ADSactly Beauty: Dealing with sunburn
Hello again, my dear @adsactly beauty lovers,
Have you noticed something? Yes! Summer’s here. Finally. Personally, I’m a huge fan of the warm season, the sun, the sea – I love everything about it. Right, so since many of you are going to be hitting the beach pretty soon, I figured what post would be more appropriate than the inevitable sunburn?
Well, not inevitable, but incredibly common. Especially if you’re anything like me and like to bake in the sun from dawn till dusk. And you don’t have any sunscreen, which I often don’t. I know it’s perhaps not the wisest choice, but that’s how it usually happens. And that’s what did happen this past week, as I was basking in the sun (a little too much) – I found myself without any protection and with a skin that was rapidly turning into red. And given that the small seaside town I was in was small and sort of middle of nowhere-y, my options were pretty limited. What can I do to salvage my sunburnt skin and still manage to get something of a tan?
1. Vaseline – ahem, no!
No. Just no. This was a mistake I made, given that petroleum jelly was one of the few things I had with me. See, I figured since vaseline is so incredibly moisturizing, it would probably help with my sunburn. But that’s just NOT true.
I dutifully applied Vaseline on my poor, sunburned skin for about a day and I thought (wrongfully, as it turned out) it was helping. And yet, I wasn’t feeling any better. And I grew convinced I’d really burned my skin worse than I actually had.
I’ll tell you what I did do to help my skin in just a second, but first, let me tell you why you should never apply vaseline on your sunburn.
Vaseline has a locking-in effect, that traps the moisture into your skin. And you’d think that’s great. But this effect also locks in the heat that needs to escape from your skin in order to allow sunburn to fade. Vaseline is also very oily and if you go out into the sun, it has a reflecting-effect that actually attracts more heat. Not what you want to get when you’ve already burned your skin. So definitely, no vaseline.
At least, that's my opinion and experience of it. Some people seem to recommend it, so do as judge best, but be warned.
2. Water
Perhaps the biggest tip for sunburn is drink plenty of water. And it’s interesting, because we don’t always think about it. Sunburn is extremely dehydrating, it’s a wound and your body needs loads of water to heal properly. So have a lot of water on hand – it helps you feel better, while at the same time actively dealing with the problem.
So, don’t get side-tracked and drink lots of fluids if you’re suffering from sunburn. It’s really important.
3. Aloe
The magic trick. I actually knew about this, but since the only store I found open didn’t stock any aloe, I figured I’d skip it. Another big mistake, since aloe vera is just incredible for sun-damaged skin. Not only does it ease the discomfort and cool your hot skin, it also speeds up the healing process tremendously.
As I said, I was worried I’d damaged my skin pretty bad, treated it with vaseline, unwittingly made it worse and then finally, found a drugstore and bought some aloe vera gel. Wisest choice I made all trip. I actually had an event to attend in the evening and spent the afternoon in my hotel room, applying aloe vera gel on my skin, particularly my back and thighs.
And by the time of the event, I was fine. I could stand having clothes on, I could walk, I could enjoy myself. And I couldn’t believe it – I was okay again and obviously super-happy. Seriously, if you’re suffering from sunburn, do yourself a favor and buy some aloe vera gel (or split a plant leaf, if it’s available, and apply that directly).
Its anti-inflammatory, hydrating properties (as well as speeding up the growth of new skin cells) will have you back on your feet in no time.
4. Sunscreen
Even if you have a sunburn, it’s not too late. And the simple fact that you burned your skin won’t prevent you getting burned even worse, you know? So, if you’re suffering from a small sunburn, make sure to protect yourself before it gets any worse.
Since this is a natural series, I’ll quickly mention some much-appreciated natural sunscreen elements, such as: coconut oil (4-6 SPF), shea butter (4-6 SPF), carrot seed oil (35-40 SPF) and red raspberry seed oil (25-50 SPF).
Personally, I’ve only tried coconut oil and didn’t have much luck, so I can’t recommend any of these, but there are loads of interesting natural sunscreen recipes out there, so I encourage you to do your own research, if you’re interested in making your own sunscreen, and good luck!
While doing some research online about this subject, I found loads of tips and tricks for skin protection, such as honey, oatmeal, milk and yogurt (very soothing, but not as helpful as aloe, in my opinion). But since I don’t have any first hand experience with most of them, I’ll just stick to what I know.
Once again, I think this is highly subjective and what worked for my skin (aka aloe) might not work for yours. If you take time to look online, you find all sorts of DIY videos on ‘how to turn sunburn into a tan’ and they give all sorts of weird tips such as apply moisturizer on wet skin, to look in moisture. There are many ideas out there and surely, some work and some don’t, same as always.
Personally, as I said, I had a great experience with aloe and now have a lovely tan instead of red, painful skin.
Another word of caution on the subject, assess the damage. There are three major types of burn out there – mild, moderate and severe. Mild implies pink/red skin, some itchiness and a slight sensitivity.
Moderate is more red and has heat actually radiating from your skin (trust me, you can feel it – it’s like you have a fever or infection), the skin is flaking and sensitive to the sun and touch. And then, there’s the severe burn, where you have blisters popping up on your skin (make sure not to pop those, as that can lead to infection), intense itching and swelling, nausea and dizziness and very painful skin.
If you’re suffering from the latter or if you’re in serious pain, go to a doctor, don’t take my word or that of anyone else on the Internet, as you might end up doing yourself harm, okay? Take care and enjoy the sun, readers!
So, what sunburn experiences do you guys have? Share with us in the comments!
Authored by @honeydue
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Thank you!
Lemon juice is appropiate to thr body in the summer. Thank you for your nice post
Thanks for the great advice! I do not get sunburn very often but when I do, I just let it fade out.
I suppose I can try some of your favorite remedies!
Thank you and upvoted!!
I also think aloe is the best ally for sunburn. Just like you, I'm from putting myself under the sun so that my skin takes on the tan tone that I like so much. Since I live near the sea, I try to keep that special golden tone. Sometimes I have fallen asleep under the sun and the consequences have been terrible. That's how I get there and take the aloe vera gel and unto my whole body. It's really super refreshing and hydrating. 100% recommended. Greetings, @honeydue.
I don't usually voluntarily expose myself to the sun. I take it because in my country (Venezuela) and in the part of it where I live (to the east), by the location (equatorial tropics), the sun's rays come in very forcefully all day, and by leaving home you expose yourself. I think aloe vera is one of the best treatments, as well as water consumption. In case of sunstroke, it is also often used, on these sides, starch powder or rice, placed in the affected areas of the body. And, of course, cold water compresses.
Greetings, @honeydue.
I use sunscreen regularly on my face, but whenever I go to the beach my skin reddens with only a few hours of sun exposure. So also for me is a very refreshing option the Aloe Vera gel, either in products sold in pharmacies or the leaf crystal. What I do is I remove the crystal, put it to cool in the fridge and then place it on my shoulders and face to moisturize and refresh, the relief is immediate. We saw in a previous publication how miraculous this plant and its derivatives can be. Thank you for sharing these tips, @honeydue