How to Relieve Sun Burn
Summer is here, and as expected, you spent a little too much time by the beach, and under the sun. You now have bad sunburn all over your body, red, painful and sometimes itchy. Sunburn can ruin a perfectly good summer, so to help you out, here are some ways on how to relieve it.
What You’ll Need:
Aloe-based moisturizer or lotion
Water
Light, cool clothes
Cool compress
Painkillers
Oatmeal bath product
Keep Your Skin Moisturized
Moisturizing your skin relieves it from the pain and makes it healthy again. Plain moisturizers will not do much, only keep your skin from drying out, so your best bet is to use aloe-based lotions or moisturizers. Aloe has natural healing effects and will soothe and cool your skin. Using raw aloe gel is also a good idea. Just break off a piece, cut it sideways, so the juicy part is exposed, and squeeze the gel out, rubbing it all over your skin.
Cool Down
sunburnReduce your sunburn by keeping your skin cool. Take frequent cool showers, or wipe your skin every now and then with a cool washcloth. You can also use a cold compress for very damaged areas. Soaking in a cool bath with a few cups of whole milk or an oatmeal bath product also helps.
One tip: When you bathe, don’t use soap. Soap removes natural oils, which are very important when healing damaged skin.
Avoid Further Irritation
If you’re already badly sunburned, then it’s a good idea to stay out of the sun for a while. Direct exposure to sunlight only irritates and worsens your condition. You should also wear gentle, light and loose-fitting clothes, such as plain cotton shirts or shorts. Heavy, scratchy fabrics only rub and irritate your tender skin, so just stick to those made from cotton. You should also avoid clothes with stiff decorations, strings and buttons. Also, don’t scratch, since you might break water blisters.
Take Pain Medications
If your sunburn is hurting terribly, you can resort to taking medications to ease the pain. Drugs like ibuprofen or aspirin relieve inflammation, soothing skin and lessening the pain. NSAIDs or non-addictive anti-inflammatory drugs are also good choices. Just remember to stay within the recommended dosage for these medicines.
Other Effective Sunburn Tactics
Dab some teabag over your facial sunburn. The tannin in the tea soothes the discomfort.
Mix some cornstarch and water together to make a thin paste. Put it over the burnt area.
Slice cucumbers and put onto your burnt skin.
Soak in some Epsom salt bath.
Use yogurt instead of a regular moisturizer. The fat content and coolness relieves the pain.
Wear sunblock every time you go out.
Having fun in the sun doesn’t have to be painful. If you ever get a bad case of sunburn, just try these tactics to bring back your skin’s health.