Sunburn
While aloe vera gel works well to relieve sunburn, some lotions contain alcohol. This will dry out the skin and tend to retain the heat, so any alcohol-based lotions or creams are best avoided.
Aloe vera gel on your skin is the best. Other cooling / healing things you might have around the house isfresh yoghurt. Use plain or with added honey for skin healing and/or added strawberries (mashed) as astringent; spread over your skin like a mask for 10mins or so and then rinse off with cool water. Moisturize with a plain cream or aloe vera and you should feel better soon.
Tip: never leave home without a small tube of sunblock if you have fair skin
Really you just have to wait it out. A sunburn is exactly that, your skin has been burned. From personal experience I can tell you that the vinegar and cool water tricks work, but the relief is temporary. I have found that the best way to relieve discomfort caused by sunburns is solarcaine(sp?) It is a topical anesthetic spray that can be used for burn and abrasions. It numbs the skin and also contains aloe which will help promote healing. In the future, I would recommend that you use a sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher on a daily basis. You can get sunburns on cloudy days and in the winter, you are never completely safe from sun exposure unless you are indoors. Hope this helps!
Hi Erica,
I got a major sunburn 2 days ago, been miserable. I take cool baths to clean off all the potions I am putting on my sunburn. I have been using Lipton tea (tea bags/strong), green aloe vera gel, and Banana Boat Sooth-A-Caine aloe vera spray gell with Iidocaine.the Banana Boat gel has helped some with the pain, but overall it still just hurts. Do keep your skin moisturized with Aloe not lotions or oils, it will help skin from feeling tight and dry, and also peeling. Hope this helps!