How To Soothe Your Sunburn

Ouch.

Illustration Hisashi Okawa
July 27, 2017
How To Soothe Your Sunburn
Make a baking soda paste

Mix roughly 1 cup of water with 4 tbsp. of baking soda until you have a gloopy substance. Apply it to burned areas every couple of hours to cool off.

Slice up some cucumber

Pretend you’re hitting the spa by placing sliced cucumber over your sore eyes, or rubbing the fruit along any burns. Tomatoes work too.

Take an essential oil bath

The soothing effect of chamomile or lavender oil feels great in a bath against burned skin. You could also try adding apple cider vinegar or oatmeal (yeah, really) — both have anti-inflammatory properties and can prevent blisters. Don’t use soap or bubble bath, though: they’ll irritate your skin more.

Make use of old teabags

Tea is high in antioxidants and tannic acid, which is great for easing the ache and redness of a sunburn when applied topically. Boil 5-7 tea bags in a pot, let it cool, then squeeze them over sore patches. You can also add the bags to a bath.

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Slather on the coconut oil

Not only does coconut oil have a natural low SPF, it also feels good.

Mash some potatoes

The pulp of a mashed or grated potato will feel great against burns. The starch takes away some of the sting.

Use sunscreen in the first place

Well, duh.

How To Soothe Your Sunburn