Before I hit the beach for a mere three hours earlier this week I went through my usual sunscreen slathering routine, globbing on mass amounts of my favorite tried and true spf. But sadly even though I am the queen of sun protection, my lily- white limbs no matter how coated were no match for the not-a-cloud-in the-sky conditions. I really hate to admit my foible, especially after all these years of preaching the gospel according to sun damage., but what is a girl to do if her formerly browned Italian skin has become a whiter shade of pale? Luckily in all my years of skin care I have learned a thing or two about sunburns and how to ease the stinging pain.
First off, if you too have been cautiously careless and turned out looking like your favorite red crustacean start with a cool bath (not cold) infused with 10 drops of lavender essential oil which will help cool the burn and remove some of the heat that your body is feeling. Lavender helps to speed up the healing process and prevent scarring as well. And it’s the only oil that you can apply directly to your skin without diluting. Be sure that every effected body part is submerged in the water for best results.
Many people also swear by adding a tad bit of vinegar to their bath water, but I can say with certainty that I would rather smell like lavender than wreaking of vinegar all night.
Another home remedy is using raw potatoes to ease the sting of a burn. Simply cut potatoes into chunks and liquefy in a blender then apply to the skin, alternatively you can grate the potatoes and press directly onto the skin for relief then let the remaining juice of the potato dry.
And even though yoghurt from the fridge can calm your post burning blues I much prefer Korres Cooling After – Sun Face & Body. Packed with yoghurt lactose, proteins vitamins and minerals it soothes the skin and smells delicious not to mention it’s moisturizing as well so your skin is soft and smooth not flaky.
For super moisturizing post –sun try Dr Haushka’s After Sun Lotion it’s loaded with botanicals to cool, hydrate and de-stress your overtaxed skin. It works especially well for sensitive skin but the only caveat,-you need to wait ‘til this lotion sinks in thoroughly before dressing to avoid staining fabrics.
And for more major sunburns Sonya Dakar Recovery works like a charm with alatoin and their famous collagenese inhibitor complex which minimizes cell damage. This cream is the perfect solution post laser and peels too.
