Summer is here. And with that, comes beach season. 'Tis the season to lay out all day, sip tropical drinks, and rock that new bikini. Although there's a lot going on, it's very important to take care of your skin and protect yourself from the sun.
The American Academy of Dermatology recommends that everyone use a sunscreen with an SPF 30 every day, and an SPF 50 before participating in outdoor activities. However, did you know that most people do not wear sunscreen at all?
Sunburns are inevitable either way. Whether you do prep your skin for the sun or not, they still can happen. (Especially if you haven't been in the sun for awhile)
So with that said, check out some ways you can relieve your summer sunburn below!
1. Aloe: It’s cool, soothing, and seems to take the sting and redness right out of your sunburn.
2. Cold Milk Compress: Use gauze or a wash rag and dip it into some cold milk and apply to your skin. The milk will cool your skin while creating a layer of protein to protect your skin, help it heal, and further soothe discomfort.
3. Stay Hydrated: It is important to always stay hydrated especially in the summer. Drink those 8 glasses of water a day!
4. Coconut Oil: Coconut Oil has a natural sun-protection factor and smells great.
5. Drink Iced Mint Tea: Mint naturally cools and soothes whatever it touches, and sunburns are no exception.
6. Vinegar: Apply Apple Cider Vinegar to your sunburn with cotton balls. While there is no official research done on how it helps sunburns in particular, there are a vast amount of people out there who swear up and down that vinegar helps heal sunburn, or mildly burned tissue in general.
7. Oatmeal Bath: The polysaccharides in oatmeal will coat and heal your skin, while the water cools you down and keeps your skin hydrated and moist.
8. Plain Yogurt: Live cultured plain yogurt contains an abundance of probiotics and enzymes that help heal our skin.
9. Cucumber: Not only is a cool cucumber soothing to the burn simply because its cool, but its antioxidant properties promote healing and further relief from discomfort.
10. Keep track of time: While it would be impractical to advise people to stay indoors during the prime hours of the day, keep track of the time. The sun is the most powerful between 11:00 am and 4:00 pm.