5 of the best remedies for sunburn

Aside from doing the wise thing and preventing a sunburn from even happening, sometimes the yacht life/beach day runs away with you. Sunscreen becomes an afterthought. At the time you don’t realize, but as the hours progress, that all-too-familiar slight scratchy/dry feeling starts to manifest. You start to feel a tad tender where the exposed skin was, and if you press down on said area, it leaves a white impression. At this point you realize it’s too late. You’ve got a sunburn.

You know what’s about to happen next: An annoying time trying to sleep, irritation when your clothes rub on the afflicted area, and the guilt-tripping from your mum to ‘take better care of your skin,’ which makes the whole ordeal worse because you know she’s right. But  suffer no more, sore one, we’re here to help. Here are 5 remedies that will help you a relieve a sunburn. 

1. DRINK UP

So, the first things first – the healing process starts from inside. You need to do is rehydrate. Don’t underestimate how much sunburn saps your body of its H2O levels. This is super important to your recovery.

2. ALOE VERA

As soon as possible, get your hands on some aloe vera and go crazy. There’s no such thing as too much, so slather yourself senseless with it. Operation: Cool has commenced. If you can’t get your hands on aloe vera, a good after sun gel or creme will also do the trick.

3. TAKE AN IBUPROFEN

The next thing to do is take care of inflammation. Before bed, take two ibuprofen to accelerate your sunburn recovery. If you can help to keep inflammation at bay, you can decrease the time it would take your body to repair itself without medicinal assistance.

4. OATMEAL BATH

If your sunburn’s bad enough to get to the point where it starts to peel, treat yo’self (and your poor, healing skin) to an oatmeal bath. Avoid scented bath products, though, as the chemicals or essences used to create these fragrances can irritate.

5. MOISTURIZE, MOISTURIZE, MOISTURIZE

As above, steer clear of scented moisturizing products because, largely, these won’t be as nourishing as non-scented types or those marketed for treating eczema or sensitive skin. We’ve found paw paw ointment and emu cream are particularly effective sunburn remedies. Give ’em a go. After all, they were invented by Aussies, and they should know a thing or two about sunburn!