Once upon a time, there was a little girl who loved to swim. She would swim and play and swim some more, and since nobody used sunscreen in the 1970s (at least not in her family), she was really tan. Her Daddy said she was “as brown as a little walnut.”
Then as she got older, she started using sunscreen and couldn’t get tan even if she tried. She “laid out” in the sun the summer before her wedding, and despite all her hard work she ended up just about the same color as her wedding dress.
Several years later, she was at her son’s Little League game and was so engrossed that she forgot to reapply her sunscreen. By the end of the game, her shoulders were as red as lobsters! And they hurt like nobody’s business.
What was she going to do? She knew she had to drink lots of water to help her body heal. But what could she put on the burn? Her aloe plant had died (she is called BROWN Thumb Mama, not GREEN Thumb Mama, after all). Then she remembered some advice from a friend that sounded a little crazy.
“But why not give it a try?” she figured. So here’s what she did:
- Wet a washcloth with cool water and wring it out.
- Dip a corner in raw apple cider vinegar (this is my favorite brand) and dab it on the sunburn.
- Then moisturize with coconut oil (I prefer Tropical Traditions).
“That’s amazing!” she exclaimed. Her sunburn didn’t hurt, she didn’t smell like a salad, and she didn’t have to take any medicine. And she lived happily ever after (naturally).
Just a reminder: I’m not a doctor, and this is not medical advice. Always dilute vinegar before applying to skin, especially with children; and don’t use other types of vinegar.
mayakey says
I’ll have to give this a try. I’d never have thought to use apple cider vinegar. I have had great success with lavender oil in the past, though. It intensifies the burn for a couple seconds and then the pain is completely gone.
Bill Bird says
Oh, the memories. Like you, I would frolic in the Modesto sunshine all day long — go barefoot in the park — swim to my heart’s content at a nearby park recreation pool, and when I wasn’t stepping on honeybees or jumping in the pool, I was usually playing some board game at the same park recreation center. I stayed in the summer sunshine all day long and at night, when it was too hot, slept out under the stars among the earwigs, potato bugs and other creatures that would stop by for a visit. Who does that anymore?
Amy says
Tried this on my son last night. We’ll see how his shoulders feel this morning when he gets up!
JayJay says
In the bath water–so soothing.
Oh, don’t forget applying olive oil helps too.
Milk in bath water also is said to relieve pain.
Heidi says
Completely forgot about the apple cider vinegar….it so works. BTW….if you have a fever soak a pair of socks(or tea towels) in vinegar (apple cider or white), wring them out and put them on feet. Repeat until fever breaks. 😉
Z says
You should NEVER put oil on a burn. It may feel good at first, but it can trap in the heat and actually make it WORSE!
My family had an aloe vera plant. We would cut off a leave and squish out the insides to rub on our burns. Totally natural, feels great, and can help soothe the burns.