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Summer is the season for barbecues, picnics, sailing, baseball, golf, and the beach. However, if you are not careful, it is the ideal time for sunburns too. We all probably have at least one memory of a nasty childhood sunburn. Many people experienced hot red skin that was painful to touch. Then our mother sprayed some stuff all over it to cool it off , and the flaking and peeling came later. Some people with severe sunburns even experience blistering, fever, chills, nausea, or vomiting. If you take the proper protective measures, you should not burn. However if you do, you will want to seek treatment that will do the following: cool the skin to help ease the pain and moisturize the skin with ingredients that promote healing. That is why most of us want to hear something about traditional, over-the-counter natural sunburn remedies. There are numerous over-the-counter skin care products, and pain medications, that you could use to treat the sunburn. One of the most soothing is topical Solarcaine while some other over the counter pain relievers such as Aspirin, acetaminophen, ibuprofen, or naproxen, will also help ease the discomfort. However, if you had burns with nausea, you should avoid these products. In addition to traditional treatments, there are several natural remedies for sunburn. Cool milk compresses are made by applying cool whole milk to a sunburn. This should be done with a soft cloth or cotton gauze that will help ease the pain and discomfort, while the fat content of the milk will help soothe the skin and may facilitate healing. Cool baths will also help, because soaking in a cool bath is one of the best ways to draw the heat from the skin and soothe the pain and discomfort of the sunburn. Adding chamomile oil or baking soda to a cool bath or oatmeal to a lukewarm bath can relieve the pain. After bathing, pat the skin dry lightly with a soft towel, preferably made of cotton. If you take an oatmeal bath, let the light coating of oatmeal that clings to skin remain.
Rubbing alcohol is useful, because it evaporates quickly and thus cools and eases the pain of the sunburned skin.
For best results, follow the above mentioned treatments immediately with a slathering of the moisturizing cream to re-lubricate the skin. Aloe Vera is also helpful in sunburn treatments. A thick, jelly-like substance found in the leaf of the Aloe Vera plant, is soothing probably due natural analgesics that are present in it. Because it is naturally rich in substances such as vitamins A, C, E, and amino acids, it may also provide health benefits to the skin. However, studies have generally failed to find any specific beneficial effect on sunburns. Gel extracted directly from an Aloe Vera plant works best, but the plants may be difficult to find. That’s why you may want to buy an OTC Aloe Vera cream that contains the gel. However, if you do, make sure that the cream contains a higher concentration of Aloe Vera than water or some other solutions. You could add lavender to a bath or to Aloe Vera gel for an aromatherapy sunburn treatment. Lavender has healing agents that are particularly effective as a sunburn treatment. If you have the misfortune to have the sunburns, add a few drops of lavender oil to a cool bath and soak. Relax in the bath for around ten minutes, breathing in the aroma. The scent of lavender has calming properties that will soothe your burn and will make you feel less tense as one of the greatest benefits. Alternatively, add a small amount of lavender oil to Aloe Vera gel or your favorite after-sun body lotion and apply as you usually do for sunburn relief. Be sure to read any directions or warnings that have come with the essential oils, and be very careful when using them, since they are concentrated extracts.