Soothe Sunburn with Aloe and Essential Oils

Sunburned? Here's how to naturally soothe sunburn with aloe.

Lots of us plan fun activities outside in the sun. But nobody plans to get sunburned!

It's more like sunburn sneaks up on us. It can happen whether you've planned a day of fun at the beach and forgot your hat if you're gardening for longer than you planned, or if you go to a friend's house and wind up spending time outside when you weren't expecting it.

For kids, who often love playing outside and can lose track of time, sunburns can show up again and again.

This is a recipe that allows you to soothe sunburn with aloe vera and Lavender essential oil. It offers such relief for sunburned skin! You can also use it to restore and protect your skin even if you haven't been sunburned. (Skin loves this stuff!)

Sunburn Soother

• Just under 1 oz (28 g) Aloe Vera Gel (Aloe barbadensis)

• 2 ml Solubol dispersant

• 10 drops Lavender essential oil (Lavandula angustifolia)

This recipe takes just a few minutes to make.

All you have to do is pour your aloe gel and Solubol into a 1 oz (30 ml) bottle, add the 10 drops of Lavender, close the bottle, and shake.

I like to store mine in the refrigerator, so it feels cool and refreshing when I rub it in.

If you get sunburned, you can apply it often until the heat calms down.

Lavender is a beautiful essential oil to use for calming sunburns. It reduces inflammation and supports skin in its natural process of healing and restoring balance. Lavender has a reputation for relaxing emotions and soothing the heart. Just imagine it bringing those qualities to a sunburned patch of skin!

If you'd rather use a different essential oil than Lavender, here are a few substitutions. 1 oz (28 g) of aloe:

• 5 drops Palmarosa (Cymbopogon martinii var. motia)
  or

• 5 drops Geranium (Pelargonium x asperum)
  or

• 10 drops Cedarwood (Juniperus virginiana)
  or

• 10 drops Frankincense (Boswellia carterii)

Want to try a different version of a sunburn-soothing recipe? Here's a recipe for Sunburn Spray made with Lavender hydrosol, essential oil, aloe vera, and a few tabs of vitamin E gel.

Enjoy!