Sunburns are the pits. Really. You have this awesome day at the beach that may or may not include one-too-many Coronas and a whole lot of beach volleyball, and you come home to a sandy bathing suit and OW! A wretched sunburn. While you can't plug in a time machine and slather on more sunblock to prevent that nastiness, you can treat your sunburn ASAP with things you have at home.
Seriously! There are loads of things in your pantry that you can whip out immediately to treat your lobstery body. Check out our six unconventional sunburn remedies you may already have at home.
Image via lazyllama/Shutterstock
Tomato Juice
Yup, not just for skunk baths anymore! The good thing about tomato juice is it's acidic but it doesn't hurt when you apply it to sensitive, burnt skin. The catch? It's better to eat tomatoes to protect against sunburn then to use their juices after-the-fact. Apparently the protection offered by tomato paste is similar to a low SPF!
Vinegar
Simply apply a light mist of distilled white or apple cider vinegar with a spray bottle to the burnt area. Get this: using vinegar ALSO reduces the likelihood of forming blisters.
Skim Milk
This milky cure requires you mix one part skim milk with four parts cold water, then soak a washcloth in the mixture. Apply the washcloth to irritated areas for a half hour every four hours to ease the pain.
Cold Tea Bags
After steeping four tea bags in warm water, remove the used bags. Then drench a washcloth in the tea and cover your burnt areas. It's recommended that you do this ASAP after the burn occurs, as well as before bed.
Noxema Facial Cleanser
Weird, right?! I couldn't believe that many of our own CafeMoms have used it on sunburns, and it worked!
Cornstarch or Baking Soda
Mix cornstarch with a little water to make a cooling paste. If you don't have cornstarch, try baking soda.
