At this time of year and we are either exposed more to the sun here in the UK or are also heading abroad for a holiday in the sun. Our skin can need extra care at these times. Many ask me about skin that has been in the sun too long and has sunburn. You can easily create your own aftersun blend to take on holiday with you or just use at home.
Lavender essential oil is the first one to reach for with minor burns of any type. Use it neat applied gently with a cotton bud or dilute a few drops in boiled, cooled water and dab the mixture gently on the area. After over exposure to the sun, if you can immerse yourself in a cool bath with a few drops of lavender, that would be extremely helpful. If the skin is burned then avoid sun exposure for at least two days, treating the skin regularly to calm, repair, replenish and re-moisturise.
Our own new aloe vera gel is ready made to apply to sunburn to cool and soothe. You can use it to add essential oils that will enhance its properties. In 60ml add 30 drops of essential oil, my first choice for burns would be lavender, or use 30 drops of the essential oil blends below and ensure that they are well mixed in before use.
Essential oils that can be helpful are tea tree, lavender, roman or german chamomile, carrot seed, frankincense, peppermint, eucalyptus. Carrier oils to use are calendula macerate, jojoba, sesame and aloe vera gel.
If no further sun exposure is to be had, ie overnight – St Johns Wort macerate can be soothing on sunburn. Don’t use St Johns Wort and go out in the sun as it can, in some people, react with the suns rays and create photo sensitivity on the skin.
Two further suggested blends – 10ml calendula macerate, 10ml jojoba, 5ml sesame, 5ml aloe vera gel with 10 drops lavender, 2 drops roman chamomile, 4 drops tea tree, 1 drop german chamomile, 1 drop peppermint.
Calendula Macerate oil 20ml, 10ml aloe vera gel, with 8 drops lavender, 5 drops frankincense, 3 drops carrot, 1 drop peppermint.
Use on skin after sun exposure to re – mositurise, soothe, calm and protect skin.
After the first couple of days of treatment our Skin SOS Balm will be a very useful tool to help with the regeneration of the skin and for help with avoiding scarring on the skin.
As any burn can be serious – for damaged or skin with sunburn always seek medical advice.
NB always blend these oils with carrier oils before application to skin, if you don’t have the ones mentioned any good quality oil such as extra virgin olive will be fine to use. Although the ones mentioned above are specific to sunburn. You can of course increase the size of the blend just by multiplying each of the ingredients to the desired quantity.
For specific medical conditions or if you are on medication always consult with a qualified aromatherapist prior to using essential oils.
