A beautiful day spent by the sea, in the mountains or on the balcony of the house and, in the evening, the skin appears red and warm. What to do in case of sunburn? Of course, the sun should be avoided in the middle hours of the day and you should always use a protective sunscreen cream, but once the damage is done, what to do? Let's see the best natural remedies that can come to our aid in case of sunburn.
Aloe vera
Here is a good reason to grow an aloe vera seedling at home. The leaves of this succulent plant, in fact, are full of a special gel with a proven soothing, refreshing, healing and anti-inflammatory action, useful for all types of burns, both caused by the sun and heat (Korac et al, Pharmacogn Rev, 2011 - Guerra et al, StatPearls Publishing, 2020). Cut an aloe leaf and apply its gel on the part of skin with the burn.
Chamomile, black tea and green tea
Both an infusion of chamomile and black or green tea can help in case of sore skin. In fact, black tea contains tannic acid, theobromine and catechins, which are believed to help soothe a burn and stimulate tissue repair processes. Not only that, thanks to the antioxidant action, black tea helps prevent DNA damage that the sun's rays can induce (Korac et al, Pharmacogn Rev, 2011). Green tea is anti-inflammatory and antioxidant, therefore it acts against the damage caused by the sun but also by alleviating the inflammation of the tissues and the erythema caused by excessive sun exposure (Korac et al, Pharmacogn Rev, 2011). Chamomile is anti-inflammatory and is used to soothe skin irritations but also sunburns (Srivastava et al, Mol Med Report., 2011). For both chamomile and for the two types of tea, prepare a normal infusion, then let it cool down and soak a gauze. Use to make compresses on the burned skin.
Coconut oil
Coconut oil is anti-inflammatory, emollient and moisturizing, helps to counteract itching and dry skin that often accompany a sunburn (Verallo-Rowell et al, Dermatitis, 2008). Moreover, coconut oil is excellent to repair the damaged skin barrier, it is anti-aging and healing (Tzu-Kai Lin et al, Int J Mol Sci, 2018). Apply a little coconut oil on the skin after a shower, when the skin is damp. Maybe with the addition of a drop of tea tree oil that, as shown, is antiseptic and soothing. Tea tree works also by increasing the flow of blood in the capillaries, in this way more nourishment arrives to the skin damaged by sunburn (Korac et al, Pharmacogn Rev, 2011).
Marigold
Marigold flowers are an excellent remedy in case of sunburn, and, in general, burns (Tabassum et al, Pharmacogn Rev., 2014). In this case you can use the marigold ointment or the marigold infused oil. These products can be purchased in specialized stores or they can also be self-produced. In the video blog section you can see how to prepare calendula ointment step by step according to the ancient recipe of the well-known herbalist Maria Treben.
