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.
Sunburn Prevention Diet
Posted by Amber (Portland, Oregon) on 02/20/2009
★★★★★
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!
Baking Soda
Posted by Beth (Middle Earth, New Zealand) on 11/08/2008
★★★★★
My husband had severe sunburn around his neck (where the tshirt didnt cover). I made a thick wet paste of baking soda and water, applied it directly to the burn and left it there to dry. Immediately he had relief and the heat from the burn cooled down. When the paste dried, I reapplied more water to the dried baking soda and patting it all back until the pain was gone. I dont know the reason why baking soda works on burns but it does.
Tea
Posted by Esther (Lewisberry, PA) on 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.
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!
Castor Oil
Posted by Sharon (Redding, California) on 08/26/2008
★★★★★
My daughter sunburned the shin's on both legs. They had 3rd degree burns. Big yellow blisters. She could not walk for about 3 days. I was told by an elderly man to soak gauze in Caster Oil and wrap her legs with the gauze and leave it for 3 days. The next day my daughter was able to walk. The 3rd day I removed the gauze and she was healed. Blisters gone. Her legs were just a shade pink. It left no scars. Awesome stuff.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Joyce (Joelton, Tn) on 08/25/2008
★★★★★
The ACV does work well for decreasing the misery of sunburn. My daughter doesn't like it because she said it keeps you from tanning while working it's good. Personally, I prefer to use anything that will prevent that miserable blistering and peeling, and do without any tan.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Elaine (Coventry, Rhode Island) on 08/25/2008
★★★★★
I have been using apple cider vinegar to treat sunburns since I was a kid. My grandmother was a nurse and used this method to no avail. I use it full strength on a sponge or several cotton balls. When it dries you can rub on some aloe gel so you don't smell like a pickle! LOL Amazing the money you can save with home remedies! (Not to mention how things like this really impress the kids!)
Egg Whites
Posted by Jennifer (Highland, California) on 06/23/2008
★★★★★
A few day's ago I went to the beach and didn't put on any sunblock. I was there for about seven hours and I got severely burned. I had been putting Aloe Vera on my skin for a few days and it was helping, but then I put raw egg whites on my skin. It felt disgusting but it helped a lot. I just used enough egg white to cover my skin and I slept with it on, so it had a few hours to work.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Melly (Austin, Texas) on 06/10/2008
It is the coconut oil that removes sunburn pain. In fact if you used it for moisturizer, when exposed to sunlight for a long time even at the beach, you get a nice tan with no burn. It is very healing to the skin and internally too. Melly
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 Cyndi (Roethis, Austria) on 06/07/2008
★★★★★
I have always known ACV is good for sunburn, one cup in a tub of water and the sunburn is gone! So, when I was at work alone and severly burned my hand, I put ACV in a sink of water with ice cubes. I had to wait until someone else came into work before I could go to the hospital. On and off for about an hour I kept soaking my burnt hand in the ACV solution. When I arrived at the hospital my hand was bandaged and treated and I was told to return the next day to have this treament repeated. The next day I went back to the hospital and as the bandages were removed, the doctor was shocked! The deep red welt, the blister and all signs of a burn were gone.I had only a pink line. When I explained I had used ACV and ice, the staff were amazed! It truly worked a miracle, where I would have had a scar and therapy, I had onle one day of discomfort. I thank my mother for this.
Aloe Vera
Posted by Jamie (Nova Scotia, Canada) on 05/01/2008
★★★★★
Aloe plant helps to get rid of sunburn. the actual aloe plant all you have to do is cut a peice off the full plant. Rip it open and apply. put it on as soon as the area get red it should work to get rid of it faster.
Coconut Oil
Posted by Stephanie (Rancho Cucamonga, CA) on 04/17/2008
★★★★★
I started using Virgin Coconut Oil and I love it. I usually sunburn the first time I lay out in the sun, then peel, then I tan afterwards. I usually lay out without sunscreen or tanning lotion. So, I decided to put VCO on my body and layed out in the sun for four hours. I burnt a little, but nothing compared to usual. I also applied VCO twice a day after that and didn't peel at all, but it turned into a great tan. I will use VCO forever. P.S. I also started taking it internally 3X a day-yummy.
OTC
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!
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Ruth Ann (Gordon, GA)
★★★★★
When I was young, my great grandmother told me Apple Cider Vinegar stopped a sunburn from hurting and peeling faster than anything. Boy when I cooked, I took a sponge, soaked it in vinegar and put it on the sunburn and right away it helped. I also poured it in bath water.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Patrick (Conowingo, Maryland) on 07/17/2007
★★★★★
Hello, I've been visiting your site for a while, but I would like to be added to the "YEA'S" on a few home remedies.
Cayenne Pepper for Sore Throat. This is how I first found your site. Nothing is worse than a sore throat, last year I had a killer sore throat with no other symptoms. After reading about cayenne pepper I decided to gargle it. Gargling a teaspoon of cayenne pepper in about 6 oz of warm water every couple of hours did a great job of healing my sore throat really quickly. However it was really nasty and made me dry heave a couple times. I just discovered a new sore throat yesterday. This time I am simply warming up about a cup of water in the microwave, adding some honey for taste, and dashing in a good amount of cayenne pepper (3-4 dashes). I am not gargling with it, because I'm just not good at gargling, So I let each sip sit in the back of my mouth a bit and then I swallow it. It actually taste pretty good. It's like tea with a little kick!
Apple Cider Vinegar for Acne. My wife has always had trouble spots for acne right on her cheek next to her ears. Apple Cider Vinegar is the only thing that has had a real effect. She applies it once or twice a day, with a cotton ball. Great results. We also just received Apple Cider Vinegar capsule that we can take to avoid drinking it. They are available at GNC, but we order them online for cheaper.
Apple Cider Vinegar for Sunburn: I recently went boating and got sunburn on both my ankles from sitting funny. When I got home both ankles seemed to have about the same amount of burn, however the right ankle was hurting me slightly more at the time. I decided to try an experiment. I applied Apple Cider Vinegar to only my right ankle and left the left ankle untreated. I simply applied Apple cider vinegar with a Cotton ball 2 or 3 times a day. After the first night, my right ankle was in a great deal less pain than my left ankle. I kept applying it to my right ankle and by the second day there was no pain at all, while my left ankle was severely painful and sensitive to touch. I stopped applying apple cider vinegar to my right ankle after about 3 days because it just didn't hurt, My left ankle continued to hurt until day 7 when it the skin started peeling. The skin on my right ankle did not start peeling until day 9. Everyone should try this to convince themselves that Apple Cider Vinegar really works!
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Karen (St. Louis, MO) on 07/20/2007
★★★★★
Apple Cider Vinegar ...I use it for sun burn relief. It doesn't smell the best but it alleviates the pain.
