Summer often means sunburns, stomach aches, bug bites, bee stings, scratches, bumps and bruises.  Learn to treat sunburns naturally to help you & the kids feel better quick so you can get back outside!

A sunburn feels like charred flesh and all you want to do is remove the heat.  As the worlds whitest white girl (my legs are reflective) I have tried every natural and man made remedy known to man through the years.  My favorite truly amazing, instant heat remover that’s safe for babies to grandmas is simply Apple Cider Vinegar.

My favorite way to use vinegar for a sunburn is on a cotton ball and gently wipe or press it over the burn. If the burns in a spot I can’t reach, like my back, I add 3 cups of vinegar to a luke warm bath.  Remember you don’t want to add any more heat so…no hot baths.  If you don’t have that much vinegar grab a washcloth, soak it in the vinegar you’ve got and lay it over the burned area.  There is a slight vinegar smell but it’ll be gone after a shower the next morning.

Vinegar works on a sunburn because it balances the skins ph.  It stops the inflammation and starts the healing process.

The next go to is plain yogurt.  It works the same way that milk does for hot and spicy foods by neutralizing the heat.  I’m not a fan of yogurt because it must be removed when it begins to warm up otherwise it will hold the heat.  But, if you’ve a lot of plain yogurt it’s WAY better than leaving the sunburn alone.

IF you have an aloe plant…use the flesh.  I’m not a fan of bottled aloe vera as they’re rarely pure and if they are pure they’re definitely not fresh.  If you do have an aloe plant smear it on but most folks do not have aloe plants big enough to handle sunburns.  We keep our aloe plants for fire or cooking burns.

The final go to for sunburns is baking soda.  Mix a good cup of baking soda into some luke warm bath water.  No matter how well I’ve mixed it into the water I can feel it when I get out of the water on my skin.  You can do a quick spray of your skin with vinegar to remove the residue or just deal with it until you shower the next morning.

After you’ve removed the heat let’s encourage the healing. Forget the bottles of lotion and grab the coconut oil.  It is THE most amazing healer.  It softens the skin, feeds the skin, provides healthy fats, smells like an exotic, tropical beach and is simply tasty too!  So, slather on the coconut oil and then fix some sweat potatoes to help prevent future sunburns.