Overview
Who does not like spending time outdoors? But long exposures to UV sunlight can cause sunburn resulting in irritated and itchy skin. In such a situation you would like to try anything and everything that will help you get relief from sunburn and its symptoms.
But before you try on anything it is important to know that there is a natural remedy to treat sunburn.
Essential oils are one of the natural remedies that help in healing sunburn and reducing its symptoms. Essential oils have many medicinal and therapeutic properties that help deal with different skin conditions and health issues. It has natural healing properties and offers relief from pain.
Essential oils have anti-inflammatory properties that help reduce skin inflammation experienced in sunburn. It also has analgesic, antiseptic and antioxidant properties that help relieve skin irritation in sunburn.
Best Essential Oils For Sunburn Relief
1. Peppermint Essential Oil
Hands down these are the best essential oil for treating sunburn as it has a cooling effect. Peppermint has menthol in it that helps in calming the skin and offers ease in pain and inflammation. Though, if you have sensitive skin then, do not forget to dilute this essential oil with a carrier oil before applying it to the skin (1).
2. Yarrow Essential Oil
Yarrow essential oil is good for sunburn. Yarrow oil is very gentle on the skin and is one of the best options to use on sunburned skin. It can soothe irritated and inflamed skin. It has a constituent called azulenes that has anesthetic properties and helps calm and relax sunburned skin.
3. Patchouli Essential Oil
Patchouli oil has natural calming and soothing properties and the application of patchouli oil helps relieve sunburn.
4. Chamomile Essential Oil
Chamomile oil is best for inflamed skin. It is rich in anti-inflammatory properties that help in easing pain and inflammation from sunburn. It has calming and soothing properties. Also, this oil has conditioning properties that help heal skin very fast. Chamomile oil can also be used on sunburn symptoms like itchy skin. It can also be used on kids (2).
5. Helichrysum Essential Oil
Helichrysum oil is one of the most effective essential oils for sunburn. This oil has a neryl acetate constituent that helps in skin healing. Helichrysum oil has analgesic properties that offer relief from pain and inflammation (3)
6. Spearmint Essential Oil
Spearmint is an important oil that helps heal sunburn. It has menthol in it that has natural cooling properties and can help offer relief and soothe sunburn. It can also be used for kids (4).
7. Lavender Essential Oil
Lavender oil has soothing and cooling properties that can help heal sunburn. Lavender oil promotes skin healing and also helps reduce scars. Lavender oil can offer relief from inflammation and relax the affected area easing the pain (5).
Lavender oil has wound-healing properties and it can also help fade scars. Lavender oil has antibacterial and antifungal properties that help in fighting the symptoms of sunburn-like redness, pain, inflammation, swelling, etc. Lavender oil can be mixed with shea butter to make sunscreens to cure sunburn (6).
8. Tea Tree Essential Oil
Tea tree oil is one of the most famous essential oils in a skincare routine. Tea tree oil has anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal properties that help fight many symptoms of sunburn-like itchy skin, pain, swelling, and inflammation (7).
9. Geranium Essential Oil
Geranium oil can heal irritated skin. The geranium essential oil has antibacterial, anti-cancerous, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory properties that can treat mild to severe sunburns. Geranium oil is rich in sedative properties that calm the affected area. It also offers relief from the pain and skin irritation due to sunburn.
10. Eucalyptus Essential Oil
Eucalyptus oil has cooling properties that can soothe your skin and calm your sunburn offering you relief from irritation, inflammation, and pain. Eucalyptus oil has anti-inflammatory properties, antibacterial, and antioxidants that help heal sunburn quickly (8).
11. Green Tea Essential Oil
Green tea essential oil is rich in antioxidants. It has properties that heal sunburn and also protect the skin from harsh ultraviolet exposure (9).
12. Rose Essential Oil
Rose oil is considered the queen of oils. Rose oil is most effective for sensitive skin. It has anti-inflammatory properties that can help reduce redness, inflammation, and pain from sunburn. Rose oil also contains antibacterial and antiseptic properties that help in healing burns, blisters, or any sort of skin infection.
13. Frankincense Essential Oil
Frankincense oil is considered the king of oils. It is rich in anti-inflammatory properties that help in healing the skin from sunburn. It helps regenerate skin and thus promotes quick healing of sunburn. It also has antibacterial properties that fight different symptoms of sunburn-like redness, pain, swelling, etc.
14. Sandalwood Essential Oil
Sandalwood essential oil has cooling properties that can be used to calm irritated skin and inflamed skin due to sunburn. Sandalwood has anti-inflammatory properties and natural healing properties that promote faster skin healing. It reduces redness and inflammation (10).
Benefits Of Essential Oils For Sunburn
Relieves Pain
Essential oils have analgesic properties that help relieve pain. Some of the essential oils have menthol in them like peppermint oil which has a cooling impact and promotes pain relief.
Releases Discomfort
Essential oils have natural healing properties and calming and cooling properties that help in fading away the discomfort caused due to sunburn.
Soothes The Skin
Essential oils have antiseptic and astringent properties that can help soothe irritated skin due to sunburn.
Releases Inflammation
Essential oils are rich in anti-inflammatory properties that help in reducing inflammation which is a major issue in sunburn. It helps reduce skin irritation.
How To Use Essential Oils For Sunburn?
Sunburned skin is already very sensitive and can easily get irritated. Avoid using essential oils directly on the skin. Undiluted essential oils are highly concentrated which can cause skin irritation or inflammation.
So, in order to use essential oils for sunburn it is necessary to dilute them with a carrier oil and apply it directly to the skin. Carrier oil like coconut oil, jojoba oil, argan oil, sweet almond oil, apricot oil, etc. can be used for this purpose.
Dilute the oils in a 1:3 ratio, that is 1 drop of essential oil to 3 drops of carrier oil.
Before applying the diluted oil to the sunburn area, apply the oil to a non-burned area to take a patch test. This will help you identify if there is any allergic reaction to its use.
You can use essential oils with aloe vera gel as it can help soothe your sunburn.
Avoid excess use of essential oils as they can cause skin irritation.
Essential Oil Blends To Heal Sunburn
Following are some of the DIY sunburn remedies using essential oils that can heal your skin and treat sunburn quickly.
DIY Recipe #1
DIY Essential Oil Spray To Heal Sunburn
Ingredients
- 2 drops of peppermint oil
- 2 drops of rose essential oil
- 2 drops green tea oil
- 2 drops of lavender oil
- 2 tablespoons aloe gel
- 1 cup water
- 100 ml spray bottle
Directions
- Take the spray bottle and add all the oils and aloe gel to it.
- Shake well the bottle to mix aloe gel and oils properly.
- Add water to this mixture and shake thoroughly to mix all the ingredients properly.
- Store the spray bottle in a cool and dark place.
- You can use this mixture twice on your sunburn.
DIY Recipe #2
DIY Essential Oil Blend To Soothe Sunburn
Ingredients
- 2 drops peppermint oil
- 2 drops of chamomile oil
- 5 drops of rose oil
- 2 drops of sandalwood oil
- 2 drops of yarrow oil
- Coconut oil (Carrier oil)
- 10 ml glass bottle
Directions
- Take the glass bottle and add all the essential oils.
- Add the coconut oil to fill the remaining space in the bottle.
- Shake the bottle thoroughly to mix all the oils and make a nice blend.
- Store the bottle in a cool and dark place.
- Apply this mixture twice on your sunburn.
DIY Recipe #3
DIY Oatmeal Warm Bath Using Essential Oils To Heal Sunburn
Ingredients
- 2 drops of sandalwood oil
- 2 drops of patchouli oil
- 2 drops of tea tree oil
- 2 teaspoons aloe
- 1 cup of oatmeal
Directions
- Mix all the ingredients in a bowl.
- Add this mixture to the warm bath.
- Enjoy your bath and heal your sunburn.
Conclusion
Sunburnt skin can cause a lot of discomfort and skin irritation. There are natural remedies for sunburn-like pure essential oils that can offer immediate relief to damaged skin due to sunburn. Essential oils are rich in anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties and this makes essential oils good for sunburn.
A list of the best essential oils has been offered in this article that can be soothing to the skin. Essential oils can help reduce inflammation, pain, discomfort, and skin irritation caused due to sunburn. Always apply essential oils in diluted form. You can dilute essential oils with a carrier oil to reduce their concentration and use them directly on the skin. Essential oils can heal bad sunburn and promote healthy skin.
