It’s finally summer! As excited as we all are, we know there is a common threat to all of us.. SUNBURN.
No one wants it. However, it’s bound to happen to us all at some point this summer whether we’re prepared or not!
Besides the pain and itching that a sunburn brings, the utter redness of your skin is enough to make you want to run and hide.
We all look for the quickest ways to get rid of this sometimes inevitable consequence of enjoying a little too much time in the sun.
Googling
The first thing a lot of us think to do when we don’t know a solution is turn to Google. We end up searching things like “home remedies for sunburn relief” or “quickest way to get rid of sunburns”.
Not so fast though. A lot of tips that bloggers love to collectively throw out to the public are actually quite wrong and can even be harmful to your skin and health. I’ve tried a lot of them without realizing the risks. Only to see what happened after using them and realizing what NOT to do again.
So let’s dive in!
1. Allowing your sunburn to set in
It’s extremely easy to want to avoid a shower immediately after coming in from the sun. Our skin is really sensitive at this point and the thought of steam rising or water pounding against our bodies literally will send a chill up your spine. Most of us want to crawl under a blanket to help with the sensitivity to the cool air conditioning.
However, it is vital to hop in the shower as soon as possible to get any chemicals off of your skin and to allow the heat to exit your body.
Yes, it stings to the high heavens but afterwards it is a relief to release the heat from your burn and the sting.
Turn the water slightly below luke warm temperature to give a cool sensation from head to toe. The cooler water will also help calm redness and soothe irritation.
2. Drying off completely before applying aloe vera or after sun lotion
Our skin is already dry enough from the sun stealing all of our moisture out of our skin. When you exit the shower, make sure to leave enough water remaining on your body to trap moisture underneath the after shower care of your choice. I personally do both. Check out “5 simple steps for the ultimate sunburn relief” for more details on that!
3. Using sunburn lotions with dense oils or aloe vera with lidocaine
I’ve done both of these! So, it’s okay but we’re not going to do them anymore, lol. Stop using both of these. Dense oils actually trap the escaping heat from your sunburn.
Furthermore, while lidocaine is a great numbing agent in medical procedures, it has quite an opposite effect when used on our burnt skin. In my case it was SEVERELY burnt skin. Imagine the pain from that, yikes. Lidocaine in the aloe vera actually causes irritation of your already inflamed skin and it also will trap heat in, the opposite of what we want. This made my skin immediately take steps back from recovery.
4. Looking for remedies on Pinterest
I am the FIRST person to tell you that I love Pinterest and I use it for a lot of things that pertain to life. Unfortunately, I had to the learn the hard way on this one as well. These sunburn remedies from Pinterest DO NOT WORK. I tried them all.
- Apple Cider Vinegar and Coconut Oil.. insert FACE PALM EMOJI. Ladies and gents, do not try this. After attempting this pinterest remedy, I found really dangerous side effects that I wish I had known before. Apple Cider Vinegar actually dries out the natural oils in your skin. This CAN cause chemical burns to sunburnt skin. Luckily, mine didn’t make it that far. But I did think that the “stinging” was the ACV relieving my burn… Yeah, that’s a hard no.
You’re supposed to immediately apply coconut oil after the ACV treatment. Coconut oil is way too thick, preventing your skin to breathe and also trapping in the sunburn heat. - Shaving Cream- I tried this too. The idea is to apply shaving cream with menthol directly to burnt skin. While it is extremely soothing to dry and stinging skin, there is no remedy behind this myth.
Who wants to sit in their bathroom for 30 minutes anyways? The only benefit to this was quality sister bonding (because she was just as burnt and trying these with me).
5. Wearing long sleeves/long pants
I’m always cold. When I’m sunburnt, I get even colder. I used to bundle up in sweatpants and a long sleeve tshirt. I also did this to avoid my skin being inadvertently rubbed by anything. I was actually sabotaging my healing process. This is actually a constant irritant to our skin, even when it’s loose. Long clothes also trap in our sunburn’s heat and prevents our skin from receiving fresh air exposure.
Comment your thoughts!