DIY SUNBURN REMEDIES - THE KITCHY KITCHEN

As a pale red head, I know the business end of an aloe vera bottle better than most. And this is despite my dressing like Diane Keaton or a face lift patient at the beach: big hat, high necklines, glasses, shade, a general vampiric vibe. Somehow, the sun finds a way to penetrate my skin, and I’m left needing to soothe and cool things down. In general, I’ve been trying to simplify my skincare regime. Sometime in my mid-twenties my skin became pretty sensitive, and I started to pay more attention to the ingredients inside of my skincare products. For soothing dry, parched, or burnt skin, I love these simple, easy to make home remedies because I know exactly what’s in them. For a mild sunburn, they’re perfect. For anything super intense, I recommend the French burn ointment, Biafine.

The Iced Tea body spray is fabulous for body burns, and has the antiseptic benefits of green tea, soothing nature of chamomile, and cooling sensation of peppermint. The aloe vera (and remember, I mean just simple aloe vera gel – not a weird cocktail of stuff – check the label!) is renown for its anti-inflammatory and healing properties.

INGREDIENTS (ICED TEA BODY SPRAY):

2 bags of peppermint tea

1 bag of chamomile tea

1 bag of green tea

1 cup hot water

1/4 cup aloe vera gel

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

DIRECTIONS:

Steep the tea bags in hot water for 2 minutes, until quite dark. Allow the tea to cool, and stir in the aloe vera and apple cider vinegar. Secure with a spray top, and shake vigorously before using. Store in your fridge for up to one month.

Cucumber and coconut are both known for their soothing properties. Cucumber helps puffy, irritated skin, and coconut is deeply moisturizing. I love this lotion for my face and neck.

INGREDIENTS (CUCUMBER COCONUT SPAY LOTION):

1 cucumber, pureed

1 cup canned coconut milk

1/4 cup aloe vera gel

DIRECTIONS:

Push the cucumber puree through a strainer, creating about 1/2 cup of cucumber juice. Mix together all of the ingredients, and spray or rub onto irritated skin. Allow it to soak in, and wipe away with a damp towel after 20 minutes. Keep in your fridge for up to 5 days.

Honey has long been celebrated for it’s anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, moisturizing, and healing properties – but here’s the thing, it has to be RAW honey. Heavily refined honey loses a lot of the beneficial properties, and if you really want to maximize this situation, go with Manuka honey.