How To Treat Sunburns

OH NO!! You went out to enjoy the beautiful sunshine, and lost track of time. Maybe you spent the day in the pool. Either way, you ended up with the same result…”The worst sunburn of your life”. I’ve put together a list of ways to, not only help your skin, but take that terrible pain away.

First things first…When you get inside, take an ibuprofen. This helps to relieve pain and swelling that is caused from a sunburn. The next step is to drink A LOT of water. Severe dehydration is caused when you have a sunburn.

Cool off that skin!! Take a cool bath or shower. Avoid soaps. The soaps can burn and dry out the sunburn, causing more pain and irritation. Soap can also washes away the natural oils that help to heal the sunburn. By soaking in a cool bath, you bring down the temperature of your skin which results in relieving the burning.

Apply some aloe! There’s a reason that this is the most popular recommendation. It works. One thing people don’t realize is that applying only once, won’t get you the best results. Your burn absorbs that first coat fairly quickly. Here’s what we do, and we’re able to avoid any pealing and blistering. We apply a thick coat right away. About 30 minutes later, I apply a second coat. I add a coat about once an hour for a few hours. All natural aloe works the best and helps to avoid any sting. We always follow the aloe by wearing loose clothing for 24 hours after the sunburn occurred. This will prevent clothing irritation. I have two fair skinned redheads for children, so I’ve had to find something that works. 🙂

The burning is still there! Here are some other ways to ease the pain…

Buttermilk.
Fill a spray bottle with 1/2 a cup of buttermilk. Use the spray bottle to mist the burn. Allow it to sit for about 10-15 minutes. Take a luke warm shower to rinse off. It should relieve most, if not all of the burning. Repeat if needed.

Teabags.
Steep a few teabags, remove from water and let cool. You can spray the tea on the burn, and if the burn is really bad, apply the teabag directly to the area.

Vinegar.
Take a SOFT cloth and dip into a bowl of vinegar. Gently pat onto the sunburn. I don’t recommend using this on a sunburn with any open blisters. IT BURNS!!

NEVER….EVER, POP A BLISTER!!!
The fluid in your blister has a healing agent that replenishes your skin. By popping them, you open yourself up to several infections…Plus, it HURTS. Once a blister is popped, it’s much more difficult to relieve the burning.

Tina is a Lawyer, turned “Stay-at-home” Mom. The decision to stay home cut her family’s income drastically. She started the blog “The Happy Lil’ Homemaker” about 8 months ago, to share the tips, she’s learned along the way.

You can also find her on Facebook.

3 thoughts on “How To Treat Sunburns”

  1. Vinegar is awesome. My mom used to dab it on with cotton balls although a spray bottle should also work well. I only got burned bad enough to need vinegar twice, but it was a lifesaver. I went from burning to chills and shivering within a few minutes, and I needed a SOFT blanket to be comfortable.

  2. This from a doctor when my daughter had a sunburn with swelling so extreme, I almost couldn’t recognize her…Aspirin, believe it or not, works topically! Dissolve 2 aspirin in cool water, put on a wash cloth and apply to burned area every 4 hours. Also, take the recommended dosage with lots of water. I’ve done this and have found lots of relief – but you’ll know it when the 4 hrs are up! This topical method also quickly gets rid of blistering.

  3. Noxzema Cold cream will take the redness and heat out of a sunburn as well. I have a fair skin ginger child too.

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