It seems simple: Protect your skin with sunscreen to avoid sunburn.
But sometimes you might forget, and it's hours before it becomes evident you're burned. For serious burns, seek medical attention. But to get you through the first 24 hours of a mild sunburn (read: no blisters) that stings and causes discomfort, take some ibuprofen and drink plenty of water to rehydrate your body. You can use a few frugal, natural remedies, too. Most of these items you'll already have at home, so you won't have to spend any extra money and can get immediate relief without running to the store.
How do you ease the pain from sunburn? Here are a few suggestions.
VINEGAR: Apply with a cotton ball, gauze or a soft cloth, and apply it to your skin. You can soak and lightly wring out your T-shirt if the sunburn is on your upper body and wear it to sooth the burn, or put vinegar into a spray bottle and spritz your skin. One reader, Leeza in California, shares: "This will sound weird, but here goes. I have used pickle juice when in a pinch. Put some in a bowl, and use cotton balls to apply. You smell like a pickle until taking your next shower, but it works well."
BATHS: You can try adding a few tea bags, 2 cups of Epsom salt or several drops of lavender or peppermint essential oils to a cool-water bath and soak in the tub. When you get out, you can apply some witch hazel to your skin.
MILK: Apply milk to your skin with a soft cloth. Another reader, G.S. in Canada, says: "As kids, our mum would dab on cold milk from the fridge. I called her, and she said whole milk works best (instead of 2 percent or 1 percent). It's the fat in milk that makes it feel better." Rinse the milk off your skin by taking a cool bath or shower. If you think pickle-juice smell is bad, rotten milk is far worse.
PRODUCE: As if you weren't already starting to smell like a salad, you could apply sliced cucumbers, eggplant or mashed strawberries to your skin, too. They offer a cooling effect. Another reader, Carolyn in Georgia, mentions: "Here's another weird sunburn remedy, but it's always worked for me and my brother as kids, and I used it on my kids as well. Mom would take a cabbage and tear off the leaves, leaving them whole. She would then place them into a large pot of boiling water just long enough for them to become slightly limp. She allowed the leaves to cool in the fridge and then applied them to our sunburn, making sure that the leaves covered the affected area. Man, did it feel good, and it drew out the heat and we never had blisters. When the leaves became warm, she would put them back in the fridge, and then she reapplied them until the burning stopped."
ALOE: If you have a plant at home, you can cut it open and apply the gel onto your skin. If you're looking for an over-the-counter solution, you can also buy aloe gel or Solarcaine spray at your local pharmacy.
Sara Noel is the owner of Frugal Village (http://www.frugalvillage.com/), a Web site that offers practical, money-saving strategies for everyday living. To send tips, comments or questions, write to Sara Noel, c/o United Media, 200 Madison Ave., 4th Floor, New York, NY 10016, or e-mail sara@frugalvillage.com.
