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Sunburn Remedies

The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
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Fresh Whey

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Posted by Jeanne G. (colorado) on 11/19/2023
 ★★★★★

I have seen a nasty sunburned skin look good in morning, after using pure fresh whey, after making home cheese, and letting it drip, that liquid applied as a compress on clean white cloth.

It was left of for 1/2 hour. The fresh whey used to be European beauty secret before we became suntan worshipers.

Green Coconuts

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Posted by Steve12 (San Jose, Ca) on 08/05/2013
 ★★★★★

Being fair skinned I always burned very easily. 12 years ago I started buying green coconuts from the Asian grocers for a dollar apiece. I would take 2 a day by pouring the liquid into a blender and then scrapping the coconut meat into the blender and make a coconut shake. Very delicous. So after a year of this I visited Panama and took suba lessons. I was out in the sun with out sunscreen and I didn't burn and ever since then, even without the coconuts I tan much easier than before.

Lukewarm Bath

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Posted by Snowdonx (What City, Australia) on 12/21/2009
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Severe Sunburn Handling

Basically I had really severe sunburn, apparently when the pores on the skin start to close this can cause severe itching which had me running around the house like a nutcase because i couldn't sit still. Called ambos and hospital and nurse and theres nothing they could advise other than shower. So I started to think outside the box, water is generally soothing and when you sit in a bath i remembered the skin wrinkles this wrinkling basically increases the surface area of the skin and my theory was that it would in turn help the pores of the skin remain open.

So I spent a fair bit of time in the bath each day where it was painful some times up to 4 hrs in the bath the water was at just under luke warm temperature. Mind you I had used a 600ml bottle of the synthetic aloe vera which is no where near the same as the unsynthetic which disgusted me because I hate it when they start making synthesised versions of natural products.

Anyway to cut a long story short the bathing worked a great deal, I ended up sleeping in the bath a couple of times.

This was a painful lesson. If you are working out in the sunlight or aren't getting a regular exposure to sunlight then you will burn easily and may have a severe reaction. The funny thing is i was at the beach with a group of friends and this other guy who works outdoors got the same amount of burning was in the sun longer and basically had no ill effects.

As for the severe itching i encountered i don't know how successful that will be in the bath because it had calmed down a fair bit after the ambulance came and spiked up a couple of times but when i was in the bath everything felt much better. Also this severe sunburn seemed to leave some kind of permanent damage to the pores or skin in general.

Nettle Leaf

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Posted by Mama to Many (TN) on 05/07/2022
 ★★★★★

My daughter was traveling by plane to a remote area and only had a limited supply of first aid items. She ended up getting a bad sunburn that included blisters. She had aloe and was using that and asked what else she could do. (I love that, though she was remote, we could still text! ) I knew what she had with her as she had asked for a list of first aid items to take with her...I knew she had nettle. And nettle leaf has been amazing for allergic reactions. I gave it to my son when he burned his hands by cutting up too many jalapenos without gloves. Maybe it would help with sunburn; it is a reaction, though not an allergic one? She tried it and it worked! It helped the pain. When the pain began to return, she re-dosed with nettle. She would take 4 capsules at a time.

Nettle is something that I rarely leave home without.

~Mama to Many~

Oatmeal

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Posted by Citygirl27 (Richardson, Tx, Usa) on 11/01/2012
 ★★★★★

Oatmeal is great for sunburn relief. Add a cup of oats to your bathwater. Just skip the flavored ones. This is how the leading similar product that begins with an A became popular. Surprised this is not in your sunburn remedies.

OTC

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Posted by Emily (Jackson, Tennessee) on 06/09/2006
 ★★★★★

Mix equal parts of hydrocortisone cream and hemorrhoid cream and rub onto sunburned skin before bed. Although the smell is awful, by the next morning, the soreness and redness will be gone. It is amazing how this will work for the worst of sunburns!

Potato

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Posted by Alice (Auckland, New Zealand) on 01/01/2010
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Potato helped my sunburn

I had forgotten to put on sunscreen when I went to the beach today. I got back to discover my legs were as red as a lobster, and felt like they were burning.

I remembered reading potatoes does wonders with a fever, so I sliced some raw potato and put them on my thighs. The potatoes were cool and soothing, and gave me longer relief. Aloe vera wasn't this effective. The potato slices are sitting on my thighs while I type this up. Give it a go, it helps the burning feeling!

Rubbing Alcohol

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Posted by Noel (Perth) on 12/27/2016
 ★★★★★

I've read hundreds of different cures here for all different types of ailments but never posted. However I feel compelled to share this with everyone. For some unlucky people, sunburn means more than just red and a bit of pain, google 'hell's itch' and you will begin to understand the torture that some people, like me on the weekend, go through. The pain and itch is indescribable, and so deep that no amount of aloe, apple cider vinegar, coconut oil peppermint oil, showers or any of the standard natural remedies can fix.

After hours of indescribable torture and trying many other natural remedies including those listed above, I managed to find on one site where someone mentioned rubbing alcohol works, and believe me it does, I was hesitant at first thinking it would burn and sting, but in fact has the opposite effect and cools and calms the skin. Being rubbing alcohol I wouldn't generally advise as a natural cure but if you ever are unfortunate to get the dreaded hell's itch then you will be thanking me greatly, because it is pure torture like nothing else. Just try a small bit on an area first to ensure you have no adverse reaction. In Australia I used one called Isocol which is rubbing alcohol and water.

Good Luck.

Sour Cream

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Posted by Maria (Los Angeles, Ca) on 08/30/2009
 ★★★★★

For a bad sunburn, I have always used plain sour cream by applying it generously over the affected area. It needs to remain on skin for 1-2 hours and then be washed off with just water. This does an excellent job of soothing away the redness and burning sensation. For a really bad burn, you can reapply every hour or so throughout the day. Truly the best thing I have found to work for me.

Sun Queen's Recipe

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Posted by Sun Queen (Colorado, US) on 06/23/2014
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Colorado sun can be brutal and burn skin in no time flat. I recently got a severe burn and I made my own "lotion" that worked like a miracle. First, I have to note that I tried an experiment: applying pure bergamot oil to my left leg immediately after coming in out of the sun and then to my right leg about 4 hours later. My left leg never burned, peeled, or hurt, but rather turned brown and skin stayed healthy. My right leg was still red, peeling, and tender after a week. I used the below lotion on both legs every night before bed and every morning after a shower, which kept my left leg healthy and helped my right leg heal.

Sunburn Relief: (All organic, pure ingredients) 1/2 cup Coconut Oil, 1/4 cup Castor oil, 1/4 cup Pure Aloe Vera liquid (not the gel or with any additives), 1/4 cup ACV, 2 Tbsl vitamin E oil, Then 3-20 drops of the following: Bergamot oil, Tea Tree oil, Neem oil, Tamanu oil, Rose oil, Almond oil, Grapeseed oil, Rose Hip Seed oil, Jojoba oil, Rosemary oil, I don't add the ACV if the skin is broken (cracked or peeling) because it stings too much. If your skin is badly burned, be sure to cool it off with ACV or earl gray tea (bergamot) cold compresses before applying the oils, because oil can sometimes magnify the heat.

Sunburn Prevention Diet

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Posted by Amber (Portland, Oregon) on 02/20/2009
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Editor's Choice

This remedy is more of a prevention. Eating more raw foods, especially greens and foods high in antioxidants can actually promote less burning and faster bronzing. In addition, there have been studies that have shown an oil or extract from brocolli is an excellent sunblock.

I have experienced success in this as I practice a raw food diet. Last summer I was eating about 1 cup of brocolli daily, as well as lots of berries (most helpful are blueberries, I had about 1/2 cup per day). I am fair-skinned and tan pretty easily, but I have never tanned so fast and without any burning for about the past 10 years. I also started staying in the sun about 1/2 the time I usually lay-out, and I still tanned, better than in the past! I admit I lay-out in the peak hours, which I should probably discontinue to do. Anyway, I thought this was my imagination but I since read about this from others on raw food forums, and done some research online, specifically about these foods, on www.NaturalNews.com

I am not suggesting that anyone toss care to the wind and stay in the sun all day just because you have eaten these foods, but it is something to note. I mean, could you imagine that there are nutrients out there that help our bodies be more resilient towards the sun's effects? I suppose after learning this, it makes sense!

Perhaps during the summer months, one could add a brocolli salad (my recipe: blend brocolli in food processor: add garlic powder, salt and olive oil, sun dried tomato flakes and pumpkin seeds/pepitas...it's amazingly good!) and a smoothie to thier healthy snack routine. It's healthy and it can't hurt!

Tea

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Posted by Simone (British Columbia) on 06/12/2015
 ★★★★★

Editor's Choice

Hi since summer is coming I thought some people might like this. It came from my daughter's Bubba. Many years ago I was burnt so bad that even a sheet on my skin was painful. She told me to brew some tea bags and let them steep. I used regular black/orange pekoe. When the tea is luke warm (too cold will make you tense up), have someone lightly squeeze the bag and dab all over. The moisture and tannins in the tea help keep the skin from drying out. The best part was there was no bad peeling and it turned into a tan faster.

Drink extra water to help keep your skin hydrated. You may want to do it a few times over a day or two. I have passed this on to others over the years with great results. Of course prevention is the best remedy.

Replied by Zark
(Emerald City)
09/04/2017
★☆☆☆☆

Tea didn't work for me - but yoghurt does! Preferably greek yoghurt - A tip I got from someone who used to work in building/construction industry.

Tea
Posted by Anita (Muskegon, Mi) on 05/26/2010
 ★★★★★

I too use tea bags for sunburn in the tub. I find the best results with black tea and even better with a Chinese Black tea. I just asked at one of my favorite Chinese restaurants and they were so kind they gave me a couple boxes, but, it is not hard to find at health stores. For acute burns and chemical reactions that make you feel like your on fire-tea is a natural neutralizer. My father was a physician and this was one of his remedies. I was harvesting hot peppers from garden and making fresh salsa. I washed my hands liberally, and chopped other veggies for about an hour. Since I had even done up the dishes I was sure any acidity was long gone. Rather embarrasing, I went to urinate and in wiping process transferred via toilet paper residual pepper acicidity. Thought I was going to die! Wow! Called Dad, got in tub with 5-7 tea bags and within 2 minutes the pain lessened and by 15 I was totally back to normal. Also, like the young lady stated with burnt hand. Take 3-4 bags and steep in hot water for 10-20 sec. Open bags and like a poultice place over area and cover with a damp cloth or gauze. If blistering has started leave on for at least 30 minutes. The blistering will be gone and you avoid scarring. Hope this is helpful. Anita

Tea
Posted by Amanda (Mansfield, Ohio) on 09/21/2008
 ★★★★★

As a redhead, I naturally have extremely fair skin so I've endured many burns from mild to extremely severe. The best thing for me is to run a lukewarm bath and float some teabags in it. (I usually use between 5 to 8). Let them steep for a few minutes then get in. The tea takes the sting right out of the burn!

Replied by Esther
(Lewisberry, PA)
09/22/2008
★★★★★

Sunburn comment: Easier and more efficient is to just boil 1/2 cup water and steep a tea bag in it for 5 minutes or so. Add 2-3 ice cubes and using a cotton ball or even the tea bag (until it breaks) apply directly to the sunburn and allow it to dry on the skin.

Tomato

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Posted by Karin (Vina del Mar, Chile) on 03/28/2009
 ★★★★★

Sunburn relief with Tomato:

When I was a kid we didn't have sunblock like now and I used to get very nasty sunburns. I remember my Mom used to sliced some tomatoes and cover the affected area with them while I was lying down. She made me drink plenty of water with an aspirin. Sometimes, when she had an aloe vera leaf available,she would cover my read skin with that natural gel. Fortunately, I have not suffered any sunburn since I discovered SPF -maybe because so many painful memories makes me not forget to put it on...


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