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Got scorched by the summer sun? Don’t sweat it—your relief is just a pantry away. Whether it’s aloe, vinegar, or grated potatoes (yes, really), these time-tested sunburn remedies will cool you down and get your skin back to chill mode in no time. Let’s turn that lobster look into a sun-kissed glow, with zero blister drama.
Sunburn relief is an important part of summer life. Sunburns can be itchy, painful, and irritating. The good news is that treating sunburns is actually much easier than you might think when using these natural remedies.
As the days begin to shorten,
So the heat begins to scorch ‘em.
Sunburn Remedies: How to Get Rid of a Sunburn
- “If you get a sunburn, restore your energy with salt tablets or hot tea, which will pep you up and cool you off as well as or better than a cold drink.” –The Old Farmer’s Almanac, 1945
- “A simple and harmless remedy for sunburn is to bathe the face in buttermilk.” –The Old Farmer’s Almanac, 1898
- Wash gently with soap and water and then apply the gel of an older aloe vera leaf, splitting the leaf open lengthwise for the quantity required. See more about aloe vera’s soothing properties.
- Apply a mild infusion of purple coneflower (also known as echinacea) to destroy bacteria and soothe the skin.
- Grate potatoes and apply to sunburned skin. The starch will cool and soothe the burn.
- Use apple cider vinegar, plain or diluted, to ease a sunburn.
- Make an ointment or salve with the essential oil of Saint John’s wort to promote the healing of burns that haven’t broken the skin. It is not only anti-inflammatory but also antiviral and antibacterial.
- Apply plain yogurt with live cultures or coconut oil to your sunburn.
- Dissolve Epsom salt or baking soda in water, apply to a clean cloth, and drape the cloth over the affected skin. Explore more unexpected household uses for baking soda.
- Take a cool bath, adding lavender or bergamot oil to the bath water.
- Add some black or green tea to your bathwater to soothe sunburned skin. Or pat sunburned skin with wet tea bags.
- Mix 1 cup of water and 20 to 25 drops of lavender oil and use to bathe the sunburned area. You can also apply the solution with a spray bottle.
- Apply diluted peppermint oil to sunburned skin, as long as the skin isn’t blistered. Use a peppermint infusion as a milder wash to help cool a sunburn.
- Or/and make an infusion of cooling peppermint or spearmint tea. Drink it and use it to bathe the affected area.
- Apply a poultice of dock leaves and water.
- Bathe the sunburn with an infusion of stinging nettles, chamomile, or calendula.
- Native Americans infused ground yarrow in water and used it as a wash.
- Wash with an infusion of elder flowers or chickweed.
- Apply a compress of decocted witch hazel.
If your sunburn is itchy instead of painful, try oatmeal to ease the itch.
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As always, prevention is the best medicine. See our UV Index page and heat index calculator for advice on preventing overexposure.
What is your favorite way to treat a sunburn?
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Comments
I speak from painful experience, nothing feels better than a cool shower on sunburned shoulders. Having Irish skin, I am indefensible from the wrath of UV rays. If I don't marinade myself in sunscreen, I end up like a piece of fried chicken. Every summer, I say to myself "I'm fine for now, I won't be out too long." And I do pay the price.
My advice, I find that anyway to let the heat escape takes the burning agony right out of my skin. A cool shower right when you get home can't be beat. A cold bath is even better, you can literally immerse yourself into the refreshing relief. A cool cloth on the burn is not a bad idea either.
We can all agree that sunburns are torturous while sleeping. If I have a bad burn, I just sleep shirtless. An easy solution. Keep the burned skin bare and free of painful friction.
And in the future, remember the pain of your burn and put on more sunblock.
The one I use on myself and my family is 1/4 Cup of cold cream with 4 drops of lavender oil and the juice of 1/2 grated cucumber. Or for smaller areas, such as ears, slice open a cuke and rub on the affected area.
I live in the Desert South-West, so aloe is everywhere, it works for healing the skin. What I usually do is apply a black or green tea infusion to take the burning away, works fast & then later apply the aloe to keep the skin soft & moisturized.
I've tried many of the ones listed but the one that works the best for me and one that isn't listed is applying egg whites to the burn. It is my hands-down favorite and really really works. Amazing coolness and healing almost immediately. Apply and let dry. Apply more if needed. Works on scalding and regular burns as well.
do you boil the eggs first or apply them raw?
Thank you for this post. At 36 my skin is rapidly changing and this is a Quick and easy tip.
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Dark skin is less likely to get sunburned, however, the same need for sun protection and the same natural remedies on this page apply.