During the hot summer months, it’s extremely important to look after our skin in the sun. Sure, it’s better to look for ways to prevent sunburn instead of looking for ways to relieve it! But, if you are at home and you find yourself with fiery sunburn, you may find you have a lot of things in your cupboard that provide natural ways to soothe sunburn.
1. Milk
You can add a gallon of milk in a bath of cool water or you can use a cool compress soaked in milk, if you don’t want to soak in a milk bath. If you don’t have milk, you can apply cool plain yoghurt to sunburned skin.
2. Vinegar
Vinegar can be used in a few ways to soothe sunburn. Press lightly small towels soaked in vinegar onto the sunburn and leave for a while. Or, put vinegar and water in a spray bottle and spritz over the sunburned areas to relieve itching and pain. Make sure you avoid your eyes and open cuts. You can also add 2-3 cups of vinegar to warm bath water. Don’t use malt vinegar! Choose apple cider vinegar or white vinegar.
3. Tomato
If you get burnt, cut some tomatoes in half and rub all over the sunburned area. Or add 2 cups of tomato juice to a bath of cool water. I usually use tomatoes with buttermilk, it works amazingly! Mix 1/4 cup of tomato juice with 1 1/2 cups of buttermilk or mash 1 part fresh tomato to 1 part buttermilk and apply.
4. Cucumber
This wonderful vegetable can also provide effective sunburn relief! You can apply cucumbers slices directly to the sunburned areas. Or you can grate or mash it, mix with milk and apply to the skin.
5. Egg whites
Depending on how much skin is burnt, place an egg white or 2 egg whites in a bowl and apply to the burnt skin with a cotton wool ball or an unused soft paint brush. This is one of the best natural ways to soothe sunburn!
6. Honey
If you don’t mind getting a bit sticky, you can smooth honey over your burnt skin and leave it for a while. Or mix honey 80/20 with lime juice or lemon first. I also mix milk and honey 50/50. Try these options and see what works best for you!
7. Tea
All of us like a nice cup of tea, but did you know that it’s one of the best natural sunburn relievers? There are many ways to use tea to soothe sunburn. Make a very large amount of strong tea and refrigerate. Spray the cold tea onto the burnt areas of your skin, or soak small towels in the tea and apply it to the sunburned area. Or, you can add 4-6 tea bags to a cool bath and soak.
8. Oatmeal
There are two ways to soothe sunburn using oatmeal. The first is to fill a bath with cool water, add 2 cups of oatmeal and soak for at least 30 minutes. The second is to mix raw egg whites with oatmeal and apply to the sunburned area. When the paste has dried, make sure you rinse off in a cool bath or shower.
9. Cornstarch
Soak for 30 minutes in cool water with a cup of cornstarch dissolved in it. You can also try a mix of half a cup of cornstarch and half a cup of baking soda. Or, make a paste of water and cornstarch, apply to the sunburned areas and allow to dry. I also dissolve a little cornstarch in cool water in a spray bottle and spritz on the sunburned areas.
Now you see that you have plenty of natural ways to soothe sunburn in your cupboards! Hope these ways helped you! Do you know any other natural ways to relieve sunburn? Let me know!