Sunburn Relief-

My mom used to run us down with vinager. Smells funny but takes the sting out. Aloevera also works but leaves you slimy.

I use straight aloe.
I'm actually allergic to things like Bactine or any of those sprays.
I usually cool it off for a little bit with cool wash cloths then slather on the aloe. Cooling it some keeps you from sealing in the heat with the layer of aloe which just keeps it cooking.

Ibuprofen works much better than Tylenol for sunburns. Solarcain! It's incredible! I usually use Solarcain with aloe, but even the regular Solarcaine is fabulous.

I keep a jar of aloe with lidocaine in the fridge. Feels so good.

Aloe is your friend.

as a ginger who has spent her life fighting with sunburns, I will toss out a little extra advice... If you suspect you have overindulged in the sun, but can't see the burn (yet...) spray some mint-infused green tea on it. When the sun starts to shine, I brew a strong pot of green tea with mint leaves. Strain out the leaves, and pour into a spray bottle. I keep a spray bottle in my fridge, and spritz it on and let it air dry after I've been in the sun.

Buy some aloe. My kids got sunburned on their noses and shoulders a few years ago. I went to Walgreens and bought a bottle of aloe vera gel. It worked wonders at relieving most of the pain and kept the skin moist.

I'd get to the store for some of the OTC sunburn relief products. I'm a redhead and well versed in sunburns, and the sunburn relief lotions really make a difference more than the home remedies I've tried. Also, switch to an anti-inflammatory med like Advil instead.

Have you tried pure aloe vera? My husband got burned terribly this weekend at the races, and used it before bed. Woke up fine and in no pain.

My daughter just got a terrible sunburn, and used Medi-honey (from the leptospermum plant). It's used as a dressing for burns, and she said she was amazed that it took the sting right out. It also accelerates healing – I've used it on small wounds and it's amazing, and I'm not easily impressed by wonder cures. You might call a dermatologist's office if you can't find this in a local whole-foods type store. Ask for the gel rather than the pure honey, because it seals itself under a glaze and doesn't stay wet and sticky on your skin. I highly recommend this to anyone with a burn or a wound that doesn't heal, and it is reportedly fabulous for at least some cases of eczema.

Another recent assist I read about several years ago is to pat strong, cooled green tea on the burned areas. This reportedly helps prevent much of the damage to your skins' DNA, which we all know can result in skin cancers. I haven't had a burn since learning about this, though, so I don't know whether it relieves any of the pain.

Comfort measures that DO help is patting the burn as frequently as needed with straight white vinegar. Takes most of the fire out instantly. Yogurt is also cooling and healing, but messier and needs to be re-applied as it warms up. Aspirin can also help, and I just read that antihistamines may also be comforting if used soon after the burn.

Wishing you comfort. As a very fair and freckled redhead, I know sunburns well.

It's been awhile since I've had a burn.
Aspirin use to help me more than any other pain reliever.
You can put a damp wash cloth or small towel in the fridge then put it over the burned area - if you use 2 wash clothes you can switch them every 20 min.
I've heard about people adding a cup of vinegar or plain yogurt to your bath water (tepid) and let your skin soak a long time.
The stinging will be gone in a day or so and the peeling with start a few days after that.
Hope you feel better soon!

aloe vera and tylenol!
khairete
S.

Love all these ideas and am hanging onto them. Got a sunburn myself a few years back -- had slathered cream elsewhere and forgot my shins....

What worked for me the instant it hurt was sitting as much as possible with cold, damp towels on the affected area. Put the towels into the freezer for a few minutes and then onto your skin--the towels should be cold but not stiff. (Fetching fresh, cold towels for you: This is what kind husbands are for.) I found an OTC "burn protectant" product, an aloe-vera based gel, that I applied when I couldn't be sitting with the cold compresses. I think that getting the cold compresses on soon after the burn and keeping them on as much as possible, plus the gel at other times, helped prevent peeling.

Cool, damp tea bags can help also. As can soaking in a vinegar bath.

Aloe. If you don't have a plant you can get liquid aloe at the health food store and put it in a spray bottle.

I have a big aloe in my fron yard, and I break off leaves from it for mild burns. If you don't have an aloe pplant, get the gel from the drugstore and slather it on.

Brew, then cool, tea.
Apply with thin cloth or paper towels.

Baby sunblock - the lotion kind (like in the pink bottle)
Yeah - I know it is after-the-fact, but it was what my sons preferred - they hated the aloe and that was what I had for the little one, so tried it! Think it has something to do w/the stuff in the lotion - and it is thicker, so stays better.

OUCH! For the sunburn: http://www.rydel.isagenix.com/en-US/products/categories/i...

And so it doesn't happen again: http://www.rydel.isagenix.com/en-US/products/categories/i...

My friend recommended them to me years ago. They are natural and good for the skin.

Cool milk compresses. Sounds kind of gross, but it really does help, and it feels great.

Noxema. That's all you need. Rub it on several times per day and it makes the sunburn feel better.

Advil and an allergy med. relieves the reaction.

Aloe Vera gel or juice