I'm recovering from a VERY severe sunburn.

I took the advice of many nostriches, some sensible stuff from the internet, and my own body responding to things to develop something that helped quite a bit:

In a small container, mix equal parts of the following:

Aloe with lidocaine

Hydrocortisone cream

Tallow

It is best if the ingredients are mixed at room temperature, but, I found that if you use good tallow, it will mix well enough. Chill on the fridge for maximum effect, but you can obviously apply it right away.

The aloe and tallow are obviously for moisturizing the burnt skin. The lidocaine numbs the worst of the pain. The hydrocortisone reduces the inflammation and further helps reduce the pain.

If you have the time, try to find components with as few ingredients as possible. I was not entirely satisfied with the components in my mix, but, I did the best that I could given that I really wanted relief so I could sleep (after 3 days on not functioning well due to painfully interrupted sleep).

This concoction works brilliantly, though, you can't apply it too often if you follow the package recommended intervals of ~4 hours. You can, of course, apply tallow and aloe as often as you like. I also find vinegar and witch hazel to be helpful and cooling and for minor sun burns possibly all that's needed.

#sun #sunburn #skincare #diy #homemade #dontbeanidiot