The single most effective way to get rid of a sunburn

Well this is my first instructable, and is only going to be short because its an extremly easy and effective method to removing a painful sunburn. This method was recommended to me by my friends mother, who is a nurse and therefore MUST know what shes talking about. Turns out she did. I hope this helps many a painful sunburn to receed or dissapear.

Step 1 Gathering materials

You will need a total of five things.
1)A bathtub to do this in (preferably ceramic, so it wont stain)
2)A pitcher
3)A rag that you dont mind getting stained
4)Water
5)Three bags of black tea (I use Earl Grey)

Comments

[THE NURSE]

Please DO NOT take hot showers after a sunburn. This is a BURN and hot water can make it worse d/t nerve ending damage, u can't really tell how hot the water is. Cool water helps bring down the temperature of your skin. The tannic acid in the tea bag soothes the skin; this is a great remedy for any 1st degree burn. If you suffer a really bad burn seek medical attention, please!! Dehydration/burned skin is serious and u may need fluid replacement. Tea bag treatment is also great for itching burning feet!!!!

[drpepper8412]

Thank you very much for this! Im glad that you posted this so people now understand how dangerous some of their other methods are.

[Wolfrick]

+1 This really works. . . we've used this method for years in my family. The stronger you brew the tea, the better it is. Also, drink some iced tea, too, and stay well-hydrated. If you get a really horrible burn, see if you can find loose tea at the store. Brew the tea leaves up in a small amount of water, then apply the cooled wet leaves directly to your sunburn. Something about the tannins help take the injury away, and cures it up really fast. I went boating in an aluminum flat-bottomed boat with no paint left, wearing shorts, and burned my legs beet-red one time when I was about 13. Tea really helped. ~W

[filmrebelroby]

Today was hell for me. I had the worst sunburn itch. If you don't have blisters and your sunburn itches, a warm/hot shower works. Make sure the temperature isn't so hot as to burn you, but after the shower, the itch will be gone. I know because this just happened to me. Also of course, Aloe Vera and cold showers are good too.

[jrh143]

I just tried this remedy on a two-day-old lobster belly, and WOW! what a fantastic difference! Only difference: I didn't have earl grey tea, so I used what was on hand, which is plain old Lipton ice tea bags. I used seven of the small (not family size) bags. I got almost immediate relief from my constant itching, which was making me think I was going to lose my mind (assuming I had something there to lose in the first place). I have posted this remedy to another site (wiki answers, I think) with credit given. Thank you very much for your helpful advice!

[drpepper8412]

Wow, thats wonderful! I'm so pleased that it worked that well, especially on an old burn! Could you send me the link to where you reposted the remedy?

[jrh143]

Sure! It is at: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_do_you_do_when_your_sunburn_starts_to_itch
Mine is currently still the last one on the page, signed John Hance. Thank you for the helpful tip! It is one I will be handing down to my kids and passing on to all my family and friends.

[jrh143]

Just wanted to add that this remedy did NOT keep the burn from peeling. I currently look like a two-toned leper. I am still quite pleased with the instant itch relief this remedy gave me, but does anyone out there know how to keep burnt skin from peeling? Seems like I never go from honky white to tan without passing immediately through bright red and then peeling back to honky white + 1 shade darker. If I find the answer to this question "out there" I'll come back and post it here. Thanks again!

[Weather_blue]

The best I've been able to do to keep a burn from peeling is to slather it in Oil of Olay type moisturiser (Mal-Wart's Equate brand works just as well). Every time the toasted skin starts feeling or looking tight, hit the moisturiser until the skin won't take any more. You'll be vaguely sticky for a couple of days, but if you've kept the skin well hydrated, the peeling should be minimal. Of course, if anyone's got a DIY method with comparable results, I'm all (slightly pink) ears. ;D

[TorinMiasma]

I've been on instructables for a few months now and it took a wiki answers site to send me to this... and right when i needed it... my girl thinks i'm addicted but this site really does have a bit of everything.

[drpepper8412]

Glad you found it! Once summer starts up, I always tend to get a lot more comments, so I'm glad it could help with one of the first burns of summer!

[sickdog74]

It worked for me! Here's what it did: I used 4 tea bags (earl grey) in a large tea cup. Microwaved the 4 bags with water for 2.5 minutes. Let cool, swish around. You now have a very very very strong cup of tea. Dabbed on my sunburned face. Repeated every 45 minutes or so until bedtime. Probably did it 8 or 9 times before bedtime. In the morning, I was tanned but not burned! I went from lobster red to tanned in 12 hours!

[drpepper8412]

Congrats! I'm so glad it works so well for so many other people! =D

[cindi59]

I did this last spring when I forgot to put on sunscreen while gardening. I wasn't burnt to a blister state but was uncomfortable on my shoulders to sleep! I made 4 bags of plain lipton tea in a glass two cup measuring cup. I let it cool and started by dipping a washcloth in and after wringing (not completely, just to not drip) it out I dabbed. Instant difference! I was able to cool the burn enough to sleep. I left the tea in the cup and in the middle of the night when I got woke up in pain I did it again. The next morning the majority of the sunburn was gone. I did use the tea on the more burned part over the next day. Instead of days of soreness, I had one! My kids have done the same since! It isn't a cure of course but It sure helps!

[jammer135]

i just got horrible sunburn i was at the pool for 9 hours i have from head to waist im about to try comment when im done

[rbbiggs]

Or, you could call a Doctor and get a prescription to: Triamcinolone Acetonide Cream 0.1% It's a steroid that is extremely effective. 1 tube of this will last a long time. Keep it in the Med cabinet for the next time you sun burn yourself.

[jammer135]

good idea but what if you need it imediatly

[diamar79]

Food for thought...Wouldn't soaking the towel in the tea and letting the wet towel sit on the area do just as good as all that dabbing? I would think that it would be especially more effective if it were over a large area.

[sairplane]

I think you could do that for a little bit if the tea was cold enough...but if the towel reaches the same temperature as your skin, it's not taking the heat out of the burn anymore. I left my towel on for a bit, until it started to not feel cold anymore, and then I re-dunked.

[diamar79]

I was under the impression that something in the tea was actually what removed the burn, not cold water. The ible implies lukewarm, but i have also heard that a cold shower will help turn a burn into a tan a lot faster so I could see how that would help..

[taaayrenee]

So I REALLY NEED HELP. I went to the beach today, and long story short i got sunburn on my chest, back and legs.. and i have prom NEXT WEEK. How exactly am I supposed to put this on? or how long should it take to see results if I'm not going to bed right away because i did put it on but wasn't sure exactly how long itll take. pleasee respond as soon as possible.

[sairplane]

I burn very easily, and I got a VERY attractive burn on my back...complete with the outline of the knot in my bikini top. I just applied the first "coat" of this, and it already feels way better! I'm going to apply twice more before I go to bed. I will update with results.

[sairplane]

Holy hannah! I cannot believe how well this worked! By this morning, the burn was pretty much gone, other than a little redness on my sides where I think I didn't get enough tea on it. No pain, either!

Thank you so much! I'm linking all my sisters to this site, as they burn WORSE than I do! You are a life saver!!

[walkerv]

Taking the ball and running with it!

1 old shirt - button up preferred (so you can put it on easily)

Then I soaked ONLY THE TOP HALF in the tea - wring out.

The bottom dry side catches any drips.

Working great right now while I work on the computer.

[drpepper8412]

Awesome idea! Make sure to give your skin time to breath. The real problem-solver is not trapping the heat in your skin.

[Bravery]

I was a very fair skinned kid that grew up in Florida at the beach so every year I would burn and peel, burn and peel (this was before we linked skin cancer to sunburns) I endured MANY painful sunburns every year.

I tried the tea bags, I tried the Milk of Magnesia, I tried the Calamine lotion (this worked but every time I used it, my skin would dry out and my skin would peel) and I tried many other things to ease the pain.

One time someone told me "to try a HOT shower and to stay in the water as long as you can and as hot as you can stand it." This was someone that I respected so I tried it... I got the water as hot as I could stand it and I stayed in the hot water for a while. Well, it worked!!!

My cousin also fair skinned got burned but would never try this remedy, until he was with this girl that he really liked... well one day he had gotten a bad sun burn and the problem was this girl wanted to get in a hot tub with him... so he said sure. They got in the tub together and they spent a long time soaking in it because she didn't want to get out. The result of this was he got the girl (they broke up 2 years later) and his painful sunburn was gone!

I know what people say and you should probably listen to them as I am not a medical professional. For me though, when I get a sunburn... give me a HOT shower! (Actually, I start off with warm water and increase the temperature as I get accustomed to it.)

I know it doesn't make sense but it works for me and I don't peel (I don't use soap).

[drpepper8412]

DO NOT do this
A sunburn is literally your skin being burnt. Though it may not be as bad as what you see in films of ER's due to burning houses/stoves etc, it is still a burn. If you take a hot shower, it makes the burn worse, and you can actually have to be hospitalized if it becomes to bad.
REPEAT: DO NOT EVER TAKE HOT SHOWERS TO "CURE" A SUNBURN!
IT IS NOT A CURE, NOR FIX. It will only serve to exacerbate the effects of the burn, making it worse for longer.

[Bravery]

I won't recommend taking a hot shower (or bath) for a sun burn for anyone but for myself. Though I must say that I have done this MANY times when I was sunburned and EVERY TIME I did this I got relief. It NEVER resulted in further trauma or exacerbated the sunburn. It never made it worse or made the pain last longer. The only thing that the hot shower resulted in for me was relief of the sunburn.

Should I get another sunburn in the future I will, without fail take a hot shower.

I tried the other "remedies" and the result was a continuance of the pain. The only things that gave me relief was calamine lotion (which caused the skin to dry out and peel) and hot showers (or baths). Maybe this has something to do with me being so fair skinned, I don't know. But, everyone that I know that has tried this (mind you, you have to stay in the hot water for several minutes), has experienced lasting relief. Personally, I like those stats. Again, I am not recommending anyone else do this... but it works WONDERFULLY for me.

[jakalodean19]

i had a question. when u do this will you still have a tan?

[lsilguero]

Would this be as effective if i soaked in the tea? So i can cover a larger area of skin. My tummy and legs down to my feet are burnt :(

[Lady_Cynara]

If you brew many bags in a large jug and create a very strong tea, then pour into a tepid to luke warm bath and get in it, it works as well. Not as well as applying directly to the skin does, as it is more diluted, but it will help.

[surfzuporganics]

After Sun Oil by Surfz Up Organics www.Surfzup.com

[lilyjanesjewelrybox]

In response to some of you who asked how to avoid peeling, I have always burned in the sun badly (I have very pale, fair skin) and I never peel because I always use an aloe vera lotion that is low in alcohol (because that can dry your skin). Don't use those aloe vera gels that you get at the store for after sun unless you can be SURE that it does not have a lot of alcohol in it. Most of those contain a lot of alcohol and it may provide some relief from the burn but it does not help your skin avoid drying out. I have even used pure vitamin E in a pinch, though nurses will tell you never to apply any type of oily substance on a burn because it can trap the heat, blah, blah, blah... IMO, a sunburn has done its damage and you need to get your skin hydrated fast so it doesn't dry out and peel. If you use vitamin E, just use the capsules of vitamin E that you buy in the vitamin section. Just use a pin or needle to prick the skin of the capsule and squeeze it out. Rub into the skin, but don't rub too hard. I suppose you could use some other type of lotion, but cheap drugstore aloe vera lotion that I know doesn't burn chapped skin because of too much alcohol has always worked for me....so has the vitamin E.

[dtaughin]

I put mine in a spray bottle & spray it on. Works on chaffed skin as well

[bridge47]

I read over your instructable several times and nowhere did it say to cool the tea, so I applied HOT TEA to my burn. No wonder it hurt. I thought maybe that was the point, that it would slough off the dead, damaged skin cells. Well, on a scale from 0 to 10 (0 is the same and 10 is totally healed) I'd say using the hot tea method gave me about a 1. Tonight I try the cold methods, already it feels better!

[molerat12]

was it like bad heart burns all over whare your burn was? just at little places and like fire? did you yell like a hiena and worse? thats what happend to me

[drpepper8412]

Oh my! I'm so sorry! I thought it was self evident, but thank you for bringing it to my attention!!

[jtuccio]

So I have been sunburnt for a 24 hours and then I found this website. I just put the coats on this second. Do you think I still have a chance for sanctuary in the morning even though I waited a little long?

[Cricket.nv]

Just remember: prevention is better than any remedy! Skin cancer risk increases with each burn. (nurse of 31 yrs)

[truovrld]

This is a great trick if you are stuck in a hotel room with a sun burn. You can usually get tea from any kitchen.