Sunburn Remedies

Coconut Oil

Posted by London (Sandusky, Ohio) on 04/28/2009
★★★★★

Editor's Choice

Yes, Coconut Oil is really great for sunburns!! I had a big Jar of Extra Virgin Coconut oil sitting in my medicine cabinet. The other day, My 3 year old got a severe sunburn on her shoulders, face, and arms. For two days, I have been applying the Coconut oil on her skin, nightly, after her bath, and it's great!! It works. especially yesterday, my Mother and I noticed within a half hour after giving her the rubdown, the redness went away significantly, it was amazing!!

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Beverly (Pikeville, Kentucky) on 06/10/2008
★★★★★

I just had to post this! Today I got a really bad sunburn. One of those that make you look like a lobster. I was hurting all over and found this site with acv as a cure. I bathed for twenty minutes in a tub of lukewarm water and 2 cups of apple cider vinegar. After I got out I covered myself in coconut oil and within minutes no more pain. It went from pain to a tingle and now -even though its still red-it doesn't hurt at all! TRY THIS IT WORKS!!!!!!!

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Cheri (GA) on 07/08/2023
★★★★★

Worked amazingly well! My son came home with his face feeling like it was on fire from being out on the lake all day without sunscreen. He was panicking because of how intense the pain was. I soaked paper towels in 1/2 water & 1/2 ACV mix and applied to his face (obviously keeping the vinegar away from his eyes). We only soaked for 15 minutes and he said his pain went from a 10/10 to a 2/10. Minutes later and he said the pain just keeps gradually decreasing. This was a godsend!!

Clay

Posted by MTCO (Brisbane, Australia) on 05/21/2023
★★★★★

Clay will take out the burn and you will not have any redness left over. just hard to keep it moist if it large areas. I have treated numerous burns with Sod Bent Clay with real success. Cover it with food plastic to keep it moist for several hours. redo if necessary. overnight in some cases. cheap and cheerful cure!

Astaxanthin

Posted by Uncertain (LA) on 03/19/2022
★★★★★

Has anyone used Astaxanthin as sun protection? Supposedly it is effective against ultraviolet rays.

CBD Oil and Fresh Aloe

Posted by Angela (NYC/NJ) on 06/26/2021
★★★★★

I would like to share a miracle remedy for really bad sunburn that I treated my husband and daughter with- the results surpassed my “already high”expectations!

My daughter and husband both had 2nd degree sunburns yesterday and were in horrible pain. My daughter-15--fainted from the pain of trying to walk. Behind her knees was where she was burnt the worst. I was able to treat them from serious pain to pain free within 20 minutes using chilled Aloe Vera jelly (fresh from my home plant) and 1000mg CBD oil with .03%thc. Which I purchased from Dr Sebi's website. I trust the brand completely. The sunburn sting never returned after the first treatment. Here's what I did:

1. Tested an area with a drop of Cbd oil to make sure no reaction.
2. Applied the Cbd oil directly onto the burn, massaging into the skin as carefully as possible.
3. Waited 5 minutes and then did the same with the jelly from the chilled aloe leaves.
4. Kept them hydrated!
5. Gave 0.5ml of the Cbd orally - mixed in a Gatorade. (It tastes gross in plain water) and actually- this was the first step I took, not last!

Within just a few minutes after Cbd application the heat coming off the skin of the burned areas dramatically cooled down. The stinging disappeared and my daughter'sF shaking stopped. The aloe cooled her whole body, as it usually does, giving great relief. She was able to walk back to her bed with my assistance immediately. She felt complete relief and fell right asleep. The whole process was 20 minutes.

Neither my husband nor my daughter experienced the burn or sting again. My daughter's pain behind the knees came back 8 hours after the treatment (when she woke up)so I treated her the same way and she was relieved once again.

Truly a miracle combination

Please note- I read online not to mix the Cbd oil into the aloe jelly. Apply them separately and a few minutes apart.

Baking Soda

Posted by Julie (Tn) on 08/24/2020 4 posts
★☆☆☆☆

I tried the baking soda paste remedy for a bad sunburn on my legs after reading about it here on Earthclinic (from which I've gotten much great information over the years). It backfired, badly. Not only did it NOT remove the heat/inflammation; it made it worse. It stung when applying it, and after I gently washed it off (wincing the whole time), my legs were even redder and felt like they were on fire.

And this morning, I see little pinprick abrasion-like areas of blood where the baking soda irritated the skin so badly. I don't doubt others who say it worked for them; but I can't imagine how.

It's like rubbing salt into a wound (which makes sense considering the sodium level of baking soda). I feel constrained to warn readers against this protocol. If you must try it, proceed with extreme caution. If it stings, don't wait the recommended 15-20 minutes to see if it gets better. Wash it off immediately.

Baking Soda

Posted by Mmsg (Somewhere, Europe) on 08/26/2020
★★★★★

Julie, baking soda might be too strong for a harsh burn but it DOES work, and fast - at least for me - for minor kitchen mishaps.

And yes, silver foil also works a treat.

Yogurt (and Lactic Ferments)

Posted by Zark (Emerald City, The Land Of Oz) on 05/17/2016
★★★★★

Sunburn: Sour lactic fermented foods work nice and fast to reduce redness and swelling. Lactic ferments include: Yoghurt, Kombucha, Sauerkraut. Apply directly to sunburn.

I was in quite a bit of pain from sunburn and a lady near to me said she used to get sunburnt all the time when working in the construction industry (one of the most male dominated professions I imagine..). She said their remedy of choice was Greek Yoghurt. She was quite specific in that it should be real Greek Yoghurt and none of that sweet junk if you want this to work. She said it works straight away. I reckon it should be sour so as to maximise lactic acid, so the older batches are presumed to work better.

Working on the principal that it was lactic acid, I applied kombucha to the sunburn, using tissue paper to dab it on (as I didn't have yoghurt in the house). Success! I took photos and could see a reduction in redness within 10 minutes. It is really quite noticeable. The swelling has greatly improved too.

I suggest that sauerkraut juice would also be a nice and easy one to try.

(PS: The she also recommended aspirin for reducing swelling. But I really wanted to focus on cultured foods as that is more in keeping with the spirit of this website.)

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Gert (South) on 04/22/2013

Were you doing this to prevent sunburn? I thought it was for relief after you are sunburned. It works for that pain, as does coconut oil. To prevent sunburn, take astaxanthin ( 1 every day). I've been taking astaxanthin for arthritis and haven't burned for years--I don't do anything else and am in the garden or creek many hours a day.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Tiffany (Honolulu, Hi) on 06/26/2011
★★★★★

ACV is absolutely amazing, my younger sister had an absolutely horrific sunburn after a day out with her friends family, blistered on the entire upper half of her body, me and mother have never felt so awful for her. We tried aloe, lidocaine, cold towels, and when we saw this site we had to try it. She said she felt so much better she can actually sleep now. I thank you guys so much for the help! Instantly relieved with one light coat. <3

Coconut Oil

Posted by At Eastcoast (D.c.) on 06/14/2011
★★★★★

Yes!!! Organic Coconut oil out the jar, when slathered on a fresh burn or sunburn, seems to alleviate the pain quickly and actually cut down healing time a lot!!!

Coconut Oil

Posted by Pinkpanther (Houston, Tx) on 06/11/2009
★★★★★

coconut oil. my children love the smell. It relieves itch and pain. Gently rub in as soon as you find you have a sunburn. The healing process is faster than anything else i have used. -it is an oil so it will be greasy but when you rub it in you can see the skin absorb just what it needs. Spread extra that sits on top of skin to any other area like lotion. *Even if it is not a sunburned area.It is good to eat. Healing inside and out!

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!

Clay

Posted by MTCO (Brisbane, Australia) on 05/21/2023
★★★★★

Baking Soda

Posted by Cpn (Somewhere) on 08/24/2020

Try aluminum foil next time. It has worked for sunburn and when I have burned my hands / fingers while cooking.

Yogurt (and Lactic Ferments)

Posted by Michael (New Zealand) on 01/09/2022

On the rare occasions we suffered from sunburn as children, we had no fancy solutions at hand and the adults seemed to think that it served us right and viewed it as some sort of appropriate punishment! Too long lazing on the beach perhaps? What a weird mindset! However.......

Also, once, when on a tramping expedition here in the mountains of New Zealand back in the day, I was foolish enough to climb over snowy terrain at nearly 9,000 feet in a pair of shorts. That was lovely, until night time in our alpine hut, when my legs started to throb, swelled up ready to burst and turned an alarming beetroot colour! Yeeks!! They were so hot, that between them they kept the whole hut warm like giant hot-water bottles!! Obviously the sunshine reflecting off the snow did the deed on my legs but there was a delayed reaction.

Nothing I could do for that last one except tough it out until they eventually cooled down (we carried minimal supplies).

However, as kids we would resort to self-help by taking some fresh milk from our window ledge (we had no 'fridge or freezer-very few did) and then soaked a tee-shirt in the milk and wore it for a while. Seemed to work a treat too. Maybe the milk was more substantial - I recall there was a high cream content - there was a small bird, very keen on the cream, that would peck it's way through the tops if you did not use a wooden board over the top of the jug.

Just reminiscing again (no cure I'm told)....

Cheers from Down Under

Tea

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.

Tea

Posted by Zark (Emerald City) on 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.

Aloe Vera

Posted by Zark (Emerald City, The Land Of Oz) on 12/21/2018
★☆☆☆☆

Aloe Vera didn't work for me. I had very severe sunburn on my legs, so bad that they were swollen. I give this remedy 1 star.

What did work was yoghurt. The swelling improved noticeably in a matter of minutes. Greek yoghurt is the one you should use wherever possible, and sourer the better.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by L. Farmer (Peoria, Az) on 07/13/2011
★★★★★

I managed to fry my thighs despite my liberal use of sunscreen yesterday. I remember hearing about this site, so decided to look for sunburn remedies. I am generally fairly skeptical of these sorts of things, but decided the only risk involved in me trying the ACV remedy for a sunburn was me smelling like a pickle. So, I gave it a shot. I'm happy to report that although it wasn't a 100% cure, it sure took away most of the red and most of the pain. I was quite amazed. I have survived MULTIPLE sunburns in my lifetime, but have never found such quick relief! I'm a believer! Long live ACV!