Sunburns suck! Nothing’s worse than coming in from a fun day in the sun only to find that you got burnt. It hurts so badly when the water from the shower hits it, it can be painful wearing certain types of clothes, and even laying down in bed (for some info on safe sunscreens – click here!). One thing’s for sure: once you’re stuck with a sunburn, the only thing you can think about is how to get it to go away as fast as possible.
There are lots of sunburn treatment options out there. I used to get the florescent green aloe gel from CVS. These often contain chemicals that mimic the cooling effect of natural aloe. Even worse, they most likely have artificial colors and preservatives, which is the last thing you want your sun-damaged skin to drink in.
For example, most of them contain fragrance, which sounds innocent, but the fragrance put into products is actually linked to a TON of health concerns, like: mood swings, depression, headaches, brain fog, allergies, abdominal pain, birth defects, organ damage, endocrine disruption, cancer…and I could keep going! Iodopropynyl Butylcarbmate and Triethanolamine (try saying those 10 times fast) are another common ingredients put into aloe gels that are linked to allergies, organ toxicity, and irritation.
Why put our bodies through that when there are some amazing natural products you can use instead, that don’t have super serious side effects.
Take a look! These DIY sunburn relief options not only relieve the pain, but they support healing as well.
- PURE Aloe Vera Gel.
- Lavender Essential Oil.
- Frankincense Essential Oil.
- Make your own lotion.
Be sure to look at the ingredients on the label for a brand without chemicals/preservatives. Aromatica Aloe Vera Gel is a great brand to use, but you can also generally find fresh aloe leaves right in your grocery store in the produce section. Either apply with a cotton ball or just your hand.
This is my favorite remedy! Be careful on this one though, the quality of the oil really matters and makes a huge difference. Be sure the kind you choose is free of any synthetics or additives, and isn’t diluted.
You can either apply it neat directly on the burn and rub it around with your hand, or dilute 1 drop of lavender essential oil in 1 tsp of purified water and splash this on exposed skin. You can even mix this with the aloe or peppermint essential oil if your burn gets itchy. Learn more about essential oils here!
Just like with lavender essential oil, I would only use a high quality brand I know and trust. You would dilute 1 drop of frankincense in a teaspoon of water or aloe, and splash on warm skin. Frankincense is an excellent oil for over-exposed skin and soothes redness and even works to lessen sun damaged whether over-exposed from a quick sunburn or years of too much sun!
Organic unrefined coconut oil is the perfect base for making your very own sunburn-fighting lotion! When the coconut oil is in a liquid state, add some aloe vera and your choice of YL essential oils (lavender, peppermint, frankincense) and mix together well. You can apply in this liquid state, or place in a cooler place until the coconut oil becomes a lotion-like consistency and apply generously then. Adding the coconut oil will help keep moisture in the skin, the essential oils and aloe will help cool the skin and soothe tenderness and swelling from damage.
