The long days of summer fun are just around the corner. For those of you who will soon be looking into tips on how to treat sunburn, we have just the right thing. There’s just no telling when the bane of summer may kick in.
Even with sufficient sunscreen on, there is no guarantee that your skin won’t be scorched by the summer sun. Despite the fact that we know prolonged exposure to UV radiation from the sun can lead to an array of skin problems, the temptation to soak up the sun is too powerful.
Although the best prevention method for sunburn is to limit your stay in the sun. However, just in case, your skin will be sunburned, here is how to treat sunburn with 10 powerful home remedies.
1. How to Treat Sunburn with Cool Milk Compresses
Milk is a handy household staple. Low-cost and efficient, this sunburn home remedy is one of the best ways to get rid of the burn and the itchy feeling. Refrigerated milk is of course ideal to sooth the initial burn. However, there is more to milk than beats the eye. The protective layer it creates on the skin helps it heal and nourishes it. Here is how to treat sunburn and soothe discomfort with plain milk.
All you need is refrigerated milk and a clean, soft cloth to use as a compress. Pour the milk in a recipient that allows the compress to be soaked without overflowing. Soak to saturation and then use the cloth as a draping compress. Leave it on until you feel the sunburn cooling off. Repeat the procedure with the rest of the affected skin areas. Just make sure to cool the milk once more if it got too warm.
2. How to Treat a Sunburn with Probiotics Yogurt
Yogurt is the miracle home cure for a number of skin problems. Yet sunburns must be the most known afflictions that can be treated with probiotics yogurt. This home remedy for sunburns is packed with essential enzymes and probiotics as well as other nutrients which help your skin recover.
You don’t need more than half a cup of probiotics yogurt to learn how to treat sunburn first-hand. You can use more if the sunburned area is larger. Apply the yogurt directly on the skin, much like you would apply a mask. Leave it on until dry and rinse with cooled water. You will feel instant relief from the sunburn and a much softer and nourished skin.
3. How to Treat Sunburns Using Cold Compresses
The key to treating sunburns is keeping your skin hydrated. If the hydrating solution is also packed with other nutrients and enzymes carrying beneficial properties for the skin, then it’s all for the better. Here is how to treat sunburn with a number of cool compresses.
The most at hand cold compress you can create is a cold water compress. Use cooled water or ice cubes wrapped in a clean soft cloth. Make sure the cloth isn’t abrasive as that will only irritate the skin further. Apply the cold water/ice cubes compress directly on the skin and enjoy the refreshing feeling.
The second cold compress features witch hazel. Make a witch hazel infusion. Let it cool and use it to dampen a soft cloth in the infusion. Witch hazel is a powerful astringent with coveted anti-inflammatory properties. Apply on the sunburn for instant relief and as often as you feel the need.
4. How to Treat Sunburn Blisters with Green Tea and Mint
Green tea and mint may sound more like the ideal ingredients for a refreshing summer drink. Nonetheless, the host of compounds found in both therapeutic plants recommends them as powerful tools on the list on how to treat sunburn. Mint is naturally a cooling plant thanks to the menthol it contains. Green tea contains theobromine and tannic acids and a wealth of anti-oxidants. Together, green tea and mint provide instant relief from sunburn pain, itchiness and reduce the blisters that appear on the skin.
This great tip on how to treat blistered sunburn requires fresh mint leaves and as much as possible green tea which isn’t ground and placed in tea bags. Mix five spoons of green tea leave with 3 cups of fresh mint leaves. Boil a quart of water and pour it over the healing blend of leaves. Let it steam for half an hour or more just to make sure that all the compounds are released.
Strain the leaves. Let the infusion cool and soak cotton balls or cotton pads to saturation. Use them to topically apply the solution on the sunburned skin and blisters. All the compounds in both of the plants will work wonders to heal your skin.
5. How to Treat Severe Sunburn with Aloe Vera
Aloe Vera plants are another miracle home remedy for sunburns. The gel contained by the leaves is packed with nutrients, enzymes and other compounds that are ideal for the soothing of sunburned skin. Surely enough you have such a plant around the house. In case you don’t buy some Aloe Vera gel from the store. Make sure it’s the real deal and that it’s not mixed with other substances.
If you do have an Aloe Vera plant, use the thick leaves to squeeze out the gel directly on the severely burnt areas. The best way to get the gel out is to slice the leaves down the middle. Use them as compresses applied directly to the skin if taking out the gel seems like a time-consuming task.
6. How to Treat a Bad Sunburn with Witch Hazel
Witch hazel has been used for centuries as a home remedy for sunburn and other skin problems but not only. Of the entire witch hazel plant, it’s only the bark, the twigs, and the leaves that are used for medicinal purposes.
Witch hazel contains tannins just like green tea and black tea. This is just one of the reasons why this plant is one of your best cues on how to treat a sunburn fast. Tannins work wonders when it comes to repairing damaged skin, they’re powerful anti-inflammatory compounds and work as anti-bacterial compounds as well.
Witch hazel is easily found in store as an already distilled solution. This makes it easy to treat a sunburn fast. Here is how to treat sunburn with witch hazel. Just add three tablespoons of the witch hazel solution to a teaspoon of water. Prepare the soft cloth or cotton pads to soak in the solution. Use the soaked pads or cloth to dab the affected area. This is a great tip for how to treat sunburned lips or how to treat sunburned eyes too.
7. How to Treat Sunburn Fast with Oats
Oats aren’t just suitable for a nutritious healthy meal. They’re also used in a number of skin care products. You can make your own beauty patches with oats at home. Most importantly, you can use them as a quick home remedy for the sunburned skin.
You can either use oats in a gauze compress or add them in the bathtub water. In the first case, add two spoons of oats in a gauze. Pack it and soak it in lukewarm water to allow the beneficial compounds of oats to be released. Use the compress to gently rub the skin for 10 minutes. You can renew the pack and let it sit for longer afterward.
Alternatively, this is how to treat sunburn with oats. Prepare a bath with lukewarm water and add three to four measures of oats to the water. Soak in it but don’t forget that staying in the water for too long when your skin is sunburned can lead to more dryness and your skin feeling itchy. The key compound found in oats are polysaccharides. They will heal the damaged skin fast and promote the regeneration of skin cells.
8. How to Treat a Sunburn Overnight with Potatoes
Believe it or not, potatoes are one of the best ways to go around how to treat sunburn. Grandmothers used this century-old home remedy for searing hot sunburned skin. With good reasons. Potatoes are known pain relievers and anti-inflammatory. Skin irritations, burns, bites and many other skin afflictions find a match with potatoes.
How to treat sunburn with potatoes in a few easy steps. Grate, blend or slice two large potatoes. Prepare a soft cloth or cotton balls to use with the potatoes whichever way you may use the potatoes. You can turn them into juice, slice them in thin slices or grate them to create a fine paste.
Whichever way use the potatoes, apply them to the sunburned skin. The most effective ways to reap the benefits of potatoes is to use them as juice or grated.
9. How to Treat Blisters from Sunburn with Cornstarch
Cornstarch or baking soda are amazing home remedies for sunburns. You know something with such a silky texture will work wonders for your skin. Well, cornstarch makes no exception. If you have been soaking up the sun up to the point of getting sunburned, here is how to treat sunburn with this household staple.
Mix cornstarch with water or a cooled green tea until you get a creamy smooth paste. Apply it to the skin and let it dry. Rinse with cool water and enjoy the nourished and refreshed skin. You will immediately notice that the blisters have withdrawn. You can use this home remedy for sunburned skin more times per day until the pain is relieved and your skin is back to normal.
10. How to Treat Sunburn on Face with Cucumbers
How to treat a bad sunburn, particularly on the face? With a gentle cure in the form of cucumbers. Dry skin, tight skin or scorched skin is soothed by cucumbers. They’re naturally cooling and carry analgesic properties. They’re a quick healing remedy and a true relief. Applying cucumbers on sunburned skin instantly reduce the redness and the swelling.
Here is how to treat sunburn with cucumbers. Leave two cucumbers in the fridge until they get really cool. Slice them and put the slices in a blender. Create a cucumber paste that can be applied directly on the skin, much like a mask. For added pain relief and instant cure, add milk, cornstarch or Aloe Vera gel to the blend.
These are the 10 home remedies for sunburn that provide instant relief and help the skin heal and regenerate. However, when you get out in the sun, keep the following things in mind. Prevention is worth a lot more than a cure, particularly when it comes to sunburns.
- Eat and hydrate properly. Consider the fact that what we eat and drink helps fight sunburns too. Thus, stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water. Eat lots of fruits and fresh vegetables as well. They too are rich in water. Plus, they have all the nutrients, minerals and vitamins necessary for a healthy body.
- Use sunscreen. Before getting out in the sun, remember to apply sunscreen on the entire body, including the face, the hands, elbows and the back of the knees. Apply the sunscreen at least half an hour before getting out of the house. Remember the use products with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 20.
- Know your hours. The sun is scorching between 11 am and 16 pm. Despite your best efforts to keep your skin from getting sunburned, prolonged exposure to the sun between these hours never ends well. As such, it’s better to avoid these hours so as to not suffer the bane of each summer.
- Check your medication. There are certain types of medication that render our skin more photosensitive than before. If you are taking any medication currently, check with your doctor and find out if you need to take extra measures to avoid sunburns this summer.
There’s nothing like fun in the sun. With the long summer days ahead of us, there’s plenty of fun in the sun in store. However, too much sun can damage your skin. We hope it doesn’t happen. Yet, if it does, find your quick cure with these 10 tips on how to treat sunburn. Happy sun soaking!
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