Treat your sunburn with effective home remedies

If you plan to be out and about this long weekend, enjoying the last of the summery days before winter bites, you may want to take note of some useful ways to treat sunburn.

When you’re getting bombarded with the sun’s UV rays, your exposed skin ups its production of melanin. Melanin is the dark pigment in the top layer of your skin that gives it its colour and also determines how tan you can get. Upping the production of melanin is the body’s way of protecting the deeper layers of the skin. So the tan acts as a shield against UV light.

To avoid peeling and get rid of the redness and stinging, here are 10 tips and home remedies for sunburn that are simple, fast and effective.

• Drink up
  Sunburn is a burn. It sounds like stating the obvious, but we often don’t think about the fact that we really, truly, seared our skin. As with any other thing that burns your skin is dried out, and your body is probably dehydrated too. Keep a tall glass or bottle of ice cold water on hand at all times to make sure you’re keeping yourself full of H20, which is necessary to heal your damaged skin.
• Cool milk compress
  A cool milk compress is one of the quickest, simplest and low-cost ways to treat sunburn. It doesn’t get much easier than just heading to the refrigerator for relief-and easy is good when treating anything. The initial coolness of the milk will ease the heat, while it also creates a layer of protein to protect your skin, help it heal, and further soothe discomfort. Use gauze, a cloth or cotton wool and gently wipe your skin down with the milk. Soak the gauze or cloth and leave it on your sunburn for a while.
• Potato paste
  If you’ve found yourself with searing hot, red skin, root up a few potatoes. Potatoes have been known as a pain reliever throughout the years, working particularly well on skin irritations and soothing scratches, bites and burns, as well as reducing inflammation. Some people feel that the juice of the potato works the best, while others feel just slices are sufficient. Try both, and see which one is the best remedy for your sunburn. You can either blend the potato (after washing and chopping it up) and dab the liquid on your skin, or simply place the peels on your burn.
• Indulge in some aloe
  Aloe vera gel is many peoples go-to when they have sunburn. It’s cool, soothing and seems to suck the sting and redness right out of your sunburn. Because aloe is useful for a number of other ailments (such as acne or heartburn) it’s handy to have a plant growing in your house. They’re easy to maintain, free from any additives and you won’t have to keep running out to buy more from the store all the time once it’s big enough. If you would really rather prefer not having the plant, getting some good quality aloe vera gel from the store is the next best thing.
• Season with vinegar
  While there is no official research done on how it helps sunburns in particular, there are a vast amount of people out there who swear up and down that vinegar helps heal sunburn, or mildly burned tissue in general. Pure unfiltered apple cider vinegar seems to work the best, and often times proponents of this method say is most effective after a cool or tepid shower.

• Keep it cool like a cucumber
  Instant relief-that’s what a cucumber is to scorched skin. Not only is a cool cucumber soothing to the burn simply because its cool, but its antioxidant and analgesic properties promote healing and further relief from discomfort. You can apply it in a couple of ways, but however you do it, the swelling, redness, and pain should diminish soon.
• Check your meds
  Various antibiotics, creams, pills, and antifungal medication can make you ultra-sensitive to the sun. Check with your doctor or read the side effects of your medications if you find yourself getting burned easier and on a more frequent basis than usual. It could be that you have to use a little extra protection if you’re compromised due to medicine.
• Avoid soap
  Don’t soak your burn in soapy water or take a bubble bath. Soap can dry out and irritate your already irritated skin. If you want to soak or submerge it, do so in a cool or tepid bath. When you’re done, pat yourself gently dry with a clean soft towel (be sure not to rub.) If your skin feels tight or dry afterwards, apply aloe vera gel or a similar moisturiser.

• Use plain yogurt
  Live cultured plain yogurt contains an abundance of probiotics and enzymes that help heal our skin. When you find yourself red and sunburned, it can help you recover faster. Make sure it’s truly plain yogurt, not vanilla, and that it has probiotics.

• Apply, reapply and watch the clock!
  To get the most out the SPF (sun protection factor) of your sunscreen, apply it 30 minutes before you even go outside. Don’t neglect sensitive areas like your ears, the back of your neck and shoulders and the backs of your legs and arms. If you’re sweating or swimming, reapply more frequently. A sunburn doesn’t truly set in until 24 hours after sun exposure and chances are you’ll be feeling the consequences of not covering up later. While it would be impractical to advise people to stay indoors during the prime hours of the day, keep an eye on what time it is. The sun is the most powerful and damaging, when around its highest point, between 11am and 4pm.