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Sunburn Remedies
It’s that time of year in the Northern Hemisphere- lots of sun and (often) inadequate sunblock usage.
What are your tried-and-true remedies, excluding aloe since that one seems common knowledge at this point.
Being from a beach town originally, the best way is to protect yourself while in the sun. Even aloe isn't going to make your night better than it would be if proper sun protection was used.
I can't tell you how many tourists have serious issues because of that, not to mention the long-term problems it causes. Aloe and a rich moisturising cream will help, though.
This. When I'm out in the sun all day I used to wear a t-shirt, shorts, sandals. Now it's long pants from linen or another breathable fabric, a long-sleeved shirt with UV protection built in, and a hat with a wide brim. It's warmer than wearing less clothing, but I never burn if I dress for the sun, and that's worth it to me.
Yeah, I don't wear a hat because I have a giant head and it's hard to find hats, but it's sunscreen everywhere, even in the head (as the wet hair will let the scalp get burnt) and shirts and shorts with UV protection.
Having seen my mum battle skin cancer, I'm trying to avoid that as much as I can...
I'm with you on the giant head issue; most hats don't fit me. I'm lucky enough to live in an area with a couple of hat shops, and often if you find a style you like they can order it in a size that works for you. I'm a fan of Tilley hats for outdoorsy stuff, though it's definitely not the height of fashion for the man about town.
Everyone here has already given you good recommendations for after the sunburn, so I'll just reiterate how important it is to be vigilant about preventative sunscreen application. My wife and I have both had Mohs surgery - it's no joke. If I know I'll be in the sun for more than 20-30 minutes, I'm guaranteed to have sunscreen on. I don't mess around with it anymore. Same with insect repellent since lone star ticks are becoming more prevalent where I live.
Let me know if you want sunscreen recommendations too, and I'll link you a couple that we use when I get home (and can check the labels). Whatever my wife picked out works phenomenally.
Ok so we use one kind for the face and another for body.
Face: Coola brand
Body: Beauty Counter brand
Thank you for bringing this up! Skin cancer is serious business. Melanoma somehow does not have the marketing savy of breast cancer. This is bizzare to me, since better public awareness of melanoma and prevention savvy would save lives!
aloe is one of the best. Try to get a pure aloe, either in plant form or from a bottle. Most bottled aloe comes with artificial coloring, which is silly.
Oat baths are good for temporary relief, but you'll still be in a lot of pain for several days. The main thing is to prevent the sunburn all together by lathering up with a good sunblock and reapply every few hours --- especially between 10am and 4pm when the sun is strongest.
Like @KilgoreTrout said, lidocaine is fantastic. Give yourself a good covering of that and stay as naked as possible for a day or two.
Cocoa butter.
Aloe will soothe but cocoa butter will heal.
Try and get the natural kind if possible.
Palmers has starting putting a bunch of unnecessary shit in theirs that breaks me out.
My go-to is Banana Boat's after sun lotion. If you're looking to keep your skin from peeling this stuff is like magic. It includes Aloe because you absolutely need it for sunburn relief.
Aloe Vera and just keep it moist. That's really all there is to it.