Looking for sunburn remedies

does anyone have recomendations for sunburns? I'm such an idiot. didn't bring my sunscreen and wore a tank top to the old house to work on it on friday. my neck and shoulders got roasted.  it is still irritating to have a shirt on but most of the heat is gone.

I'm not sure if you have them in Oklahoma, but I have houseleeks here, aka "hens and chicks." The gooey insides of these succulents works similarly to aloe vera.

Calendula baby cremes are amazing, too. Weleda brand makes a fabulous version. My "babies" are 14 and 21, yet I still like to have this creme around. I have another favorite healing creme made here in WA state called Arbordouns, made out of beeswax, calendula, olive oil, lavendar. It's awesome.

Some people do a cool vinegar bath, too, though the vinegar can sting if the burn is more than a mild one.

Drink lots of water! The more water in your system, the quicker your skin can rehydrate and heal itself!

Maybe one of these can help a bit...sometimes you know this stuff, but when you're in pain the brain cells can't retrieve even the simplest things...

Speedy recovery, Leah!

Sorry to hear you are burned. Ouch!

Comfrey is said to help.

Aside from Aloe Vera, comfrey is also an effective herb for sunburn. Comfrey has allantoin, a natural active ingredient that stimulates skin cell regeneration. Comfrey juices and lotions are widely available these days. You can apply them directly on the skin for best effects. If you can't find any comfrey creams in the market, you can simply get some leaves and stems from a comfrey plant and extract the juice yourself.

Aloe!

Doesn't every house have aloe as a houseplant now?  Just break a bit off and squeeze out the innards!

I agree that aloe is one of the best.

Most people have Aloe vera, however, Horizon Herbs sells seeds for Aloe ferox, which is supposed to be the best species for it's medicinal properties. I got some to germinate last year, but lost them to neglect in the greenhouse.

Dave

Aloe.  Cut the leaf open, wipe it all over, gooey side down. 

Also, a cool shower will help.  So does ice-try it in a ziplock bag.  A damp towel can help cool you down.  Cooling is important, the heat energy must be removed-thats the cause of the burn.  The blood vessels are expanded, offering heat from the inside which also needs to be removed.

Cool down first, then use the aloe.  Stay in the shade, wear soft, loose, breathable clothing such as cotton.  If you go outside, keep the sun off your burn by wearing dark clothing.  Some will tell you white, but it lets the sun in.  Some say don't wear dark, it takes on heat, that's why it has to be breathable material.

Some people like to add oatmeal to their bathwater after sunburn. Herbs might go along with...chamomile, maybe?

I might also recommend nurturing your immune system for a little while after the inflammation subsides. There will be a few clumps of mutant cells in your skin, and chances are very good that your immune system will take care of each and every one, but improving those chances won't hurt. Similar to a cold or flu, the body's own efforts at maintaining itself are the best thing available.

Aloe always worked well for us. 

A little off topic, but are there any herbs or botanicals with a decent SPF factor?

An old recipe for even the most serious burns:  equal parts wheat germ oil and honey, combined with comfrey root powder mixed to the desired consistency.  Watch out, it's very easy to make it too thick!

On that note, almost any botanical oil will be healing to the skin, whether olive or coconut or shea butter or cocoa butter, or what have you.

Oh, and lavender essential oil!  As the story goes, a famous pioneer in essential oil usage burned his hand badly making oils one day.  In a panic, he plunged his arm into the nearest vat of cool liquid, which happened to be lavender essential oil, and was totally healed.

Cocoa butter is a powerful drug! But subtle.

It contains an endocannabinoid breakdown inhibitor. Endocanabinoids play an important role in coordinating the body's responses to food, pain, and information. Inhibiting the breakdown of these substances allows them to continue working in the body for longer than normal, and so subtly magnifies their effect.

Most people experience the effects of chocolate as enhancing and prolonging the satisfaction they get from eating well, but it's also common for people to use it in conjunction with exercise, to prolong the "runner's high".

I have a strong suspicion that it allows some of the body's signals regarding healing to stay more active, for longer, in association with its effect on pain. It's widely used to decrease the severity of scars, for example. It makes sense to try it on sunburn.

A mixture of olive oil & vinegar, 1:1, find a cotton cloth and have a friend / family member gently rub it over the burn.

I read drinking a bunch of carrot juice will make your skin more sun resistance. I don't know if it helps after the fact...

I find that aloe gives the quickest and most convenient relief. They make a wonderful low care houseplant and tends to divide easily. Aloe barbadensis miller is toted as being the 'best' for burns but know there are many other types out there.  

Comfrey topically if the skin is intact.

I use both comfrey and aloe,

But I bet the sunburn that inspired the OP to post is long healed.

Ken Peavey wrote:Aloe.  Cut the leaf open, wipe it all over, gooey side down. 

Also, a cool shower will help.  So does ice-try it in a ziplock bag.  A damp towel can help cool you down.  Cooling is important, the heat energy must be removed-thats the cause of the burn.  The blood vessels are expanded, offering heat from the inside which also needs to be removed.

Cool down first, then use the aloe.  Stay in the shade, wear soft, loose, breathable clothing such as cotton.  If you go outside, keep the sun off your burn by wearing dark clothing.  Some will tell you white, but it lets the sun in.  Some say don't wear dark, it takes on heat, that's why it has to be breathable material.

Ken,
Yes!
Cool down is most important.
I’ve found Bad burns, like from the cook stove take a good couple of hours of very cold water soaks to dissipate the heat. The burns disappear completely then. No blisters, no pain, no redness!
If I’ve still got pain, I know to soak more

I’ve been told it’s important not to use freezing water or ice though.

*Cold* air conditioning, for several hours believe it or not, works GREAT for sunburn for same reason. Though cold water is more conducting than air. (Though getting rid of the burn, does not get rid of UV damage of skin cells however).

And yes, AFTER heat is dissipated, THEN use aloe or other succulent gels. 👍

OK, I am always late to the party - but this might help the next sunburn.
an essential oil with oregano is amazing. I have been told the best is from the Mediterranean, but it was what I spotted first in my medicine chest one time many years ago after welding for a number of hours, and having forgotten to cover my arms and button my shirt up all the way - I was pretty much glowing red. the next day after using the oil, I actually forgot about the burns until dinner time.
so, then next sunburn I managed to get, I remembered that experiment, and did a test stripe with it across my chest and on my arms. amazing difference. Did get a lot of laughs at the stripes.... at least I hope it was the stripes? if the sunburn is mild, I find it to be a better tan the next day.
Anyway, it is now my go-to for any mild burns.
but the stripes stayed for a while - apparently the sooner it gets applied, the better it helps.

Aloe.  St John's wort salve or oil (actually specific for burns and nerve pain).  Calendula.  

Apple cider vinegar is the first thing I reach for when I realize that I've got a sunburn. It can really help with the pain and heat and bring immediate relief. Plus it prevents the skin from peeling later as it heals. I will dab ACV on the sunburn with a cloth and use it full strength. Let it sit for a little while and then wash it off. If you can't stand the smell, I suppose the ACV could be diluted with water and it might still work just as well. I also apply aloe vera afterwards and repeat the aloe as needed in the following days. If you don't have your own aloe plant, aloe gel products can be found for purchase, and sometimes fresh aloe leaf is available in grocery stores. I've also heard that Hen & Chicks (Sempervivum) are an option for burn treatment, working similarly to aloe, however I have not tried it, so can't speak to the effectiveness or interchangeability. Seems like the yield would be better from an aloe, depending on the quantity needed, but good to know that Hen & Chicks could be used in a pinch otherwise!

When I was a kid, my mother would dab on very strong (cooled!) black tea, using the tea bag to apply it: cheapest store brand was the order of the day.  My mother always applied it at room temperature, but chilled might be more soothing, yet.

Did it help?  I don't know, but we thought it did.  It felt better by far than Solarcaine spray!  I was very fair as a child, with a shock of very blond - nearly white - hair, and I freckled well, but didn't tan very much.  In fact, my mother would often insist that I was still dirty after my statutorily required baths, and re-scrub "grimy" spots, only to discover that the schmutz was well and truly attached to my hide, just an area with a bit of residual tanning!  Living at altitude in the Mountain West, I had lots of opportunity for minor sunburns, and the ensuing tea bag treatment.

I rarely get much of a sunburn these days.  My mother died of metastatic melanoma of the liver in her early 50s, some 30 years ago.  The medical community, and dermatologists in particular, have associated sun exposure and "skin cancer", but without much subtlety or distinction.  Consequently, I have assiduously avoided direct sun exposure for a long time.  Of late, I have come to realize that, while basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas are associated with sun exposure, the statistical correlation of melanomas with sun exposure is much weaker.  And, if caught early, basal and squamous cell cancers are rarely life threatening, though perhaps disfiguring.  High serum levels of Vitamin D seem to have a protective effect with respect to cancer, generally.

Though my thinking on sun exposure and skin cancer - and, indeed, the nature and cause of cancers, generally - has evolved in the last few years, I am still habituated to wearing hats, long sleeved shirts and trousers in the summer sun.  I do try to get controlled exposure to the sun to acquire some Vitamin D the old fashioned way, but still try to avoid getting a proper sunburn, so I haven't had opportunity to use the black tea method in many years.  Still, it is cheap, unlikely to hurt you, and just might help, so is probably worth a try.

For a really bad sunburn, I like aloe blended with a few drops of peppermint essential oil. The peppermint has a wonderfully cooling effect!

DMSO is very good for burns and a lot of other things.

Rather than go into dosage and technique here (There's a LOT to know)  I'm going to suggest  reading The Midwest Doctor, A forgotten Side of Medicine for all that.

The index to all the articles is here, where you can find all the DMSO articles.

https://www.midwesterndoctor.com/p/an-index-of-the-forgotten-side-of