Jodie Weston
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Summertime is a time of relaxation, fun, and enjoyment of the warm sensation of sunshine…until you are unfortunate enough to suffer from a sunburn. It’s hard to savor the sunshine when your now sensitive skin hurts to the touch!
Even small sunburns take time to heal. But that does not mean you are just stuck in discomfort waiting for it to fully go away.
You can take proactive steps to make your situation better. A great option is using natural remedies to help alleviate the discomfort and help speed up the recovery process.
Natural remedies help you avoid putting a concoction of chemicals on or in your body and reduce your dependence on running to the pharmacy. Once you build up your natural remedy toolkit, you can enjoy greater independence and self-reliability tackling your ailments on your own naturally.
What Causes Sunburns?
Sunburns happen after you get too much exposure to ultraviolet light that is found within the sunlight. Each person is unique with how much exposure qualifies as “too much”.
Some people are more at risk for sunburns than others. Genetic factors like light skin and blue eyes, environmental factors like living at high altitude, and work factors like needing to work outside can all make you more vulnerable to sunburns.
When To See a Doctor
Usually, our sunburns are mild enough you can let them heal on their own. But there are a few indications that you should seek medical attention:
- The sunburn stays longer than a few days
- The sunburn is blistering
- The sunburn also comes with a fever, headache, nausea, or chills
If your sunburn is a typical mild one, you can turn to a home remedy treatment plan. Insert: essential oils!
What Are Essential Oils?
Essential Oils are liquids coming from natural materials like flowers, fruits, and grasses. There are hundreds of essential oils, from lavender to oregano. Each one offers unique benefits, such as relieving allergies, increasing energy, soothing a sore throat, and even helping with asthma symptoms.
Essential oils contain active chemicals that enter our bodies in three ways: we inhale them, we ingest them, or we absorb them through our skin.
Using Essential Oils for Sunburns
Essential oils are all natural liquids, making them a great natural remedy for dealing with sunburns. Essentials can help by providing soothing relief to sunburn discomfort and can help speed up the healing process.
The Best Essential Oils for Sunburns
Each essential oil offers unique chemical properties, so you cannot put just any essential oil on your sunburn. Only certain choices will offer the results you want.
Lavender Essential Oil
A sweet relaxing scent often used with aromatherapy, lavender is also great for skin issues. Soon after applying lavender, you can experience a cooling relief as the lavender reduces the sting of your burn.
The lavender also contains antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties, making it a great skin remedy. It can help reduce skin redness and even promote the growth of new skin. The antimicrobial properties will also help speed up the healing process.
Lavender is one great essential oil – offering short term relief and speeding up long term recovery.
Eucalyptus Essential Oil
This powerful ingredient from the land down under is a great choice for sunburn aid. Eucalyptus is often used for medicinal and over the counter products because it offer such strong pain relief. When you use it, you will feel a wonderful soothing sensation. Use it to get that quick relief you need once your sunburn starts popping up on your skin.
Eucalyptus oil also contains a chemical called cineole, which offers strong antioxidant elements and strong antibacterial properties. These work alongside your body to help prevent and fight against any infection.
Peppermint Essential Oil
A remedy from ancient history, peppermint oil has been used for over 200 years by ancient civilizations as a healing remedy.
Peppermint oil contains menthol, which works to provide the immediate relief you need from itching or burning. It works as a natural painkiller, numbing the affected area and temporarily taking away any discomfort or pain.
Research found that peppermint interacts with your ski, dilating the blood vessels and stimulating cold receptors. This makes the area of your skin feel cold and gives off a pain relieving effect.
While peppermint oil does not do much for your sunburn long term, it can be the most powerful at offering relief.
How To Use Essential Oils
There are a few ways you can apply essential oils to get the sunburn relief you seek.
Topical Application: What You Need to Know
The most obvious way to address a sunburn with essential oils, of course, is putting the oils on your skin, which lets the fat soluble properties of the oil to get absorbed into our body. Usually, this takes around ten minutes. Check to be sure your given oil can be applied topically (since not all can).
This method of application can be a great way to access those relief properties quickly, but you do need to be careful how you apply the oil.
Essential oils are pretty potent. Usually you only need a few drops to get the job done. Because they are so powerful, you will want to use a carrier oil alongside the essential oil.
Applying an undiluted essential oil directly on your skin can result in irritation and even burning, which is the exact opposite of what you want happening on your sunburn!
Diluting an essential oil with a carrier oil allows you to get all the benefits from the essential oil without risking skin irritation. You can choose from a number of carrier oil options, like coconut oil or olive oil.
Topical Application: How to Use
Choose from a number of ways to apply your chosen essential oil to your skin.
- Pour your mixture onto a washcloth and softly place onto your skin
- Gently massage the mixture onto your skin. Rubbing the area first will increase blood circulation, helping the oil be absorbed easier.
- Place the mixture into a spray bottle and gently mist over your sunburn.
- Make your own healing butter to rub over your skin.
Oral Application: What You Need to Know
A second way of applying essential oils is oral application. Usually, this involves adding a few drops of the oil to a drink like a warm cup of tea. This method is more common when trying to solve other issues (like a sore throat or needing more energy), but it is important to bring up because of the health concerns related to this method. I highly encourage you to not try this option!
Aromatic Application: What You Need to Know
Again, this option is less common when dealing with sunburns. But if you hesitate putting essential oils on your skin, this is a great option for you.
You can inhale the molecules of the essential oil. They can then enter your respiratory system and get to work.
Some people chose a special tool called a diffuser for aromatic application. This little device will automatically get the essential oil up into the air for you to breathe in.
If you do not want to pay for a diffuser, you can place a few drops onto a cotton ball or tissue. Place it on your desk or near your bed so you can breathe it in over and over.
You can also make a room mist by mixing essential oils and some water into a spray bottle. Spritz around your room and breathe in deeply. Make sure your chosen essential oil will not dye any furniture or bedding first.
Where to Get Essential Oils
Essential oils are becoming more and more mainstream, making them pretty easy to find. Most of the time, you can find them somewhere in your local grocery store while you are out running errands anyway. If not, most pharmacies and natural stores carry at least a small selection of essential oils.
Probably the best place to find essential oils, though, is online. This gives you the widest access to choices (and sometimes can be cheaper than buying in a store).
For a starter pack, we recommend the Essential 4 Pack. If you want a larger set to start (or build) your collection, check out the Health and Wellness Kit. If you decide to buy either option, be sure to enter in the code “BACKDOORSURVIVAL” for a 10% discount
Other Uses for Essential Oils
Using essential oils for sunburn remedies is just one of their many uses. Essential oils can be used for health remedies, all natural cleaning, beauty strategies, and more. Use them to prevent health issues or treat health issues. They are a small product with big capabilities.
To find other great uses for essential oils, search our site or check out our Pinterest board. These are both full of tips and suggestions for use.
Final Word
Essential oils are a great tool for the prepper’s toolkit, but there is so much more to discover. For free prepping tips and strategies, subscribe to our site’s email updates. When you sign up, you will also receive a free, downloadable version of Gaye’s book, The Emergency Food Buyer’s Guide.
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