9 Guaranteed Ways To Heal Sunburn Fast and Calm Redness

Growing up in the Caribbean with pasty white Scottish skin, I got more than my fair share of sunburn. Despite my parents’ efforts to plaster me in sunscreen, there would inevitably be times when I forgot to reapply, or I would stupidly rebel and pay for it the next day.

Dealing with sunburn is not fun. Your skin gets hot and sensitive. It can be itchy or cause sunburn blisters. Dead skin can peel away, making you look like a molting lizard. If you’re pale-skinned like me, sunburn can turn you into a bright red beacon for everyone to painfully touch your regretful mistake. And if you’re on vacation, the last thing you want is to spend the rest of your holiday wincing in pain every time you move. Worst yet, if you’re traveling with kids and they get sunburned, it can be a challenge to deal with.

Luckily for you (and unluckily for me), all my sunburn experience has made me a self-made expert on how to get rid of a sunburn fast and calm the redness.

How long does sunburn last?

Sunburn typically appears within two to six hours after sun exposure. Just like a frog sitting in the water ready to boil, we don’t realize we are cooking ourselves until it is too late. The symptoms peak within 24 hours of sun exposure and fade within the next 48 hours. In severe cases, it will take longer to disappear.

Sunburn skin does not always mean peeling skin. If your skin does peel, it usually starts to flake and peel after around three days. The peeling process takes several days, and it continues until the skin is fully healed. In most cases, the peeling should stop within a week. Sometimes some stubborn patches of skin will peel longer than that.

How to heal sunburn fast and calm redness

Hydrate with water or coconut water

If you’ve been out in the sun, chances are you may be dehydrated as well. Keeping well hydrated will speed up sunburn recovery.

Coconut water is an excellent way to rehydrate, as it has the additional bonus of being full of vitamins and minerals. It has electrolytes of potassium, sodium, and magnesium.

Take a cool shower

As soon as you can, take a cool shower or put a cool damp cloth on the affected area. This immediately cools down the body and slows the burning process. It can relieve a bit of the pain as well.

While your sunburn is healing, avoid hot showers.

Use Aloe Vera or aloe products

Aloe Vera is a miracle plant when it comes to burns and sunburn. It has been scientifically proven to speed up the healing process of burns. For the best results, use raw aloe from an aloe vera plant. If you don’t have any available, there are aloe vera gels or lotions. Aim to find those with minimal ingredients and for sensitive skin since your sunburn is going to make you a bit more sensitive than usual.

If you have a live aloe plant, great!

Cut the aloe plant near the bottom of the aloe plant, where the leaf is the thickest. Cut off the spines on either side. Using a knife, cut down the middle of the white meaty part of the leaf. The meaty part will have green or yellow slime. Apply this slimy substance to the sunburn and let it dry on the skin. Avoid the mouth area as the aloe has an unpleasant bitter taste.

You can reapply it once it has dried down. If possible, reapply it several times a day. Having a fan blow air on the applied slime will create a pleasant cooling sensation.

Moisturize the skin

If you are going out in public, you may not appreciate the slug-like slimy appearance that aloe gives.

Wash it off with cool water and pat the area dry gently. Next, apply a thick moisturizer to the sunburn and give it time to soak in.

Keep the moisturizer nearby to apply throughout the day. You can “lock in” the moisturizer with a topcoat of petroleum jelly.

Stay out of the sun and wear heavy sunblock

Once you have a sunburn, limit any additional sun exposure.

• Stay in the shade
• Use a high level of sunblock (50+)
• Cover skin with loose clothing
• Wear hats.

The last thing you need is to further damage the already burnt skin or the new skin underneath.

Take paracetamol or ibuprofen

Paracetamol or ibuprofen can relieve pain that accompanies sunburn as well as reduce swelling. Often, headaches can be another symptom of too much time in the sun. Paracetamol or ibuprofen can help alleviate any headache.

Don’t scratch or peel it

Part of the healing process of sunburns may cause the skin to become irritated and itchy. Avoid scratching, as this can cause small breaks to the skin that could become infected.

As tempting as it is, avoid peeling any skin that is flaking off. The new skin underneath is more sensitive and delicate. The peeling will stop once the skin has fully healed.

Don’t pop blisters

Don’t pop that juicy volcano and make it erupt. Popping sunburn blisters increases the risk of infection. It could also lead to scarring.

The blister will feel and either pop on its own or eventually deflate after some days.

Avoid fragrances

While your skin is healing, avoid fragrances that would irritate your skin.

Consider using fragrance-free products (body soaps, laundry detergents, no perfumes) for the next week. Any further irritation could increase the redness.

Conclusion

No one likes sunburn. It’s painful and can make you look like a peeling lizard. However, you can heal sunburn fast and sunburn relief if you follow these tricks. Keep hydrated, take cool showers, use aloe, moisturize, and avoid any additional sun damage for quick recovery. Avoid picking your peeling skin or popping those blisters to avoid infection or irritating the skin further. And next time, don’t forget the sunscreen.