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After a day in the sun, you return home and notice that your skin is bright red. Don’t panic—sunburns can be painful, but they usually fade into a nice tan, and there are actually things you can do to speed up the healing process. Below we break down the best things you can do to soothe your skin and help your sunburn fade into a beautiful summer glow.
Steps
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Cool sunburned skin. The easiest way to soothe a sunburn is the most obvious way: Apply something cool to the skin. This won't just feel great, but it also will reduce redness, swelling, and pain. There are many ways to do this.
- Take a cool shower or bath.
- Use a cold compress such as ice or a bag of frozen vegetables wrapped in a towel.
- Rub the skin with an ice cube . Take breaks between applications to avoid damaging your skin.
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Apply cucumber slices on your skin. Cucumbers cool and moisturize irritated skin. Simply cut thin slices from a refrigerated cucumber and lay them across the affected area. The wider the cucumber, the better. If you don't have cucumbers, you can use a potato because it contain lots of water and also is moisturizing for the skin.
- If you're having a hard time getting the cucumber slices to stick, try moistening your skin with a little oil or lotion. It acts like a glue.
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Apply aloe vera gel . Aloe is one of the few natural ingredients widely known to provide relief from sunburns. Rub aloe vera gel, or a gentle lotion containing this ingredient on the affected skin as soon as you notice redness or feel pain. Repeat several times per day to keep pain and irritation at bay. [1] X Research source
- If you have an aloe plant, you can slit the leaves down the middle and squeeze them onto your sunburn to get a 100% natural soothing effect. [2] X Trustworthy Source Cleveland Clinic Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals Go to source
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Apply a topical steroid ointment. Steroids are a type of drug that can reduce pain and swelling when they come in contact with the skin, making them perfect for sunburns. There are many different types of steroid ointments available over-the-counter. Hydrocortisone cream is one common choice. To apply, gently rub a pea-sized amount over the burned skin, reapplying every few hours as needed.
- Note that topical steroids are not the same kind of drugs infamous for being abused by athletes. These are anabolic steroids. Over-the-counter steroids are perfectly safe for use (except in some cases for very young children). [3] X Trustworthy Source Seattle Children's Hospital Health information provided by Seattle Children's hospital. Go to source
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Bathe in a tea bath. According to some, the tannic acids in black tea can soothe burned skin and prevent peeling.To do this, first boil a pot of water. Steep five or six tea bags in the hot water for about five to ten minutes. Let the tea cool to room temperature. (Cool it in the fridge to reduce your wait time.) When it's cool, apply it to the burnt area with a rag or spray bottle and let it sit for half an hour. Alternatively, just hold one of the wet tea bags against the skin.
- Most sources recommend a black tea such as Earl Grey for this. [4] X Trustworthy Source Cleveland Clinic Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals Go to source
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Bathe in an oatmeal bath . Although it may seem like an odd choice, oatmeal can be a helpful tool for dealing with sunburns and promoting healing. It has healing properties such as normalizing the skin’s pH level and soothing itchy and irritated skin. [5] X Trustworthy Source National Eczema Association Nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of those with eczema through research and education Go to source
- Try running a cool bath and mixing in two to three cups of plain (unsweetened) rolled oats. Soak in the bath for 20 minutes before rinsing off or proceeding to one of the other treatments.
- You can add 3/4 cup of baking soda to the bath as well for extra moisturizing power.
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Spray vinegar water on the skin. Although it may seem strange, vinegar helps restore the pH balance of the skin, which helps soothe and heal the skin after a sunburn. [6] X Trustworthy Source Cleveland Clinic Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals Go to source First, take a cold shower. Next, fill a spray bottle with vinegar and gently mist the burnt skin. Let the vinegar mixture sit for about an hour. After, rinse it off or take another cold shower.
- The smell can be unpleasant during the hour-long waiting period, but your sunburn should be less likely to peel.
- Most types of vinegar should work, but according to some sources, apple cider vinegar works best. [7] X Trustworthy Source HealthyChildren.org Health information from the American Academy of Pediatrics. Go to source Avoid balsamic vinegar. The added sugar and coloring might irritate the skin.
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Apply moisturizer . As soon as you have noticed the sun damage, make sure that your skin is hydrated and supple. To put a little life back into dry sunburned skin, apply a gentle, hypoallergenic moisturizer to the affected areas. Most daily lotions should work well for this task. You also can try using a few drops of a neutral oil such as baby oil, olive oil or canola oil.
- Try to use a product without added fragrances or scents. The chemicals in these can sometimes irritate inflamed skin.
- Don't exfoliate your skin after getting sunburned—it would make things much worse. Instead, treat your skin like a newborn's skin, and give it a lot of hydration and good nutrients.
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Drink water . Sunburned skin is extra dry and inflamed, so ensuring your body has a good supply of water can help keep it protected. Stay hydrated inside and out to prevent too much skin from peeling and flaking off. Mayo Clinic recommends about 9 to 13 cups of water a day. [8] X Trustworthy Source Mayo Clinic Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals Go to source
- Water also can help with headaches, which are sometimes caused by sunburns. [9] X Trustworthy Source American Academy of Dermatology Professional organization made of over 20,000 certified dermatologists Go to source
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Apply whole milk to the skin. The fat in dairy products can help moisturize burnt skin by reducing pain and preventing peeling. Whole milk is usually the cheapest most convenient way milk to use. Try soaking a rag in whole milk and holding it against your burn in 20 minute intervals as a cold compress. Alternatively, add whole milk to a cool bath and let yourself soak.
- Don't use low- or non-fat milk for this. Without the fat, the milk loses much of its moisturizing properties.
- Whole-fat plain Greek yogurt also has the same effect when used as a lotion.Don't use sugary sweetened yogurts, which can get sticky and might irritate the skin.
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Put potato paste on the skin. The starch inside potatoes contains lots of water, so laying it against the skin is a great way to re-moisturize skin that's dried out from a sunburn. Grate a potato to turn it into a starchy paste. Then, rub this mixture against the skin and let it sit.Wash off with cold water after 20 minutes.
- You can also use a food processor to make your paste. If you do, cut your potato into small pieces first. Trying to grind up a whole potato at once can be too much for some processors.
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Rub coconut oil on the skin. While many natural oils will moisturize and soothe dry skin just as well as commercial lotions do, coconut oil is an even better choice. In addition to providing moisture and giving burnt skin a healthy glow, it also gently exfoliates, removes dead skin and promotes healing.
- Coconut oil is available in solid blocks from many health food stores and specialty grocers. It will liquefy from the heat of your hands.
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Tips
- Stay out of the sun until your sunburn has fully faded. If you must expose yourself to the sun, use a high-SPF sunblock to protect yourself.Thanks
- For bad sunburns, some peeling may be unavoidable. However, the methods above can help keep pain and irritation to a minimum during the healing process.Thanks
Tips from our Readers
The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.
- If your scalp got burned, you can part your hair in a different direction to mask some redness and protect the burnt area. In the future, wear a hat to keep from sunburns.
- Try to stay at home as much as possible to decrease your chance of damaging your skin during the healing process.
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Warning
- Sunburn damages your skin and increases your risk of skin cancer, so always wear sunblock especially if you will be outside for long periods of time.
References
- ↑ https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/burns.html
- ↑ https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/12063-burns
- ↑ https://www.seattlechildrens.org/conditions/a-z/sunburn/
- ↑ https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/5240-sun-damage-protecting-yourself
- ↑ https://nationaleczema.org/eczema/treatment/bathing/
- ↑ https://health.clevelandclinic.org/what-the-heck-is-hells-itch/
- ↑ https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/skin/Pages/sunburn-treatment-and-prevention.aspx
- ↑ http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/water/art-20044256 .
- ↑ https://www.aad.org/dermatology-a-to-z/for-kids/about-skin/skin-cancer/treating-sunburn
About This Article
Article Summary
X
If you want to turn your sunburn into a tan, start by cooling your skin with a cold compress or a cool shower or bath to reduce swelling and redness. You can also apply aloe vera gel to your skin to get the same effects. Once you’ve cooled your skin down, consider using a topical steroid ointment every few hours to help heal your damaged skin. Alternatively, you can fill a spray bottle with vinegar and mist your skin with it to help restore its pH balance. Apple cider vinegar is believed by many to work best. While your skin is healing, make sure to drink plenty of water to keep it hydrated. For more tips, including how to heal your skin with a tea or oatmeal bath, read on!
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Reader Success Stories
- "I was working on the rooftop in August for more than 3 hours. My skin got red and swollen. It was itching. I used prickly heat powder, but soon the skin got stiff and cracked. I found this article and moisturized with water and lotion, and it helped a lot." ..." more
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"I was working on the rooftop in August for more than 3 hours. My skin got red and swollen. It was itching. I used prickly heat powder, but soon the skin got stiff and cracked. I found this article and moisturized with water and lotion, and it helped a lot."
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"It was very informative. Some things I already knew, some were just obvious, but I liked it. I even got to answer some questions that I knew would help and that I knew, that made me feel really good. So yes, I did like this website."
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"The Earl Grey tea bath actually really works if you submerge the burnt part of your body in the water, I did not expect such good results honestly, just continue to moisturize afterwards. "
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"The different mixes and solutions were very effective, and I saw results within a day. Another thing, cocoa butter is very soothing and takes away some discomfort while reducing redness."
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"I just got a sunburn and it hurts pretty bad. Most of mine aren't too bad and turn into a slight tan, but this summer I need a tan. Reading these tips helps a lot, thanks."
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