Summer is here- which unfortunately means sunburns. If you have very pale skin like me, even if you are responsible with the sunscreen you can still get burnt. So you gotta find sunburn remedies when you do! Luckily I’ve come up with this amazing sunburn soother recipe to help lessen the pain and discomfort and help the sunburn heal. It’s all natural and easy to make too! Plus it makes a great healthy moisturizer, so you can use it even if you aren’t burnt.
I absolutely love aloe vera. It’s one of my favorite ingredients- and with good reason. Not only is it soothing and anti-inflammatory, it’s also a healthy and lightweight all natural moisturizer. It feels refreshing and wonderful- especially on sunburn! The problem is a lot of those aloe vera gels you buy in stores are less than 10% aloe, so you’re not really getting the benefits! Well this moisturizer is full of REAL aloe vera and other great ingredients that help soothe sunburns.
If you love aloe nearly as much as I do, you should also check out my other posts on aloe vera. I have a whole skincare system made with it: aloe vera face wash, aloe vera toner, AND aloe vera moisturizer. Aloe is so great for your skin!
All the ingredients in this recipe are designed to help with sunburn:
- Aloe vera gel: anti-inflammatory, soothing and cooling, lightweight moisture
- Coconut oil: serious moisture for damaged skin, anti-inflammatory
- Avocado oil: healthy hydration filled with fats, minerals, and antioxidants your skin loves
- Witch hazel extract: astringent to tighten and heal skin, anti-inflammatory (I’m very particular about where I get my witch hazel, because it’s hard to find one of good quality and purity. I absolutely love Mountain Rose Herbs Witch Hazel)
- Beeswax: used to emulsify the lotion but also provides a protective layer on the skin
- Peppermint essential oil (optional): cooling and soothing
You’ll notice the word anti-inflammatory in there a lot. That’s why this sunburn remedy is so effective- each of its ingredients helps reduce pain and inflammation from your sunburn to provide relief and promote healing. Together they are a great combination!
Ultimately the goal is not to get sunburnt, so you should check out my homemade sunscreen recipe to help you with that!
I mean, just look how creamy and amazing this stuff is! And it is so healthy.
homemade aloe vera soother for sunburn relief
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp avocado oil
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 heaping tbsp beeswax
- 1/4 cup aloe vera gel
- 2 tbsp witch hazel extract
- 10 drops soothing essential oil (I recommend peppermint)
Instructions:
- Melt the avocado oil, coconut oil, and beeswax in a double boiler until fully combined. Transfer the melted mixture into the bowl you plan to mix in. Set aside for 20 minutes to cool
- Combine the aloe vera gel, witch hazel extract, and essential oil in a separate container
- When the oil mixture is slightly above room temperature, whisk using a hand mixer. While whisking, slowly pout the aloe mixture in until fully combined. Continue whipping for another 30 seconds or so until the desired texture is reached
- Transfer the lotion to an airtight container and store in a cool dry place. For extra relief, you can keep it in the fridge. Apply for sunburn relief and soothing!
I know I designed this as a sunburn remedy… but I just can’t help using it for more than just sunburn relief! The soothing cooling feeling is addictive. And the light coconut peppermint smell is so refreshing.
Your skin will really love this stuff. All the ingredients are amazingly healthy for your skin.
Let me know how this sunburn soother works for you!
supplies used in this post
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Elisha says
Hi, so, I made this tonight and it all separated. Just the beeswax and oils hardened but the witch hazel and aloe gel were left at the bottom of the jar. Any idea? I made it almost exactly as your recipe says but I didn’t let the oils and beeswax cool as long as stated because it just kept hardening too fast so I melted it again and let it sit for a few minutes and then mixed it together.
Susie says
My guess is that the temperature difference was too high between the oil and aloe mixtures. The reason to leave it to cool is because they will only mix if they are similar temperatures. The oil mixture will harden while it cools, but the hand mixer whips it right up so that it can be mixed easily.
Kim says
Great thing to keep on hand this summer! Geez it’s hot. Stopping by to let you know you are being featured on Friday’s P3 Party post! Have a great week! Thanks for pinning!
Best,
Kim
Christi says
I have tons of mint growing in my garden that I don’t have a good use for. Would there be a way to use fresh mint in this instead of peppermint oil?
Susie says
I’m not sure! Fresh mint will make the moisturizer spoil more quickly.
You could try putting it in a food processor and then blending that into your recipe, but I don’t have any sense of whether that would work or not because I’ve never worked with fresh herbs. You could also try infusing an oil with some of the fresh mint that could be blended into the recipe.
Brande Goedicke says
Hi! I have read alot of posts for sunburn relief. I really like yours the best. I noticed that alot of posts have Lavender oil. They say it helps with burns. If I add some to your soother would it alter the effects of the other Ingredients? I like the idea of the Lavender oil but I dont want to mess things up. :)
Susie says
That wont mess things up at all- lavender is a great soothing oil. Peppermint oil feels cool on the skin, which is why I picked it, but Lavender or Lavender and Peppermint are great choices.