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A sunburn home remedy can be very effective
in cases of mild sunburn. However, if the sunburn
is severe or is coming up in blisters, or if
you have a bad headache, dizziness or nausea,
seek medical attention immediately.
Lavender Remedy for Sunburn
The best home remedy for most cases of sunburn
is essential
oil of lavender. Keep some of this in the
house all summer and take it with you to the
beach or on vacation.
First cool the burn using ice or cold water.
Then let a few drops of lavender oil drip onto
the burned area and spread it around gently
with a soft pad.
The pain of the burn should ease within about
30 minutes. Do not shower, leave the oil on.
Reapply after 12 hours if necessary.
An added bonus of using lavender oil for sunburn
is that it will often stop the area from peeling,
so you get to keep your tan.
Tea Remedy for Sunburn
Some people like to use tea for sunburn. This
works by the tannic acid in tea drawing the
heat from the burn.
Make a pot of very strong tea and cool it by
adding ice or placing the pot in the freezer
for a short time. You should have it at about
body temperature or slightly warmer - do not
let it freeze!
Take an old towel and soak it in the tea, then
lay it on the burned area. It will feel cool
on the hot, burned skin. Leave it for 30-60
minutes. The wetness will continue to cool the
skin
and draw out the burn.
You can also take a bath in tea if you prefer.
You will need a lot of tea bags to make the
tea strong enough, but if large areas are burned
this can be the best thing. Make the tea with
boiling water, then add cold water until it
feels only just warm.
Tea should ease the pain of sunburn but will
not prevent peeling. Note also that tannin will
stain, so do not let the tea drip onto clothes
or floor coverings.
Other Tips
Drink plenty of water. If you were sunburnt,
you are probably also dehydrated, and this will
help to heal the burn from the inside.
Moisturize the skin
when it is not too painful, but avoid creams
containing lanolin. While this may soothe the
pain initially, the effect will be very short
term and the pain may even increase later as
the lanolin holds heat against the body. Also
avoid soap and heavily scented or chemical-based
creams. Best is a simple, natural moisturizer
with a few drops of lavender oil worked into
the cream.
If you have blisters, don't pop them. Consider
covering the area with a wound or burn dressing
if you can do this without attaching tapes to
other burned areas.
If the area is itchy (usually the next day)
use calamine lotion or a similar preparation
to reduce itching. Do not scratch.
When the skin
peels, carefully remove dead skin but do not
pull off any that has not already separated
from the body. The new skin underneath those
areas is not ready. Cover your peeling skin
to stop yourself and other people from picking
at it.
Sunburn Prevention
Of course, it is better to prevent sunburn
by staying out of the sun between 11 am and
3 pm and by wearing sunscreen, sunglasses and
a hat. But you knew that already, and it is
probably not what you need to hear when you
just fell asleep on the beach for 3 hours!
You should consult a doctor before using a
sunburn home remedy to check that it is suitable
for you.
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