SunBurnt Therapeautic After Sun Relief Gel & Banana Boat Aloe Vera Gel

Today I wanted to talk about what to do if you didn't fully protect yourself from the sun. First of all, shame on you but I'm not one to hold a grudge! Secondly, let's work on doing better shall we? Reapply every two hours, after getting wet or excessively perspiring. I like spray SPF for it's convenience but use whichever formula you're most likely to actually use. Make sure to get everywhere, not just your face but ears, neck, chest, even hands and feet. The bottles have an expiration date for a reason but as long as you use within a year of purchasing you should be fine. Remember that 8oz bottle is supposed to last you a couple days, not a whole summer.


Well, if you're still reading that means you've been there. We all have. I've been so much better about protecting myself and my last major sunburn was in 2003. I burned the back of my thighs so bad I was a lobster shade of red and could barely walk. Plus, don't even get me started on the peeling, I shed so much Matt called me a snake for a while. That's the last time I'll make the mistake of not protecting my legs when I'm at the beach.

The best thing you can do is immediately take a cool shower to rinse off anything that can further irritate your skin. Use a gentle soap, if anything at all. As soon as you get out and dry off slather on some Aloe or after sun care, read on to see my favorites. Take 2 ibuprofen because it reduces inflammation that can cause pain. Make sure you're hydrated so you don't add dehydration on top of a killer sunburn, you don't know how much the sun takes out of you.

If it's really bad I've heard of people bathing in whole milk, the natural chemicals in the milk are very soothing to the skin. Hopefully you didn't get burned that bad and a little aloe works for you. If you're not lucky enough to have an aloe plant here are my favorite products. {PS, if you store them in the fridge they feel extra wonderful going on}


The product I currently have is Banana Boat Aloe Vera Spray Gel, it's so soothing I was sure it had Lidocaine in it but it doesn't seem to be in there. Just rub this on every couple hours and you'll feel relief. It can make your skin a little sticky as it sinks in but after a few minutes that feeling is gone.

Another one, one that I'm dying to try if I ever have a need for it, is SunBurnt Therapeutic After Sun Relief Gel. See a theme here? I love gel formulas because they sink in faster and seem to hold the cold better thus making them more soothing straight from the fridge. This one is also free of Lidocaine and is homeopathic.

Both of these products will keep your skin hydrated which goes a long way in preventing peeling. Since peeling is worse than the actual sunburn to me I definitely recommend reapplying as often as you want.