Sunburn is no fun, and often you don’t see it happening until you feel your skin stinging. Not to mention the flaking and dryness that often a few days after the burn. Here are the tips and products we rate to cool and heal sunburn fast says editor Trudi Brewer.
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Cold Water
Showering or sitting in a bath of cold water will help prevent blistering and skin peeling, also, for those intense hot spots use a cold compress (tissues soaked in ice water) for a few hours post sunburn. Your body loses fluids when it’s overheated, so it’s important to drink ice water to keep the body’s temperature down and to internally hydrate.
Pure Fiji Soothing Aftersun Gel, $38
Our editor swears by the soothing power of this after sun gel. The light texture melts into the skin rapidly, and leaves a silky film of Dilo nut oil, passionflower extracts, coconut milk, chamomile and cooling mint, to help cool and heal sunburn within days.
Pure Fiji Soothing Aftersun Gel, $38
Go for aloe
Experts agree that the best form of aloe vera comes from the plant itself. However, if you don’t have access to a plant, an aloe gel will do the trick. Over summer keep gels or sprays in the fridge, and apply a thick coat to the burn every few hours. If you don’t have any aloe, slices of chilled cucumber are your next best option.
Bondi Sands Aloe Vera After Sun, $11.
Bondi Sands Aloe Vera After Sun, $11.
Short of the real deal the blend of aloe vera leaf juice; water and castor oil will soothe hot skin, and the spray is ideal for reaching those spots like the back, and behind the knees, the cooling effect is instant, which is heavenly, when your skin is feeling tight and hot.
Soak in milk
Add six cups of milk, to a lukewarm bath, this not only helps to lower the internal body temperature, the fat, protein, and pH 5.5 skin-balancing power of milk has an anti-inflammatory effect on the skin, that helps soothe and comfort sunburned skin.
Nivea After Sun Moisture, $11.
This classic from Nivea transports us back to beachside breaks when we were kids. It’s heavily fragranced, so it may not be ideal for those with sensitive skin, but it sinks in fast, is not greasy or sticky and it hydrates parched summer skin. Stacked with aloe vera and avocado oil, it certainly soothes sunburn, leaving skin feeling smooth and oh so soft.
Nivea After Sun Moisture, $11.
Green tea
Green tea is ideal for sensitive skin and skin prone to red flushing, it also calms sunburn. Brew a pot of green tea, and allow it to cool down in the fridge, and then make a tissue compresses with the tea.
Dr. Hauschka After Sun, $39.
Dr Hauschka After Sun, $39.
Why wouldn’t you want to treat burnt skin to something that is 100 per cent natural? This cooling, refreshing gel is stacked with moisturising sweet almond, jojoba and apricot oils, carrot, beeswax, rosehip oil, shea butter and quince seed extracts. It’s vegan and free from synthetic fragrances, dyes and preservatives, and mineral oils, silicone. Apply generously every hour post sunburn.
Oatmeal can heal
Add a cup of uncooked oats to a cool bath, or blend the oats to make a powder to create your own colloidal milky water bath. Oat extracts bind to the skin and lock in moisture, which eases inflammation and helps heal sunburned skin.
Avène Thermal Spring Water, from $15.
Not technically an aftersun treatment, but this incredible, all-natural water soothes the most sensitive or sunburned skin. Its low mineral content (a 2:1 ratio of magnesium to calcium) is high in silicates, which ensure its exceptionally soft texture. To cool the skin, keep it in the fridge and spray directly on the skin, or saturate two tissues and use it as a cold compress. Or spray your face, and then apply a single layer of tissue over the top, and then saturate that tissue with the water to create a pampering sheet mask. For post-shaving, insect stings and to calm eczema or dermatitis rashes, the uses for this soothing water are endless.
Avène Thermal Spring Water, from $15.