- Take a cool shower or bath to cool your sunburned skin. Check out these natural bath therapies to soothe sunburn pain and other symptoms.
- Add one cup of apple cider vinegar to a bath to help balance the pH (acid or alkalinity) of sunburned skin, and promote healing.
- Soak in an oatmeal bath. This is especially helpful for itchy sunburned skin.
- Add some lavender or chamomile essential oil to the bath to help relieve some of the stinging and pain.
- Add 2 cups of baking soda to the bath to help ease irritation and redness from sunburn.
- Avoid soap or perfumes in the bath water as these can be drying on already dry and sunburned skin.
- Use lotions that contain aloe Vera to soothe and moisturize sunburnt skin. Some aloe products contain lidocaine, an anesthetic that can help relieve sunburn pain. Aloe Vera is also a good moisturizer for peeling skin.
- Hydrate: Drink lots of water, juice, or sports drinks. Your skin is dry and dehydrated. Replacing lost body fluids will help your skin heal from sunburn more quickly.
- Apply a cool compress containing Burow’s solution (such as Domeboro Powder Packets -1 pkt in 1 pint of water) to comfort and soothe a sunburn.
- Topical over-the-counter (OTC) 1% hydrocortisone cream may help relieve sunburn symptoms like pain, itch, and swelling.
- Take OTC pain relievers such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) or naproxen (Aleve) to help relieve sunburn pain and inflammation.
- Apply cool, not cold, milk with a clean cloth to your sunburned skin. The milk will create a protein film that helps ease sunburn discomfort.
- Like milk, yogurt applied to sunburned skin also can be soothing.
- Vitamin E is an antioxidant, and can help decrease inflammation caused by sunburn. Use Vitamin E oil on the skin, or take a regular dose of the supplement. Vitamin E oil also can be rubbed onto peeling skin.
- Apply freshly brewed tea after it has cooled to sunburnt skin using a clean cloth. The tannic acid in black tea reportedly helps draw heat from sunburned skin, and also aids in restoring the pH balance. Add mint to the tea for a more cooling effect.
- Apply teabags soaked in cold water to sunburned eyelids to soothe the burn and reduce inflammation.
- Cucumbers have natural antioxidant and analgesic properties. Chill cucumbers, then mash in a blender to create a paste, and apply to affected sunburned areas including the face. Cucumber also can be soothing for peeling skin following a sunburn.
- Place a cool compress on sunburned skin for immediate sunburn relief
- Boil and mash some peeled potatoes, let cool, and apply as a dressing to sunburned areas. It is believed that the starch in the potatoes helps draw out heat, which can reduce pain and speed healing.
- Cornstarch also can be mixed with water to form a paste that can be applied to skin to help soothe the sunburn.