Wait... So you're telling me the sun is hot?

[ChrisMatt]

Ok so I went to the beach yesterday and apparently, when you don't do anything to protect your skin, you burn. Who knew right?

So anyway, I got burnt pretty badly, and I was wondering if anybody had any natural remedies/ways to prevent sunburn in the future.

Anything helps. Thanks

[girljen]

The sun isn't just hot...it's a great big ball of carcinogenic bullshit!     <-- there it is, right there.

 

Sunscreen kind of helps, but what's even more effective is just plain hiding.  Wear a hat.  Wear UPF clothing.  Hang out in the shade, and stay inside from about 11:00 to about 3:00, when the sun's rays are the most direct.

 

As far as the sunburn goes...aloe vera.  Seriously.  Acquire some aloe vera gel, store it in the fridge, and put it on your sunburn.  Also:  Baths are better than showers, wear your softest t-shirts, stay out of the sun while you're healing, and don't tell your prankster friends about the burn or else they will pat you on the back and you will hurt.

[Omega v1.1]

I've always found, on the few occasions that I've been out in the sun long enough to get burnt, that the best solution is to sit in a dark room far away from other people where they can't see me rolling around on the floor crying to myself. That's why I always try to wear really high factor sunscreen when the sun decides to make an appearance. I'm not that bothered about skin cancer, more about the humiliation of getting caught crying like a 4 year old girl who's just been told that Santa killed the tooth fairy and then finished himself off as part of a fictional character murder-suicide because she wouldn't go to bed on time.

Also aloe vera applied every time you start feeling the pain again helps too.

[Vintage]

Yeah, it happens. I love the sun and I like the way I look with a tan, but I have a tendancy to overdo it.

 

I burned last month and tried out coconut oil on the worst spots. It seemed to help more than aloe for me at least, but it's a little messy. I put it on then laid on a towel on the floor for a while until it soaked in a bit.

[ChrisMatt]

don't tell your prankster friends about the burn or else they will pat you on the back and you will hurt.

Hahahaha. Yeah could have used this advice earlier. Thanks anyway.

I'm not that bothered about skin cancer, more about the humiliation of getting caught crying like a 4 year old girl who's just been told that Santa killed the tooth fairy and then finished himself off as part of a fictional character murder-suicide because she wouldn't go to bed on time.

"Lol" wouldn't suffice to how hard I laughed at this.

Thanks for the advice I'll definitely try the aloe vera and coconut oil.

[KAllen]

aloe vera gel.  apply liberally!!!

[Incantor]

They make some aloe sprays that also contain lidocaine that are really helpful if it hurts.  The sprays are cooling and you don't have to actually touch your skin to apply them as you do with aloe gel.

[I-Jo]

cool compress.

 

Take a bath in tea- supposed to help (helped me actually)

 

I hide- I avoid the sun with a passion- like PASSION.

 

Goth + Tan just doesn't work. It's too much of a dicotomy for my poor brain to handle. Plus I don't like me tan- none of my clothes match- my make up looks weird- my hair looks weird.  It's just wrong.
 

So I hide.  I liberally apply sunblock almost every day- and then I hide- hands- long sleeves- umbrella- yeah I walked around the zoo with an umbrella before. I HATE burning. I HATE HATE HATE burning. 

[Shereads]

I am very fair skinned and every summer got burned from here to hell several times over all my life. Aloe gel liberally and in later years mom discovered melaluca oil/ Tea tree. Now I use a combo of coconut oil base with  lavender, melaluca, and a few other choice essential oils and apply first thing after I shower and often through out the day. I don't burn as bad any longer and when I combine this magical blend with aloe gel on top of a burn I'm usually back to non painful skin within a few days. Most sunscreens break me out in not so lovely hives. EEK. So I've had to find some natural sunscreens and burn relief. When going to the beach a rash guard is my bestest friend. I make my very fair skinned boys wear them at he pool while I huddle under the sunbrella. I do not tan, I turn a lovely shade of rose and look permanently burned until the end of summer. But I'll take it and the natural vitamin D boost any day.

[Tech_Hunter]

Second the coconut oil!  I always burned really badly, and someone told me to use coconut oil.  I thought it was some sort of, :Put butter on a burn" old wives tale, but I'll be darned if it didn't take the burn away!  It also took the sting away.

 

Nowadays, I have noticed that I burned a lot less.  I saw a thread on Mark's Daily Apple about sunburn and primal, it seems many of the people there have found that they don't burn as much, or don't burn anymore....maybe the lack of grains.....

[scubasteve85]

Being an albino, I feel this is an area I can be considered an expert in.  Aloe has always worked at taking the sting away and healing burns quickly.  I always make sure I have a good supply of the stuff every summer as well as fresh sunscreen.

 

A few notes on sunscreen:

That stuff does expire.  I make sure what I have is no more than a year or so old.  I've got burned by that before. (Pun totally intended).

Reapply every 2 hours.  It loses its effectiveness at this point no matter how strong the SPF.

Adding to that last note, Anything over SPF 15 doesn't really offer any advantage over SPF 15 so don't pay more for it.  I've used all the way up to 60 and not noticed any difference over 15.  If they're the same price, then get whatever but don't get swindled thinking it gives 4x as much protection.  It doesn't

[I-Jo]

I know after 30 it doesn't make much difference- like- fractional protection between 30 and 50.  It's really truly negligable.

 

That being said. I WILL totally buy the higher SPF if it costs the same (most of the time it is)- but I have indeed noticed a significant difference between 15 and 30 personally... but yeah I won't pay more for a higher SPF.

[scubasteve85]

Yeah, I do the same if it's all the same price.  As you pointed out, more often than no it is all the same price.  I have had a few times though when they've priced SPF 45 like 2 dollars a bottle more than the 15 and 30.

 

I also used the spray on stuff once when I borrowed some from a friend when I forgot mine. (Seriously, how does an albino forget sunscreen.) I found that stuff stains clothes.  Thankfully I was wearing junk clothes because I was helping them with some yard work.  Just wanted to pass on a word of caution.

[Waldo]

I always get the SPF 15. Enough that I don't burn, even in intense sun, but I also tan just fine.

[Gainsdalf the Whey]

Personally I'm of southern Italian descent, meaning once I get a good tan I get asked if I'm Puerto Rican. I'm not being racist here, it has has happened on multiple occasions. At the beginning of the year I use SPF 30 once when I go down, and if I'm there for at least 2 hours during the peak time (12-3), I will reapply once and reapply after I swim and dry off. Once I get a good base tan I only put 30 on the once then rub the 15 on as a reapply after swimming. That's about as good as I get nowadays as I don't have enough time in the sun, but back as a teen about 3 weeks into the summer I no longer had to put on any sunscreen and I wouldn't burn.

 

That said, I've been a moron and not put anything on in the beginning of the season multiple times and have gotten burnt really badly. One case was 2 years ago during a Phillies Spring Training trip down near Tampa. Anyway, aloe vera helps keep the skin moist and decrease the severity of peeling later.  Other than that, stay the hell out of the sun and eat ibuprofen like it's candy.

[stevembk]

You should at least use a daily face lotion every morning that has spf 15. even if you arent going to be outside, its good to moisturize.

[Gainsdalf the Whey]

You should at least use a daily face lotion every morning that has spf 15. even if you arent going to be outside, its good to moisturize.

 

This is silly.

[stevembk]

This is silly.

And yet i havent been burned once this summer (on my face/ears)

[Gainsdalf the Whey]

And yet i havent been burned once this summer (on my face/ears)

 

Of course not. I also haven't been bitten by mosquitos all year because I put bug repellant on every morning whether I'll be outside or not.

[stevembk]

Of course not. I also haven't been bitten by mosquitos all year because I put bug repellant on every morning whether I'll be outside or not.

 

Good idea! I should have thought of that.

[I-Jo]

This is silly.

it's not silly at all.

 

well I don't care so much about moisturizing- but damn if I walk out the door without my BB cream- which has SPF 15 in it.  FTS.  I HATE burning- and I hate my face being more tan than my torso b/c my face gets more exposure. no thanks.

 

That shit goes on EVERY day.

[Gainsdalf the Whey]

it's not silly at all.

 

well I don't care so much about moisturizing- but damn if I walk out the door without my BB cream- which has SPF 15 in it.  FTS.  I HATE burning- and I hate my face being more tan than my torso b/c my face gets more exposure. no thanks.

 

That shit goes on EVERY day.

 

Doesn't the makeup you ladies wear protect your face?

 

I'm an outlier on the issue though, I'm tan in winter. I can undestand people using it all the time, but doesn't that prvent you from developing the natural resistance of a tan?

[Waldo]

You can tan at the lower SPF's without issue. Not sure of the higher ones. I can actually tan more sucessfully with sunscreen on than without since I can handle being in the sun longer.

I don't bother with the arms and face though. By the time the rays get strong I've long since built natural protection and won't burn. Torso, back, and legs are a different story, they see the sun a lot less and need some sunscreen to not burn.

[I-Jo]

Doesn't the makeup you ladies wear protect your face?

 

I'm an outlier on the issue though, I'm tan in winter. I can undestand people using it all the time, but doesn't that prvent you from developing the natural resistance of a tan?

not necessarily.  more and more use SPF- but I don't wear foudnation and shit unless I have a show- or a big event/date/night out.   It makes me break out.

 

BB cream is a tinted moistureizer with SPF.  so it evens skin tone and protects- but it's not really "make up" in the more traditional sense.  No one would ever know I have it on.  All I wear is eye make up- and that sure as shit doesn't protect my face from the sun LMAO.

 

 

I hate the idea of having leather for skin when I'm older- so I seriously avoid the sun.  Even with sunblock on- tanning it just does bad things for you as you age.   <shudder>  no thank you- hate that.

[Waldo]

 

I hate the idea of having leather for skin when I'm older- so I seriously avoid the sun.  Even with sunblock on- tanning it just does bad things for you as you age.   <shudder>  no thank you- hate that.

Sun does good things for your skin too. We weren't designed to be cave dwellers.

As with everything there is a sweet spot between too much and too little.