What is something that you can use to relieve sunburns other than aloe vera gel. I have sensitive skin and I am very light skinned and can't tan. Aloe vera doesn't work much for me. I had a friend who used vitamin E pills but they didn't do much either.
Ashley in Ohio :)
Ashley, I am very light skinned also and I have found that Noxzema works better for me than anything. I don't know what it is in it, but I have used it even on my worst sunburns and it has taken the burn out almost immediately and most of the red was gone by the next day. I hope it works for you! (06/20/2004)
By Deana
Soak a tea bag in cold water, squeeze until damp but not dripping, then dab this over the burned skin. The tannic acid in the tea "draws the heat out". This was one of my grandmother's favorite hints - truly an old wives tale, but it seems to work! (06/21/2004)
By Becki in Indiana
I use cocoa butter (Palmers) after I tan (or burn) It re hydrates the skin and prevents peeling (or as much). (06/21/2004)
By Jamie S.
Another old remedy for sunburn is the same calamine lotion used for poison ivy, etc. Dab it on with a cotton ball. (06/21/2004)
By Scott J.
You have to be careful with Noxema, because it can clog your pores resulting in you not being able to sweat. I read online to use hydrocortisone creme. I tried this on my daughters with great results. Less "itchies" when it heals too! (06/21/2004)
By fivemeyers
Old time farm way - evaporated canned milk.
Apply generously and as often as you need it.
Regular canned evaporated milk (06/21/2004)
By M.B.Wright
We use vinegar when someone in the family gets a bad sunburn. It takes the heat away and if you get it in time it usually does not blister. Just dab it on don't rub it. Nan in Northwest IA (06/21/2004)
By Nancy
My mother used to (actually, still does) keep a water bottle on hand just for sunburned skin. She would mix 1/2 water and 1/2 vinegar. When she would work in the yard, she would spray herself throughout the time she was out there because it kept the deer flies from biting so much and it hydrated her skin. At night after she would shower she would spray her sunburned skin. It tended not to blister or peel as badly. (06/21/2004)
By Tawnda
Cover up and don't get burned is the best remedy! If you are going to be out in the sun for more then 10 minutes cover up with light cotton clothes, a wide brimmed hat and/or high protection factor sunscreen, (children's is usually higher but it will be on the label). Sorry to sound bossy but every time you get burnt your skin is damaged so if you don't want to get skin cancer, or grow prematurely old and wrinkly, cover up!
Regards, Jo - from the melanoma capital of the world - Australia! (06/22/2004)
Hi, someone's previous post about putting vinegar and water in a spray bottle is a good idea, I'd never thought of that before, nor heard of taking it with you. But I'd been advised to pour apple cider vinegar in your cool bath water and soaking in it. Best of luck! (06/25/2004)
By badwater
The best thing to do is to avoid the Sun Burn to begin with. There are many sunblocker products on the market, and most of them work very well. Some are even waterproof so that you can use them when swimming.
Harlean from Arkansas (06/26/2004)
By Harlean
Papaya for Sun Burn! Make a paste from the fruit of the papaya and apply to the burnt skin. It works! (07/07/2004)
By Karen
Okay....all the other stuff above, I'm sure has merit, but what is really great is Foille Green. Wal Greens and other pharmacies will have it. If not, search until you find it. Drive 3 hours if you have to! (04/03/2005)
By Lee
You're gonna think I'm crazy, but yesterday I burned my fingertips in a campfire. They were stinging like crazy! My girlfriend said burn 'em again and the pain will go away. I put them under hot water for as long as I could and the pain vanished! Take a hot shower for your sunburn. It'll sting in the shower but not after! (07/05/2005)
By Bobby
There was a question on Google Answers about using hot water for sunburns. Here's a quote from that page:
"The consensus of the experts is that hot water not only adds more heat to heat-injured skin tissues, but also encourages oils to leach out of the skin, which means that it is more drying to the skin than cool water and therefore more likely to encourage peeling. In my opinion, this sounds a sufficiently convincing argument against the use of hot baths to treat sunburn."
By ThriftyFun
An older lady from our church taught us to use Listerine, either dabbed on with a cloth or sprayed on using one of those cheap spray bottles, to ease sunburns. This is the best sunburn treatment I have ever found! (01/01/2006)
By K
For instant relief, use yogurt. To bring out the burn, rub tomatoes over the burn. It may sound odd but I was given this remedy from a red haired guy in Lanzarote working in the sun and it really does work. You may use a lot of tomatoes but the acid in them draws out the heat. (03/05/2006)
By Lianne in England
Soak in a luke warm bath with bicarbonate of soda (baking soda), apply vinegar or calamine lotion. In the first place, of course, stay out of the sun! (03/30/2006)
By Willem
My niece got a bad sunburn and i called the ask a nurse hotline and they told me to absolutely not use vinegar. They said to take a white cotton sheet and lay it on her and then use a spritz bottle with cool water and spray the sheets. It worked and took away the heat. She was able to sleep and get relief. (06/02/2006)
By jen
Try By142 skin repair. It takes the redness, irritation, and itching away as well as healing the skin.
I think it is available at Nordstrom / Saks
(07/05/2006)
By John
I found that if you take a cold bath with a little bit of Epsom salt, it takes the burn away. That's how I've always done it and afterward rub aloe lotion on the burned places! It really works. (04/22/2007)
By from the sunniest place in america "FLORIDA" lindsey
Do not use vinegar it tears up your skin and makes you smell. I asked a dermatologist, too. (05/17/2007)
By Kayla
I've been a lifeguard for four years. Take a hot shower it gets the burn out for me anyways and also vinegar. I've seen quite a few posts saying neither of those work. But try it for yourself, I swear it works (06/03/2007)
By Jack
When I get sun burn, I always used noxema but it just worked for a little while. I'm red headed and my skin is very sensitive so I've tried everything except he vinegar thing. I tried it earlier and now my sunburn feels so much better, and it isn't even that red. So I suggest to put a 1/2 cup of vinegar in a lukewarm bath and lay in it for 10 to 15 min and it should work. (06/04/2007)
By Shelby of hickory flat Mississippi
After a sun burn I used to rub Milk of Magnesia on my skin before going to bed. It leaves a white film on the skin, but the next day your skin is definitely not as red and sore. My new favorite remedy is to rub my skin with...are you ready for this? Preparation H creme. Yes, the same stuff used for hemorrhoids. It really really works! It it will take most of the sting away overnight. Taking 2 Ibuprofen also helps take the pain away. (06/07/2007)
By Camila
Castor oil naturally soothes sun damaged (= burn) and stressed skin. Look for after-sun products with quality ingredients and avoid those with alcohol as this will only aggravate your sun burn. While vinegar will initially stop the sting of a burn (this is an old flight attendant secret) it will not help your skin recover from the damage. I've written an article on sunburn relief here http://outsideinlife.com/blog.php?id=51 (06/19/2007)
By Cheryl
Noxema burns my skin even when I am not sunburned. Evaporated milk, preferably gently applied, without rubbing will take the sting out of the sunburn. (06/19/2007)
By Cora
The sun is good for you. If you blindly believe that the sun causes cancer you could do well to do some real research, the nasty synthetic sunblock people use is what causes damage. There are safe sunblock lotions out there, Earth's Best is one of my favorites, or Natural Sun. I am actually burnt from the river today since I didn't want to put any sunblock on my back.
Check out these things you can do to help- Get your pH level alkaline, use google to figure out how to do this. You can take a supplement called Cellfood, or Cellfood Silica Formula- its an amazing product that helps your body recover insanely fast. It is completely safe and natural. Drink some Apple Cider Vinegar or spray it topically on the burns, it is great for your pH and contains important enzymes that your body loves. Soon people will realize how modern western medicine just doesn't work compared to eating healthy, and its really easy. Humans have been alive for thousands of years- our bodies are DESIGNED to be amazing repair machines, we get the power to do that from what we eat, this is something that people have to research for themselves, and try it.
Everything about your life will improve- energy, mentality, senses, coordination, sex, the sky is the limit. Please- research this stuff. I used to have sleep, weight, acne, sex, fatigue, emotional problems until I realized I deserve better. Be honest and open, question authority and modern medicine and you will discover the rewards of taking the initiative. (06/30/2007)
By Common Sense
Believe it or Not...lemon juice works incredibly well to stop the sting of a sunburn. Be carefularound the eyes! Sigh, this is from experience. But it does work on the sting of sunburn. Lemon juice works very well. Trust me. (07/21/2007)
By Monte
The secret is not to burn in the first place.
Use sunscreen containing mexoryl. Google it.
For pain, use Solarcaine. It's a topical anesthetic.
Wear protective clothing and stay out of the sun from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Cover your left arm when you drive.
I lived at the beach in Southern California for many years. This is how you do it. (08/28/2007)
By Carrie
So many people told me about the whole apple cider vinegar and cool water, but I just did it and now my skin is on fire! I'm just gonna stick with aloe/lidocaine gel and aloe lotion and bactine, plus some pain pills :) (04/21/2008)
By Sara from S. Fla.
I have a super bad sunburn,I was miserable, I decided to apply vitamin e oil, and it took the burn out right away! Try this it so works! It leaves your skin sticky but it is worth it, I feel so much better! (05/25/2008)
By Kimberly
Do not use Noxema! It makes burn worse and causes blisters. Use vinegar. (05/29/2008)
Last summer I got a horrible sun burn while at the beach. For over a week a was in a lot of pain, so I tried nearly everything I read on the internet; powdered milk, aloe vera, vinegar bath etc. and the one thing that truly worked for me, was tea. I made a big batch of tea, let it cool, and then applied it to my skin using toilet paper (you can also use a spray bottle). It's messy and takes some time, but trust me it's worth it! (06/08/2008)
I just gave my son some motrin and put calydril clear on it. It seems to be helping with the pain at least. (06/11/2008)
By Jennifer
Everyone knows about sunscreen. Everyone knows to "cover up", but you can still get burnt. Sun burn pain is insane. But as to remedies baking soda kills the burn, and starts the itch which means healing, but can be even worse than the burn. Aloe helps like everyone says, but it can also make it worse if its in its pre peeling stages. Milk is great topically but dose not last long. Vinegar hurts. And get lots of water and just push on through it! (07/03/2008)
I once bought this stuff in the store. It was blue and sprayed on. It was just a instant relief. Don't know what it was called. (07/17/2008)
By Bump
Try Domeboro to soak and after the soak apply a thin layer of Aquaphor, the Domeboro will help with the sting/burning and the Aquaphor will protect the surface as well as add moisture. Sometimes your body can feel stiff and almost plastic after a sever sunburn the Aquaphor will change that. I speak from prior experiences. (10/28/2008)
By Lilkat
I am from Australia, the land of sunburn and one of the best remedies I've found is emu oil which generally comes in the form of a moisturizing cream with vitamin E, admittedly this may be hard to find especially outside Australia. but it works like a charm.
Caution though: do not use on severe sunburn as some creams may lock in heat, need to get a good brand to prevent this. (01/31/2009)
By Ann
My children and I were out in the sun all day today and got pretty burnt. My girls look like human lobsters. I took the advice given to me about using vinegar and used it on my 7 year old little girl, bad mistake. She screamed bloody murder til I washed it off. So don't use vinegar on a burn. (05/22/2010)
By raven69101
Milk of Magnesia. Works great. Take a cold/cool shower and dry off very delicately with a soft towel and apply milk of magnesia. It cools the burn off instantly and creates a white coat but keeps the area cool. (05/30/2010)
By MIARae
I own a dog daycare and kennel business and recently spent a lot more time in the sun than I had anticipated, resulting in a pretty nasty sunburn. My pharmacist sold me a new product SunBurn911, which he said would ease the pain and importantly to me, not burn when put on. He was so right. I know it has a new pain reliever which worked in less than 2 minutes to relieve the pain and tightness and also is in a cream that left my skin silky but not at all oily. Quite simply, IT works. I have never had that kind of relief from sunburn! (05/31/2010)
By linda
Add your voice! Click below to comment. ThriftyFun is powered by your wisdom!
