3 Natural Sunburn Remedies That You Can Find in Your Kitchen

Summer is fast approaching! Even though many of us are still sheltering-in-place, getting outside and enjoying nature is one of the healthiest, most uplifting things you can do. We all know that too much sun can leave your skin damaged. I personally have to really guard against this because I’ve always been prone to sunburns. So let’s talk about how you can help your skin naturally if you get too much sun. But real quick, I want to let you know that I am offering a free webinar next week (Tools to Thrive During COVID & Beyond–see the details on the right under “upcoming events”).


 
Your skin has cells that produce melanin–a dark pigment that protects the skin from the ultraviolet rays. When you stay under the sun for a long time, your skin cells produce a lot more melanin–That’s how a tan happens.
 
But too much of anything is not good, right? Prolonged exposure to the UV rays causes damage to your skin cells’ DNA. Your skin cells can run into trouble when they can’t produce enough melanin quickly enough to protect you.
 
This can predispose you to sun damage, sunburns, and even possible skin cancer over time.
 
There are certain factors that affect the severity of your sunburn: your skin color and the harshness of the sun. It’s usually extremely hot during midday, so if you are fair-skinned, your skin can get sunburned even when you expose yourself to 10-15 minutes.
 
You may see redness on the sunburned area 3-4 hours after exposure to the sun because the blood vessels in your skin dilate. The increased supply of blood in your skin is an attempt to repair your damaged skin cells.
 
The best prevention for sunburn is to not overdo your sun exposure. Wear hats, protective clothing, and non-toxic sunblocks (we’ll talk more about this next week), but let me be clear, the sun is really good for your health in a lot of ways (bone health, heart health, immune system, etc). It’s not healthy to overdo sun exposure and get sunburned, so that’s what we want to avoid. And if you do get burned, here are three natural sunburn remedies that you can easily grab from your kitchen. Your skin will thank you for this!

Apple cider vinegar

Apple cider vinegar is made from fermented apple juice and contains 1-11% of acetic acid. Since it has antiseptic properties and a cooling effect, it soothes sunburns and speeds up the healing process.
 
You have to dilute it with water, though, so it doesn’t irritate your skin. There is no specific vinegar-to-water ratio, but if you tend to have sensitive skin it’s recommended to dilute it more. You can put the dilution in a spray bottle and spray it on your affected skin. You can also take a tepid bath with some apple cider vinegar mixed with the water.
 

Baking soda

Bicarbonate of soda is also antiseptic. It reduces itching and inflammation in sunburn. You can make a paste and apply it on your burned skin, or again, take a cool bath using water with a few handfuls of baking soda.
 

Oatmeal

There’s a reason why a lot of lotions and beauty products have oats in them. Oats have been long known to be one of the best home remedies because of their anti-inflammatory effects. Oatmeal applied on your burned skin can reduce inflammation and relieve pain.
 
The sunburn appearance may only be seen 24-36 hours after your exposure, but healing takes about 3-5 days. Make sure to soothe it well with those home remedies to speed up your skin’s recovery.
 
Stay tuned next week!  I’ll be giving natural sunscreen alternatives and more health care tips!
 
It is my passion to work with people like you whose health symptoms are getting in the way of you living life fully and with a sense of freedom in your body. I can help you to regain your health so you can feel great and free to enjoy life fully.
 
If you’re ready to discover where your best health has been hiding, I’d love to connect with you!
Apply for a complimentary Unstoppable Health Discovery Session. http://bit.ly/schedulinghealth (subject to availability).
Until next time, I’m wishing you unstoppable health!

~Rebecca