Sunburn ( Dedicated to Verity!)

I was speaking to my friend Verity,and she had an amazing time at the beach but was sunburnt, and is in pain today. It got me to thinking, there must be loads of people out there with the same problems because of this beautiful weather. I don't burn as I'm quite olive, which is lucky as I have a very low pain threshold and sunburn looks really painful :-s


So, what is sunburn?! It's a burn to living tissue, such as skin, which is produced by overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation, commonly from the sun's rays. I would go on, but I don't think everyone wants the science behind it, just how to get rid of it. If you want to know more, wikipedia has a good article.


As you can judge from my blog,  I much prefer natural remedies to the stuff you buy in shops, I feel they work better (sometimes!) Before I started reading up on sunburn, I suggested stuff like cold milk and aloe vera gel to heal the burn, however there is so much more that you can do.


Below are 10 things that you can try (There are some weird ones):


1)The lettuce remedy  - Boil some lettuce leaves, and then strain the water. Let the water cool to room temperature before you dip some gauze or even cotton wool pads in and apply. Repeat every two to four hours until you feel relief. The same can be done with cold milk. I think if you blend up some cucumber and put it in the fridge, you could do the same with that too (Apply with cotton wool, not boil ofcourse!)


2)Prepare a cool bath with ¼ cup of cornstarch and ¼ cup of baking soda. This will help relieve the inflamation. Other bath time sunburn remedies are tomato juice, buttermilk, and parsley juice.


3)Wrap some dry, regular oatmeal in a towel or cheesecloth, wet the entire bundle in cool tap water, and apply like a compress to your skin.


4) Boil 4 to 6 bags of tea in some water for 20 minutes. Let the tea cool and then dip in some towels or cotton wool and apply the solution directly to your skin. The antioxidants in the tea will help soothe skin inflammation and the cool temperature will help draw out some extra heat.


5)My vitamin e oil treatment would work wonders to reduce inflamation, and aid healing process. Other oils you could add are Bergamot, Calandula, or Lavender.


6) Dissolve some baking soda in water and make a compress using a clean cloth or cotton wool pads. Or you could add 1/2 cup of baking soda to a tepid bath and soak. Instead of drying the affected area with a towel, let it air dry. Baking soda is cooling and will help the skin retain moisture.


7) Cover the area with olive oil and sprinkle powdered ginger on the oil. This will promote healing.


8) A smelly one - Bruise an onion and rub on the burn. Alternatively, grate a potato and apply it to the burned area. The starch will cool and soothe the burn.



9) Mix equal parts of yogurt and mashed strawberries and apply to the sunburned area for 15 minutes. Rinse with cool water. Although, I think I'd want to eat that...!!


10) Witch Hazel would be good applied on with a cotton wool pad.


It's also important to prevent sunburn, as it takes just 15 minutes for skin to get damaged from the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays. This can be done by all the usual methods, sitting in the shade, high factor sunscreen, protective clothing such as hats and sunglasses. Put a small amount of sunscreen in your hair so you will avoid burning your scalp. Dont forget to protect you hard to reach areas, such as knees, back of your neck, elbows and back of your ears . Feet should also be included if you are wearing sandals, flip-flops or going bare-foot. Also, protect your lips, vaseline or suncreen should do. Lastly, stay out of the sun during the peak hours - apparently that is between 10am-3pm, I'm sorry but thats the whole day...Whats the point in going on holiday if you're staying in?! (I know I shouldn't be saying that!) Personally, I stay out of the sun between 11am-1pm, but thats just me, I'm not suggesting it or anything...I don't want any law-suits hahaha!
If you have any remedies that you use, please feel free to comment below.


Have a great day and enjoy the sun :-)


Lots of Love From MyFrostedWorldXXX