Okay, so between falling asleep on my stomach at the beach yesterday & laying out on my back for too long today, I've got some killer all-over sunburn...of the itchy-uncomfortable-gives-you-the-chills-shockingly-red sort. I tried both Burts Bees Res-Q ointment & chilled lotion with tea tree oil, but neither worked as well as I had hoped. Finally, I made a thick paste from cold milk & oatmeal (cinnamin...yummy!) & slathered the gooey stuff all over the really bad parts. It is truly amazing! So, if you get some really bad sunburn, keep this in mind...of course I'm lounging around almost completely nude, but thats not so bad & it works surprisingly well! xoxo cortnee
Aloe is also helpful for the burn. And when you bathe, use a neutral pH cleanser. I can recommend a product called Phisoderm in liquid or bar (I'd get the liquid; it goes easier on the skin). You can get it on the soap aisle at most grocery stores. It doesn't dry out your already dried-out skin. Use regular white vinegar after bathing but before toweling off. It will reduce the sting. Sounds crazy, I know, but try it. You will be a believer. Just pat it on and let it sit for a minute. You might want to put it in a plastic squeeze bottle for the bathtub (no glass breakage).
Your advice has perfect timing for me, i got TOASTED today on the beach, i can feel my skin tightening all over. Cool oatmeal sounds very soothing and relieving and i wish i was home to coat myself. Oats are really good for your skin too, my mom used to wash her face with a homemade ground oatmeal mix and her skin was like velvet. Thanks so much!
once when i was little i got sunburn all over my body it iched sooooo bad i strted crying and itching uncontroalably all over but a warm bath of oatmeal really really helped!!!
Thanks for the great advice! Will definitely consider that for next time (I burn really easily). Just one suggestion: You might not want to put cinnamon in it next time, because cinnamon makes you hot (which makes it good to eat in the winter).
The best cure for a really bad burn is plain old canned milk. We used to call it Pet Milk. You can buy it in the supermarket next to the powdered milk, usually in the baking aisle. Pur the milk all over the burned areas. The milk will curdle and smell really bad but it will give you instant relief. After you shower the nasty smelling milk off, use lavendar essential oil or if the burn is very deep use chamomile essential oil. Kathi
