It can happen to the best of us, sunburn. You try to remember to reapply every 45 minutes, you spray, rub and lather on the sunscreen and still you end up pink and burned. So now that you’re sporting, what will eventually become a farmer’s tan, we’ve got to get you some relief from the heat of the burn. Time to go digging in our Summer Survival Kit for this week’s DIY recipes, Sunburn Soothing Black Tea & Mint Brew and Peeling Prevention Balm.
There are a lot of different all-natural and not-so-all-natural treatments available to you. Today I put together a time tested recipe designed to soothe the heat of the sunburn and reduce the healing time. After all, sunburn is skin damage and you want to minimize any further damage by treating it. After you realize that you’ve gotten a sunburn, you want to start treating it as soon as possible. Start with the sunburn care recipe below.
Sunburn Soothing Black Tea & Mint Brew
- 1 cup (16 oz.) water
- 2 black tea bags (any brand of black tea is fine, Lipton, Red Rose, PG Tips, any type of breakfast tea)
- 4-5 fresh mint leaves (you can substitute a bag of mint tea if needed)
Heat the water to just below the boiling point. Rub the mint leaves between your fingers and palms to break the capillaries and release their essential oils. Add the mint and the tea bags to the hot water. Allow it to steep for 20-30 minutes.
Use a soft washcloth or cotton pad to apply the tea directly to your sunburned skin. The tannic acid in the black tea will help draw the heat created by the burn, away from your skin. It will also restore your skin’s pH balance while promoting healing and reducing further skin damage to the area. The mint leaves will act as an additional coolant on the skin, giving you relief from the heat of the burn. Allow the tea to dry on your skin and follow with the Peeling Prevention Balm below.
The best way to prevent peeling is to moisturize, moisturize, moisturize and did I mention…moisturize. Your regular lotion may not be able to do the job that’s required for peeling prevention. Depending on the severity of your burn, you may not actually be able to prevent peeling but you can at least reduce it using the recipe below. The aloe vera in the recipe is a given for sunburns, we all know how soothing and healing it can be, but I’m suggesting that you use fresh aloe vera gel (how to harvest aloe tutorial) or pure aloe vera gel (available in health food stores) instead of the aloe and alcohol gels that you typically find in the drug store. While these drug store versions are soothing, sometimes they can also be drying, which is exactly what you want to avoid. In addition to the aloe vera, I’ve also included honey. I’m a big fan of honey and its moisturizing powers, as I’ve told you before and it is amazing for sunburns. I’ve also included a powerful moisturizing base oil, refined coconut oil. This can often be found in health food stores or in the specialty section of your local grocery store. If you can’t find coconut oil, you can substitute extra-virgin olive oil.
Peeling Prevention Balm
I find that it is best to do this at night before bedtime.
- fresh or pure aloe vera gel
- honey (preferably “raw” honey)
- coconut oil or extra-virgin olive oil
image via: someecards.com
quark is THE No.1 sunburn remedy in my family. i know it can be hard to get in some parts of the u.s. (lucky me, i’m from germany
) but it’s absolutely brilliant. the light acid of it helps the protective layer of the skin, it cools the burn and the protein in it help as well. just don’t apply it to open blisters and don’t let it get to warm on your skin. it’s better to re-apply another round of it.
works just as well with plain yoghurt although quark is much less runny