Fashion

9 Natural Ways To Treat A Sunburn

by Lindsey Rose Black

Despite the best of intentions your sunscreen might have, sometimes you just get burned. When that happens, consider trying out all these natural ways to treat sunburns and help your skin heal fast. These hacks are soothing and budget-friendly, so it's pretty much a win-win situation.

Even though sunburn can be treated, obviously the best form of care is preventing it in the first place. Beyond truly broad spectrum UVB and UVA protection sunscreen that uses either zinc oxide or avobenzone, there are several additional things that will help to keep your skin from getting singed. For instance, you can keep an eye out for UV protective clothing and umbrellas, wear hats on the beach, and even consider getting bangs to keep your forehead safe.

However, if you're reading this with burned skin, it's clearly too late now! Luckily, these natural ways to treat sunburn not only heal your skin, but keep it soothed during the process so you hopefully can avoid peeling.

Whether you prefer DIY mixing together a few household ingredients or purchasing a natural product, I'd strongly suggest you do a small "allergy spot test" on your arm to make sure you're not going to negatively react to anything. The last thing you want to do is accidentally make your sunburn worse.

Here are nine natural ways to treat your sunburn.

1. Milk Compress

Everyday Roots shared that simply dipping a wash rag in cold milk and then applying it to the burn not only soothes, but "also creates a layer of protein to protect your skin [and] help it heal."

2. Cold Water

It doesn't get much easier than soaking a wash rag in cold water before placing it over your skin, but Michael Schreiber, MD, told Prevention that's all you need to do for several days after a burn to keep it cool and healing fast.

3. Aloe

Aloe is nature's finest sunburn soother, whether you get it from an aloe plant or from a store-bought aloe gel.

4. Yogurt

Another Prevention tip: Coat sunburns in yogurt to cool skin and add a protein-healing boost.

5. Potatoes

Mercola recommended, "Chop an uncooked potato into slices, and rub or pat down a piece on your sore sunburned spots. You can also try grating a cold raw potato and applying it." This is a trick my granny swears by!

6. Manuka Honey

Dr. Weil shared that applying honey to a small burn can be an excellent treatment, thanks to its soothing antiseptic properties.

7. Oatmeal

Not just for breakfast, ground-up oats poured into a bath can work wonders for soothing burned skin. Just try not to stay in the bath too long, as it can accidentally start drying out your skin.

8. Mint Tea

Brew a cup of mint tea, let it cool, and then dip a wash rag in the tea for a refreshing skin-cooler.

9. Cucumber Slices

The anti-inflammatory effects of cucumbers aren't just for tired eyes. To help reduce redness and irritation, pop fresh cucumber slices over a burn for an instant "oooh" effect.

Images: Aral Tasher; Carissa Gan, Jon Grogan, Sonja Langford, Vee O, Harshal Hirve/Unsplash; Fotolia (1, 2), Pixabay (1, 2)