In case you missed our ‘Avoid the summer sting’ post and are suffering from some serious sunburn from Australia Day festivities, we’ve collated the best ways to recover. But don’t worry, we’ve all been stung before. Whether you burn just from the thought of the sun, or can handle a full day in the heat before you crisp, it’s all painful and hard to avoid.
So if you’ve found yourself getting burnt this summer despite your best efforts (or none at all), check out the list below for some sunburn solutions.
Cold compress
Using a cold compress on your skin is the best way to stop the burning. If your skin is still warm to touch then it’s probably still burning. So your first step is to stop your skin burning, and then you can move on to healing and re-hydrating.
You can even create a cold compress at home. All you need is a wet a towel and frozen food (peas work well). Wrap the towel around the frozen food and you’re set. If you’re lacking in the frozen vegetables department then a plastic bag filled with ice should do the trick.
Aloe Vera
Aloe Vera is a tried and true method of curing sunburn and can be used to soothe and repair your skin. Something to be wary of is using Aloe Vera straight from the plant or an Aloe Vera gel — these two options can leave you quite sticky. If you’re looking for a variation that won’t make you sticky, try a moisturiser with Aloe Vera extract.
Rehydrate
Sunburn doesn’t just affect your skin, it leaves you dehydrated too. When you’ve been burnt most of the moisture in your body has been taken by the sun, both inside and out. Rehydrate by drinking lots of water and eating foods with high water content (think watermelon and oranges) to give your body the boost it needs in the healing process.
Yoghurt
A messy method, but also an incredibly effective way to cool and moisturise your skin. All you need is a tub of natural yoghurt to smear on your skin in thin layers. Once you’re covered leave the yoghurt on for about ten minutes, and rinse off in the shower (cold water). The probiotics of yoghurt are meant to help repair and restore your skin’s natural barrier, while the zinc works to lower the temperature of your skin.
