Exposure to UV rays of the sun not only can make the skin dry & dull, but can also increase the risk of skin cancers. Summer months and soaring temperatures can be particularly harsh on our skin. We need to protect our skin from harmful effect of the UV rays all year round and even more in the summer months. Good UV plus sunscreen when out in the sun is a must, but you can do more home based natural remedies to protect your skin and restore the radiant healthy glow.
Ensure To Nourish From Within:
Make sure you keep yourself well hydrated and have at least 1.5- 2L of water in 24 hours.
Make Your Skin Summer Ready:
Try these natural home ingredients to make your skin supple and well hydrated. You can mix them together or just use one of them. For best result, mash or blend them into a paste and apply directly to your skin. You can blend all of them together in a blender or mash them together or only pick 1-2 ingredients:
Honey – Natural moisturiser and antibacterial that hydrates the skin.
Mango – Provides natural fruit enzymes, which exfoliates the skin and the oil in mangos help moisturize.
Avocado – A naturally rich moisturizer that has essential fats and oils.
Oatmeal – Moisturizing and slightly exfoliating
Milk – Enzymes and Lactose acid to exfoliate and milk fat to condition the skin.
Aloe Vera Gel – Healing and softening.
Egg White – Tightening and conditioning.
For best results, these treatments can be done 2-3 times a week to help keep your skin youthful and vibrant. Follow your treatments with your favourite moisturizer and don’t forget to apply the sunscreen before going out in the sun.
Home Remedies To Help With Sunburn: – However if you ‘have’ found yourself having spent a little too much time in the sun, — here are 4 natural home remedies to help ease the pain of sunburn, and assist in the body’s healing process:
Cool Milk Compresses: – The fat and lactic acids in milk are known to have soothing qualities for sunburned skin. Soak a soft cloth or cotton gauze in cool whole milk, and dab carefully onto the burned skin. Do this for around 20 minutes, and follow by rinsing off with cool water. (Due to the importance of the milk’s fat content, it’s important that whole milk be used in this treatment).
Cool, Sugarless Tea: – The tannin in tea is the active ingredient here, which helps to soothe and relieve some of the discomfort of sunburned skin. After brewing a big pot of tea, and allowing it to cool completely, slosh the affected areas with a soft sponge or washcloth. You could also fill a spray bottle, and spray the tea directly on the skin. And don’t throw away the used (cool) teabags. These are especially good for sensitive areas around the eyes – simply place the teabags over your eyes if they feel hot and tired.
Aloe Vera: – Aloe Vera is commonly used to treat sunburn. As well as providing soothing relief, it may also assist in the healing process. Apply to the affected areas as needed. Although the gel extracted directly from an aloe Vera plant works best, if you don’t have ready access to one, you may use an ‘over the counter’ Aloe Vera Cream that contains the gel. For this to be effective, just ensure that the cream contains a higher concentration of Aloe Vera than it does water or other solutions.
Water: – When exposed to the sun, your body loses water and essential body salts. Dehydration occurs when your body loses too much fluid, and begins to reabsorb fluid from the blood and other body tissues. To prevent the consequences of dehydration, increase your fluid intake to ensure you adequately re-hydrate your body for optimum recovery and health.
Coconut oil: – Once the initial sunburn has calmed down, coconut oil can be used as a skin moisturizer.
Yogurt: – Like milk, yogurtapplied to sunburned skin also can be soothing.
Cucumbers: have natural antioxidant and analgesic (pain relieving) properties. Chill cucumbers, then mash in a blender to create a paste, and apply to affected sunburned areas including the face. Cucumber also can be soothing for peeling skin following a sunburn.
Sunburn should of course be avoided where possible — particularly as it’s adverse affects not only include damage to the skin, but also the increased risk of skin cancer. Prevention and protection should always be considered the best treatment for sunburn, and will assist in ensuring your optimum long-term health!
Have you tried any of the above natural tips above?
What are your favourites, we’d love to hear from you?
DISCLAIMER: These are home remedy tips only, and should not replace your regular health care provider. If in doubt at any time in relation to your sunburn, please seek the appropriate health care assistance.
About The Author
Dr Saba Qutub is a registered Medical Practitioner, Cosmetic Physician, Health Coach, Entrepreneur and an author.
She currently practices at her medical centre, Armstrong Health in Australia and is the founder of DRSQ Skincare range, “A premium skincare amalgamating the best of active science and natural wonders, providing chemical free and ethical solution to skin issues”. She is the winner of Corporate Livewire “ Women Entrepreneur of the year, Australia 2021”