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Not related to weight but Sunburn help!

Posts: 57 Member
edited December 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
Ok so I went on a 5 hour hike today with my friend and wasn't expecting to be out that long (at most like an hour) and got sunburn because I forgot sunscreen which isn't good for my fair skin. LOL. I ran out of aloe last summer and can't go down to the store anytime soon. Does anybody know any tricks that will help?

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Replies

  • Posts: 48 Member
    Sliced tomato, rub it on the burn...
    Seriously helps the sting of the burn.
    I (also fair) learnt this trick when living in South Africa and my then boyfriend's mom did this to sooth my terrible burn.
  • Posts: 231 Member
    I have heard that vinegar presses will help.
  • Posts: 221 Member
    Natural yoghurt works well
  • Posts: 9 Member
    Aspirin - recommended dose
  • Posts: 235 Member
    Here's a link for an oatmeal concoction you can put in your cool water bath and soak which really helps. http://www.food.com/recipe/oatmeal-sunburn-soother-69549.

    Also this sounds weird but rubbing alcohol, sprayed on the burn area or apply onto a washcloth and soak burned area helps relieve the burning feeling.
  • Posts: 384 Member
    Advil and hydrocortisone cream... helps reduce inflammation
  • Posts: 8 Member
    Aloe vera plant.
  • Posts: 108 Member
    I have heard that vinegar presses will help.

    I did this last year. I had horrific sunburn on my legs - seriously, they were crispy - and I used apple cider vinegar on a soft cloth and I just let it sit on my legs for about 20 minutes at a time, several times a day. Feels weird at first but it eventually starts cooling and the redness starts going away. You may temporarily smell a little like salad dressing (at least according to my husband), but it's well worth it.
  • Posts: 69 Member
    Find a product called sloarcaine and slather it on the sun burned area. It works well.
  • Posts: 82 Member
    egg whites can also help, dont know what you happen to have on hand
  • Posts: 1,073 Member
    All of these things are good, but my favorite thing to help a sunburn is to take a cool shower for as long as I can stand it, and then do the vinegar or whatever. It will take the heat out quickly.
  • Posts: 236 Member
    If it's really really bad, go to the emergency department or your family doctor. Blisters shouldn't be broken, they are a natural "bandaid" and the fluid helps the area heal. The burn can get infected, so watch it carefully. The doctor may prescribe silvadene ointment, it's great. It's not available OTC. PS, this advice is from a retired ED nurse!!! Good luck, take OTC anti-inflammatory advil as directed. Remember, this is NOT MD advice, just experience.
  • Posts: 216
    Black Tea Bags!!!! (Not hot of course)
  • Posts: 2,261 Member
    Noxema skin cream/cleanser. The stuff in the blue tub. slather on a thick layer and just let it sit. It has menthol in it which will lower skin temperature on contact ( that is why it feels cold EVERY time you put it on), and your skin will absorb all the moisture in the cream and leave a thick protective layer on top of your skin.
  • Posts: 69 Member
    I used coconut oil after getting too much sun in St. John. Mine was better the next day but my husband who didn't use it was not. It wasn't a severe blister sunburn but the worst I'd had in years.
  • Posts: 255 Member
    make some tea, let it completely cool. soak a washcloth and place on the burned areas, the tannin in the tea helps. or just make a really REALLY strong pot, and once it's stepped, pour it in a cool bathtub and just soak.
  • Posts: 288 Member
    Apple Cider Vinegar - you can put it in a spray body and mist yourself when it starts to burn. Using a spray bottle is nice because you don't have to touch your skin to apply.
  • Posts: 115 Member
    Black Tea Bags!!!! (Not hot of course)

    ^^This. I sit in a cool bath of black tea and then press cool, damp black tea bags on the worst spots.
  • Posts: 4,099 Member
    When you can get to the store, get some solarcaine. I swear by that stuff! Also, for the future, up your dose of Vitamin D3. I am very fair skinned and prone to sunburn, but burn less when my D3 is high :)
  • Posts: 267 Member
    If you have it Lavender Oil will help heal faster.
  • Posts: 701 Member
    If the skin starts to peel and it begins itching like crazy, take an antihistamine. This will dry up the moisture beneath the dead skin which is causing it to itch.
  • Posts: 1,134 Member
    Take an anti-inflammatory. Apply a 1% hydrocortisone cream. If the skin feels hot, lay a cool wash cloth on top. Later apply an antioxidant serum, like vitamin C or E.
  • Posts: 241 Member
    bump for later!
  • Posts: 96 Member
    Noxema skin cream/cleanser. The stuff in the blue tub. slather on a thick layer and just let it sit. It has menthol in it which will lower skin temperature on contact ( that is why it feels cold EVERY time you put it on), and your skin will absorb all the moisture in the cream and leave a thick protective layer on top of your skin.

    ^^^^This^^^^

    I had a terrible burn & nothing was making it feel better, I used aloe, solarcane, etc & then I remembered my mother using noxema on me as a kid. It felt better on contact & the redness & pain reduced much more quickly.
  • Posts: 1,067 Member
    As strange as this sounds newsprint help take the heat out, like laying on it. You might get some ink on you.
  • Rags soaked in cold water help too, especially if you don't have any of the ingredients listed for the suggestions above. You just really want to keep the skin hydrated and cool (which is what aloe accomplishes). And whatever you do, DO NOT pop blisters (if you think burnt arms hurt, try having pus-oozing infected arms...)

    I'm a super pale redhead, so I know your pain!
  • old school trick. take bowl of white vinegar and a bunch of paper towels. soak paper towels in vinegar, wring them out lightly, and lay across burned area. the vinegar will draw the heat out of your skin soothing the burn. the towels moisure will dry up then put back into bowl and do again and in turn you will usually turn to a very nice brown in a few days

    we did this when we were younger before people knew about skin cancer.

    it does work and you will feel relief ...i think its way better than aloe.

    sure it smells but its not unbearable and much worth it to stop the pain

    and congrats on your bike ride!
  • Posts: 1,032 Member
    best bet, before you go rubbing anything onto your skin, is to have a bath or shower in the coolest water you can stand and stay in there for at least 10 mins but more if you can do it.

    After that I would avoid adding too much to your poor skin but, if you still have your normal sun protection lotion, use that, as surprisingly that still helps after the burn! Don't put anything gel like and avoid oil too. Any lotion that you do use, cool in your fridge first. If you start to blister seek medical help without delay. Anti histimines do help too and drink lots of water as sun burn is quite toxic. As soon as you can, get some shop bought aftersun or anything else that a chemist recommends rather than putting lots of different old wives tales on your skin!
  • Posts: 371 Member

    ^^^^This^^^^

    I had a terrible burn & nothing was making it feel better, I used aloe, solarcane, etc & then I remembered my mother using noxema on me as a kid. It felt better on contact & the redness & pain reduced much more quickly.

    I 3rd the Noxzema!
  • Posts: 616 Member

    ^^^^This^^^^

    I had a terrible burn & nothing was making it feel better, I used aloe, solarcane, etc & then I remembered my mother using noxema on me as a kid. It felt better on contact & the redness & pain reduced much more quickly.

    I used to use noxzema when I was a kid too, but I was told it's not good, even though it feels nice in the short term.
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