Common Ailments Healed at Home: Sunburn

Please note: If you experience fever, vomiting, heart palpitations, eye pain, dehydration with poor urine output, extreme blistering, or skin that cold, clammy and  visibly pale GO TO THE DOCTOR IMMEDIATELY! There is a vast difference between a little too much exposure to the sun resulting in a minor sunburn and sun poisoning that needs medical attention.  Also note that though temporary sunburn damage is permanent to our skin and prevention is preferable to treatment. Also note that I am not a doctor, licensed herbologist, psychologist or priestess, I simply love home remedies and the use of plants to heal the body. 

Photo Taken from my Brooklyn rooftop July 4, 2011 before the fireworks

Here is the treatment that my family uses to treat sunburns with some other advice I've come across from other friends:

Step 1: Brine Yourself
Take a luke warm bath with white vinegar* in it. Yes, it stinks. Yes, you smell like a pickle. Yes, it will help more than any other step in this treatment. **Vinegar alleviates the itching, burning, and pain associated with a minor sunburn. Initially, I've found that it stings a little and itches when it first hits your skin BUT a little fresh water rinsed over it and that sensation immediately dissipates. The other option is to douse yourself with vinegar in the shower and then rinse it with warm water. You want to use warm water because cold water can actually put you into shock- bad idea- and hot water just encourages inflammation, believe me lukewarm water will feel nice and cool on your sunburn.
* Allergic to white vinegar? Try Apple Cider Vinegar instead. 
**Literally can't stand vinegar? Try this combo instead: Same bath but add 2-3 Tablespoons of baking soda OR oatmeal and soak for about 15 minutes (too much longer is no good so watch the time!). Air dry so that the baking powder/oatmeal that is on your skin stays there. Then make a potato pack. Recipe to follow. Though honestly, man up, vinegar is way better and gets rid of the PAIN. Seriously, it's only for a few minutes and you won't regret it. 



Step 2: After you gently pat dry your newly pickled self:
(You can use a gentle vegetable soap after the vinegar so you don't stink.) Rub on the good old tried and true aloe vera. The gel is fine and the plant is fine. If you have a very bad sunburn I actually buy the blue aloe vera gel with lidocaine. Big Daddy is pale and his burns are extremely painful so I am nice and provide gel with a topical pain killer in it.



Step 3: Moisturize or be damned to lizard skin.



Once that Aloe dries, use an after sun skin lotion. I use Alba's, it smells like coffee mmmmm, pictured here to the left. These lotions tend to have more skin soothing botanicals and non-irritating non-inflammatory components. Apply this often (this will help prevent peeling.)  You can purchase Alba Hawaiian After-Sun Lotion Kona Coffee here Drugstore.com.





Step 4: If you didn't notice your skin was burning, chances are you also didn't notice that you were dehydrating as well.
Drink 1-2 glasses of water. Continue to hydrate until your urine is very pale/clear. If you aren't a water drinker try some gatorade or pedialyte (I like mine in apple juice- I also use this for hangovers.)  If you take OTC pain killers, now is a good time.



Step 5: Relax  

Chimi relaxing while having her tummy rubbed. She did not have a sunburn.

Step 6: Bring on the taters!

You can also make a potato pack. Pulvarize 2-4 potatoes (depending on the size of you and your sunburn you may need more or less). Almost liquify them, add water as needed because you want this to be cool and wet. Dab this pack all over your sunburn (you will probably need assistance- you will almost definitely need assistance) once the potatoes dry rinse them off in a cool shower. This is really good for your face since vinegar can hurt the eyes. MOISTURIZE after your shower.


Step 7: So, you've discovered that you've managed to burn your eyelids.
DO NOT PUT VINEGAR ON YOUR EYELIDS, if it gets in your eyes it hurts. You can use the potato pack, you can use cucumbers (these are great!), and you can use cold compresses soaked in cucumber, oatmeal or baking soda water. (Strain the oatmeal/cucumbers out of the water before soaking the compress- it's less messy.) Use as desired.

Step 8: Oh no! You have to go in public and you don't live in a nudist colony!
Cornstarch will be your best friend to put on a bra or panties. (I personally just wear the top I got burned in/bathing suit top I go burned in so that the "lines" are more likely to line up (also bathing suit tops are more adjustable and less restrictive than conventional bras and for the bottoms I use underpants that are smaller than my bathing suit line- which is really easy to do.) If you have blisters, or open sores from your sunburn don't put anything on it that isn't prescribed to you.



Step 9: DON'T:

Sun Blisters

Use petroleum jelly, toothpaste, oils of any kind, stringent soaps or anti-bacterial soaps (unless directed by a physician) they can dry the skin and block your pores. Not conducive to healing a sunburn. Don't "pop" any blisters- . In fact, short of just dead skin bubbling up, if you get an actual blister- GO TO THE DOCTOR because you've got a serious burn.






Okay my sun bunnies, enjoy the rest of this fleeting summer- and please be sunburn-free!

Picture taken in Sarasota, FL September 2010.

Sources:
Experience