I love summer! But summer does not love me.
The hot summer sun has been both my best friend and my worst enemy for my entire life. In Rhode Island, where I grew up, there are so many beautiful beaches that I just couldn't resist. When I wasn't at work, I was at the beach. I love laying in the sun, not just to get that Vitamin D, but to relax, to feel the warmth on my skin as the ocean waves softly crash into the rocks below. But even if I go outside with SPF30, I still get torched.
Dealing with a sunburn can be difficult. Luckily, I've had 21 years to master the art of sunburn healing. It would be my pleasure to share with you all what I know.
So, you come home after a long day at the beach, take your bathing suit off, and look in the mirror, only to see the dreaded "white bikini" that has become a part of your birthday suit. You think your skin is as red as it can get, but I'm here to inform you that you are terribly wrong. You will continue to "cook" for up to 24 hours afterwards. But the damage has been done, so what can we do to start healing?
First of all, before you leave the beach (or lake, or pond, or pool), take a quick dip in the water. You need to cool your skin off! Ocean water is particularly beneficial for skin healing because it contains vitamins, minerals, and amino acids.
When you get home, you should take a cold shower to cool yourself off further and to cleanse your skin of the sunscreen, sand/dirt, and salt/chlorine (both of which will dry your skin out). Sunburns bring more blood to the surface of your skin, so cold water will constrict the blood vessels and help you feel more comfortable.
After the shower, while your skin is a little damp, rub lotion everywhere! You can never have enough lotion, so reapply as much as you feel necessary. The more lotion you apply, the less likely you are to peel and the more likely you are to turn that burn into a lovely tan (regardless of how white you are, trust me). Remember that your skin is dehydrated and is dying to be moisturized, so give it some love. I find that lotions with Aloe Vera and/or Vitamin E Oil are most effective.
My go-to lotion for sunburns is Hawaiian Tropic's AFTER SUN Moisturizer (shown below). The combination of shea and cocoa butters, exotic island botanicals, and aloe vera is not only ideal for moisturizing, but it also leaves your skin feeling cool and refreshed. Not to mention it smells delightful! $20 well spent.
Another one of my favorite remedies is my homemade After-Sun Cooling Spray. There are several recipes online, but here is my favorite:
16 oz glass spray bottle
1 cup Aloe Vera Juice
1/4 cup Fractionated Coconut Oil
1 tsp Vitamin E Oil
10 drops Peppermint Oil (cooling effect)
10 drops Lavender Oil (heals burns)
Simply combine all ingredients and shake well. Spray generously on sunburns to cool off and promote healing.
Note: Not all essential oil brands are equal. My brand of choice is Young Living for many reasons, but mostly because they are known for their purity and therapeutic quality. https://www.youngliving.com/
So there you have it! Happy healing my friends! I wish you all a wonderful Summer :)
Namaste,
Mackenzie