Natural Remedy for Sunburn Treatment
In most respects sunburn should be treated as you would a burn. The first thing to do is to avoid further exposure to the sun until symptoms have been cleared. Severe suburn can produce bad blistering, dehydration and sunstroke, and occasionally people have an allergic reaction to the sun's ultraviolet rays.
Aromatherapy has many benefits in the treatment of sunburns.
For mild, widespread sunburn use Chamomile oil, either in a bath or add 5 drops to a small bowl of water and carefully dab on to unbroken skin. With children, essential oils for the bath should ideally be pre-diluted in 5 ml (1 tsp) of Sweet Almond or similar oil. If the sunburn is more severe, use Lavender oil in similare ways, or apply neat on to any blistered areas. Meaning directly onto the skin.
As aftercare for the dry, leathery looking skin, use essential oils of Chamomile, Lavender, Rose or Sandalwood diluted at 2 per cent in a base oil such as Sweet Almond and gently massaged in twice daily. Very dry skin may benefit from the use of Wheatgerm oil at 10 per cent of the base oil for extra nourishment.
Herbalism for sunburn can be very beneficial also.
Firstly cool the skin as you would a normal burn, or by applying a chilled infusion of either Chamomile, Elderflower or Lavender flowers. Marigold cream may be used afterwards, or else apply the blood-red oil of St John's Wort, which will take away much of the burning pain very quickly – it has been used to good effect on radiation burns. Pure Aloe vera juice is another highly soothing, cooling and healing herb.
Homeopathy is an easy alternative for treating sunburns when it comes to home remedies.
Apply Cantharis, for when there is an intense burning sensation, before or after blisters have formed and Urtica urens, for sunburn with an intense and persistent stinging sensation. For milder burns, then apply Hypericum and/ or Calendula cream.
Naturopathy for sunburns
After cooling the affected areas, apply Vitamin E cream, as well as taking Vitamin E internally (up to 500 iu daily) to improve healing and stop scarring. Widespread sunburn may heal more quickly if additional Vitamin C is taken (up to 1,000 mg daily for a few days). Sunburn is likely to mean dehydration, so take plenty of fluids (spring water and fruit juices, but not alcohol) in the short term.
