7 Natural Ways to Fight a Sunburn

Beat the burn before it sinks in. Check out the natural ways to fight a sunburn.

With summer in full swing, it’s easy to get caught up in the moment and not treat your skin with protection! Before you know it, it’s been hours outside under the sun and those ultraviolet sunrays have created havoc on your skin! You’re sore, red, hot, itchy, and looking for a natural way to relieve your discomfort. Here’s my top 7 ways to naturally fight sunburns, and it starts from what you eat! Who knew, right?

Think Vitamin C

A diet rich in Vitamin C might add an extra layer of protection when you’re out in the sun! Rich in antioxidants, foods such as guava, oranges, strawberries, broccoli, kale, yellow bell peppers, kiwi, and tomatoes will be sure to give you that supply of antioxidants. Not to mention, they taste good, so by eating them you are killing two birds with one stone!

Aloe

One of the best houseplants to keep alive is aloe! To help alleviate discomfort from a sunburn, break a leaf off and apply the gel or juice from the inside of the plant leaf directly onto your sunburn. If you don’t have this multipurpose plant at home, you can go to your local pharmacy and buy a bottle of 100% pure aloe and use that. When the summer is approaching, but a bottle and keep it on hand in the fridge for some extra cooling comfort before applying.

Lettuce

Place some lettuce leaves in water and boil for a few minutes, strain and cool in the fridge (a couple hours). Apply the lettuce water with large cotton balls directly onto the sunburn and this should help relieve you from some sunburn pain.

Oatmeal

Wrap some oatmeal in cheesecloth or gauze and run it through a slow stream of cool water into a large bowl. Soak large gauze squares in the oatmeal water and apply directly onto the sunburn. If you’ve been subjected to a full body burn, grind about 1.5 cups of oatmeal in a food processor and add to a bath of cool water and soak. This can give some all over body relief.

Cornstarch

It’s time to get pasty! Make a paste of cornstarch and water, and apply the thick paste directly to your sunburn for some soothing. Reapply as necessary.

Witch Hazel

Create a compress with witch hazel. Use a washcloth for larger surface areas, and cotton balls for smaller areas. Witch hazel has shown to provide a longer period of relief, so apply as often as required.

Potatoes

The starch of a potato has great soothing ability. Try grating a potato and making it into a mush. Apply the potato mush directly to the burn. You can place a damp gauze over the potato and wrap with saran wrap to keep it in place. This can provide great anti-inflammatory relief! Apply as often as needed.

Whenever you go outside, you’re subject to getting a sunburn. We tend to see more sunburns in the summer as we expose more skin while we’re out enjoying the summer fun. However, it doesn’t have to be a hot, scorching summer day to receive a sunburn. It’s important to drink a lot to stay hydrated (this can also help your skin from drying out as much if you do burn!). Apply sunscreen, and don’t forget to reapply sunscreen according to directions to help combat those ultraviolet rays. If you do get a sunburn, treat your sunburn immediately with any of these natural recommendations.

Be aware, your sunburn may need additional medical treatment, so make sure to seek a physician if you are experiencing blistering, have signs of an infection, running a fever, experiencing dark urine, or any other symptoms you feel concerned about.