Soothing Sunburns
Long summer days are here and in typical summer fashion our schedules are busy with outdoor activities. While we are enjoying every minute of sunshine this season, we know how easy it is to find ourselves lacking proper application of sun protectants leaving our skin sun-kissed from over-exposure.
When addressing sun exposure we love using our body hydrators to help aid in skin healing. Our formulations are lipid-based allowing them to penetrate deeply into skin to help with soothing sensitivity and inflammation.
For especially tender skin after a recent burn we recommend lightweight hydrators to allow the skin to continue to release heat while receiving necessary hydration. Our best recommendation for soothing sunburns is a cool shower to reduce inflammation followed by application of our Relax Bath & Body Oil on damp skin. This oil nourishes with antioxidants and soothes inflammation as it is infused with three organic herbs that provide skin nutrients in order to facilitate proper healing while effectively helping to reduce sensitivity.
Over the years we have lovingly nicknamed the three organic herbs you find infused into our product line as our Organic Herbal Trio. This grouping of herbs includes Arnica, Calendula and Chamomile. Each herb provides a variety of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants to help soothe and repair skin and can even help diminish lasting effects of sun damage, like hyperpigmentation.
Meet the Trio
Arnica has long been our favorite recommendation in the shop to encourage healthy blood flow, lymph movement and reduction of achy muscles, joints and bruising due to the main restorative compound in the herb, helenalin.
Calendula, due to its strong flavonoid and triterpenoid profile, helps to topically soothe skin while aiding in wound healing with antimicrobial effects. This vibrant and widely used herb helps to provide skin with hydration too as it has a demulcent effect.
And finally, to complete our herbal trio, we sought Chamomile for its incredible ability to calm skin irritations due to a powerful constituent, azulene, found to reduce inflammation alongside arnica and calendula.
We have found that the combination of these powerful herbs and nutrient dense lipids come together to create the perfect repair product beneficial for inflammatory skin conditions, minor irritations and when treating sunburns.
If you prefer a hydrator with a cream consistency we recommend our Chamomile Infused Moisturizer. This formulation includes the beloved aforementioned soothing infusion while also addressing deep dehydration via meadowfoam seed oil. This ultra moisturizing lipid, exclusively found in this moisturizer, creates a nourishing barrier on skin, preventing transepidermal water loss (TEWL). The characteristics of meadowfoam are incredible, naturally providing UV protection and nutrients for healthy cellular regeneration and repair from head to toe. Yes! This moisturizer is safe and noncomedogenic for the body and face.
It is important to keep in mind that although we formulate with ingredients that provide UV protection, these ingredients are not formally rated to have a Sun Protection Factor. We recommend pairing our product line with a rated sun protectant. While we do not currently formulate a sunscreen, we do have our top recommendations listed in our Sun Care & SPF Recommendations blog.
When the time comes that your sunburn has worked itself into the sloughing stage of the healing process, and is no longer painful, we recommend exfoliating the body with our Sugar Scrubs. Not only do our scrubs exfoliate and hydrate in one step they also leave skin feeling soft and supple without feeling greasy. Including an exfoliant into your routine is also beneficial to rid skin of superficial hyperpigmentation and aiding in product absorption allowing hydrators to penetrate into the dermis addressing deeper dehydration.
For exfoliating the face we recommend a gentle exfoliation with our Chamomile & Oats Clay Facial Mask or our more powerful Pigmentation Facial Mask once there is no longer sensitivity is present.
Other Tips for Soothing Sunburns Include:
- Wearing loose fitting clothes to provide reprieve to sensitive skin
- Applying cold compresses to skin to cool and soothe inflammation
- Keeping yourself hydrated with electrolytes