but make sure to read the label.  Many brands have questionable ingredients such as artificial dyes and additives like urea.  Aubrey Organics Aloe Vera has a pretty short ingredient list:  “Aloe barbadensis (aloe) leaf juice*, citrus grandis (grapefruit) extract, cyamopsis tetragonoloba (guar) gum*, tocopherol (vitamin E).*Organic”.  You can often find aloe products at health food stores.

The only down side of using aloe is that it forms a stiff, somewhat tacky coating on your skin.  I prefer to use it for small areas that don’t need to flex (say, the tip of your nose, for instance).

Home Remedy for Sunburn #3 – Coconut Oil

I use coconut oil as a sunblock and as an after sun treatment.  While it doesn’t have a high SPF (it’s been rated between 4 and 10, depending on the study), it allows a healthy amount of UV radiation to reach the skin and helps to prevent free radical damage.  (Most of us are vitamin D deficient, and the best source of vitamin D is sunlight.)  The Natural Nutrition Adviser has a nicely written article titled “Coconut Oil as Sunscreen?” that provides a great discussion of various natural oils, and what coconut oil does and doesn’t do.

Back to sunburn – when I’ve used coconut oil for sunburn, it has very quickly soothed the burning and tightness of the skin.  Coconut oil is very light, so it is quickly absorbed by the skin.  It didn’t seem to trap the heat at all (I’ve seen that comment made regarding using oils for sunburn treatment).  The medium chain fatty acids in the oil can be absorbed topically, and are used by our body for healing.  Another Earth Clinic user reported using cocoa butter in a similar fashion.

Home Remedy for Sunburn #4 – Honey

In the post “Honey as Medicine – Prevent Infection, Kill Bacteria, Promote Healing“, Dr. Hubbard explains the healing actions of honey:

• It seals in the good tissue fluid containing enzymes and proteins that promote healing.
• It provides nutrition to the tissue.
• It decreases inflammation and swelling in a yet unknown way.

Again, as with aloe vera, honey is often recommended as a treatment for burns.  It works well, as we learned firsthand last spring when my husband burnt his hand on the tiller.  There was about an inch long blister.  When we applied honey, the pain and swelling decreased.  He applied honey the first two days, after which the skin was mostly back to normal.  Interestingly, when he changed the bandages to redress the wound, he found the honey dry, not tacky, under the bandage.  (He was afraid it was going to stick, but it didn’t.)  Apparently the moisture in the honey had been absorbed into the skin. (The bandage was also dry.)

To apply honey on sunburn, you can dab the honey directly on smaller areas, or apply the honey to a bandage and apply the bandage to a larger area.

Home Remedy for Sunburn #5 – Oatstraw and oatmeal

Oatmeal is another wonderful skin soother.  Oatmeal baths are recommended for a variety of skin ailments, but can also be helpful to sooth internal pain and reduce stress.  Oats are one of the herbs that Susun Weed discusses in Healing Wise, and she can’t sing enough of their praises.  You can use oatstraw (dried green oat plant), oatmeal or specialty products like Aveeno Bath Colloidal Oatmeal.

To use oatstraw, make an oatstraw infusion by placing two ounces/60 grams of dried plant in a 2 quart/liter jar and covering with boiling water.  Cover and allow to sit four hours or overnight.  Strain out the plant material, and add the liquid to your warm bath water.

To use oatmeal, take about two handfuls of dried oatmeal (not cooked – any type is fine) and mix it into your warm bathwater until it forms a slurry.  Soak as needed for relief.

Home Remedy for Sunburn #6 – Milk

Moo juice is the treatment of choice for some of the sun baked.  Maybe it’s a Midwestern thing?  I remember my mom bathing my shoulders with milk after a little too much sun at a nearby lake.  We lived on a dairy farm, so that may have something to do with the choice of treatment.  It did help to sooth the burn, although I did smell a little like sour milk.  Simply apply the milk gently to the affected area with a cotton ball or very soft cloth.  Yogurt, sour cream and kefir are also good options, and may stay in place a little better than plain milk.

Home Remedy for Sunburn #7 – Baking Soda

One Earth Clinic user recommends a paste of baking soda and water applied to the affected area and reapplied as needed when it dries out. You can also use a few tablespoons in a tepid bath and soak for 15-20 minutes.  This wouldn’t be my first choice, as it might be too drying, but if you have nothing else on hand I’d give it a go.  Pat dry or air dry to avoid abrasion.

Home Remedy for Sunburn #8 – Lukewarm Bath

A good soak all on its own can help to rehydrate and cool the skin.  Don’t overdo it – 15 to 20 minutes is plenty.  Adding skin soothers such as the oatmeal, chamomile, tea bags (5 – 8 per bath) or brewed tea will help even more.  To make a chamomile bath bomb, fill a small cloth bag with the dried herb and hang it in the water flow as you are filling the tub.

Home Remedy for Sunburn #9 – Essential Oils

Lavender or chamomile essential oil (EO) diluted in a carrier oil such as jojoba or fractionated coconut oil (20 drops EO to 4 ounces carrier oil) may help speed healing.  Again, there is some discussion as to whether or not it’s okay to apply oil on a fresh burn, so it may be best to use one of the other treatments first.

I hope this post helps keep you comfortable and on the mend if you get too much sun this summer.

As always, any medical information is for informational purposes only. If burns are severe, please see a trained health professional.

Mountain Rose Herbs stocks a wonderful variety of herbs and seeds, as well as prepared teas and other herbal products . (They stock oatstraw and chamomile.)  They are a reputable company, and one of my longest running affiliates.  I am also an affiliate for Nutiva and Amazon, and a doTERRA Independent Product Consultant.  If you can’t find what you need locally and decide to purchase through my site, I receive a small affiliate payment.  (Thanks!)  Your purchases help support this site.

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