This natural aloe after sun lotion bar recipe helps rescue sunburned skin. A vegan friendly moisturizer, this hard lotion bar is perfect for after sun summer skin care. Learn how to make your own easy aloe after sun lotion bars. Plus discover other natural sunburn remedies to try in a pinch.
Natural Summer Skin Care
I was badly sunburned at my son’s graduation not long ago. I’ll admit I wasn’t prepared. Although I did take a jean jacket with me in the expectation of cloudy skies, the weather turned out to be sunnier than expected. Of course, living in Southwestern VA, we go through all four seasons on a rotating basis, it seems, in both spring and fall. My shoulders bore the brunt of the burns, with my right shoulder – which was in direct sunlight – getting hit the worst.
Related: The Best Non-Toxic Sunscreens for Sunburn Prevention
After learning on the news some time back that many aloe vera gels actually have little to no aloe vera, I was at a loss as to what to buy. My regular go to for aloe is Mountain Rose Herbs. They sell genuine aloe vera gel with superior quality. Unfortunately, my sunburns needed love right away.
Luckily, my friend Cathy, has a giant aloe plant growing in her abode. So she gave me a giant stem of it to help relieve the pain. I also added a bit of lavender essential oil to the mix. Still, my right shoulder peeled two weeks later. Reminding me that I need to get my ass in gear and be better prepared the next go round.
What Are the Top Home Remedies for Sunburn Relief?
Aloe Vera
Aloe vera is the most common home remedy for sunburn relief. I remember my mom plucking off an aloe leaf from the plant she grew whenever I got a sunburn growing up. Aloe gives skin an instant soothing sensation by reducing pain and skin inflammation. And, because it’s primarily water, it also helps to hydrate dry, sun damaged skin. (These benefits are also why I used aloe when formulating my aloe after sun lotion bar recipe!)
While most of us are familiar with using aloe vera for natural sunburn relief, it’s not the only home remedy that works. If you don’t have an aloe plant handy, you can try one of these other top sunburn relief remedies in a pinch.
Hyaluronic Acid Serum
Yes, this is the same stuff you use on your face to plump skin and hide fine lines and wrinkles. While it may not go the distance at relieving pain, it does a great job of hydrating skin. As a woman in my forties, I try to never go without a hyaluronic acid serum or cream. However, if this isn’t something you need or use on a regular basis, it’s easy to get sticker shock.
You can save money by making your own. This hyaluronic acid serum powder is competitively priced and allows you to make 50+ ounces of your own serum. Simply mix with cold water according to the package directions for a huge jar of your own homemade sunburn relief serum. You can even add a bit of aloe vera gel if desired!
Essential Oils
There are a number of essential oils that offer relief from the pain and inflammation of sunburns, with lavender essential oil being the most common. Gattefossé, who is known as the father of aromatherapy, first discovered the effects of lavender essential oil on burns when working in his lab. After badly burning his hand in the laboratory one day, he plunged his hand into the nearest liquid available to quench the pain. That liquid turned out to be lavender essential.
Gattefossé then recognized the natural skin care benefits of lavender oil after noticing how quickly his burn healed. This in turn started a fascination with essential oils that later gave him his namesake, the father of aromatherapy. As it happens, lavender essential oil possesses both antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties. These properties help to hasten healing times by helping your body recover from burns faster.
Other beneficial essential oils for sunburns include peppermint, chamomile and eucalyptus. Peppermint essential oil has natural pain relieving and skin cooling properties that can offer instant sunburn relief when diluted in a lotion or carrier oil base. While chamomile has inflammatory and antioxidant properties that help to hasten healing times and calm red irritated skin. Finally, like peppermint, eucalyptus essential oil also has a cooling effect on skin. This is, in addition to, its antibacterial, analgesic (pain killing) and anti-inflammatory skin care properties.
White or Apple Cider Vinegar
White vinegar is composed of acetic acid, a natural antiseptic. This will not only help prevent infection, it also helps relieve pain and inflammation. While the malic acid found in apple cider vinegar stimulates circulation to speed up the healing process. In addition, apple cider vinegar also helps skin maintain its pH levels which may help reduce peeling later on. Just be sure to dilute the vinegar in water first to avoid over drying skin.
Green or Black Tea
In addition to the naturally occurring antioxidants found in tea, tea also contains anti-inflammatory polyphenols that can help reduce swelling and inflammation. Therefore, tea is a great option for natural sunburn relief. Brew tea as you normally would, then refrigerate until it cools. Then simply soak a clean washcloth in cold tea, applying to the affected area for up to 15 minutes.
Baking Soda
Just like Mom used a baking soda paste for insect stings when you were little, you can also use a baking soda paste for sunburns. Like the tea, make a cold compress using baking soda and water. Then apply to sunburned skin for 15 minutes to help rebalance the PH of your skin.
Witch Hazel
Witch hazel is another wonderful home remedy for natural sunburn relief. Comprised of naturally occurring oils and tannins, witch hazel extract helps to reduce inflammation as well as draw skin tissue together to promote healing.
It’s not just a great option for a natural homemade toner, you can make an easy witch hazel after sun spray recipe as well. Simply add 12 drops each of lavender and peppermint essential oils to 2 oz. of witch hazel in a spray bottle. Then shake to combine.
Related: Uses for Witch Hazel Extract for Natural Skin Care
I recommend using a double distilled witch hazel with at least 83% witch hazel extract so there is no alcohol burn. Two brands to consider are Mountain Rose Herbs and T.N. Dickinson’s. Alternately, Thayers alcohol-free rose petal witch hazel with aloe vera also makes an inexpensive sunburn remedy that does double duty as a facial toner.
What Are the Benefits of Aloe Vera for Skin?
There are a number of reasons that aloe vera tops of the list for natural sunburn remedies. Aloe vera contains polysaccharides, a natural compound that encourages skin repair and the production of new cells, to promote healing. In addition, aloe also contains a natural analgesic, or pain reliever, called carboxypeptidase, that helps soothe the pain associated with sunburns. Further, compounds such as acemannan, help suppress inflammation. While aloe vera’s natural high water content, hydrates skin and locks in moisture.
Aloe After Sun Lotion for Summer Skin Care
With summer right around the corner, your chance of sunburns increase. Maybe you didn’t apply your sunscreen often enough or simply forgot and left it at home. When this happens, your skin needs extra love and attention – both to ease sunburn pain and moisturize skin. This natural aloe after sun lotion bar recipe helps rescue sunburned skin. A vegan friendly moisturizer, this solid hard lotion bar is made with aloe vera butter, calendula infused oil and a blend of essential oils that work in holistic harmony for the best after sun summer skin care.
Keep reading to learn how to make my homemade aloe after sun lotion bar recipe for your sunburns this summer. Infused with natural botanicals prized for their ability to promote healing, this natural aloe after sun lotion bar is the perfect choice for your summer skin care needs.
Aloe After Sun Lotion Bar Recipe
Ingredients:
1.25 oz. carnauba wax
1.75 oz. aloe vera butter
1.5 oz. calendula infused oil (or dandelion infused oil)
.5 oz. raspberry seed oil
1 mL (about 20 drops) peppermint essential oil
2 mL (about 40 drops) lavender essential oil
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon mica pigment powder, or choice to suit
Instructions:
Using a digital scale, weigh out the wax, aloe butter and carrier oils. Gently heat the ingredients in a double boiler, or using the double boiler method, until melted.
Remove the melted ingredients from heat.
Next, measure out each essential oils, using a graduated transfer pipette, and stir into the melted wax, butter and oils.
Now measure out the mica powder using a measuring spoon and stir into the melted ingredients for the aloe after sun lotion bars. (I used 1/4 teaspoon apple moss green mica for this project.)
Pour the lotion bars into your mold of choice.
I used the 4-cavity succulent mold from Brambleberry for two lotion bars weighing about 4.5 oz. each. However, you can use a similar silicone succulent mold of your choice. Alternately, you can also reuse empty single serving ice cream containers for round aloe after sun lotion bars.
Allow the aloe after sun lotion bars to cool and fully solidify at room temperature. (As carnauba wax is an extremely hard wax, I don’t recommend placing these in the refrigerator to call as it may cause your lotion bars to crack.)
Once they’ve solidified, carefully remove the lotion bars from the mold.
Finally, wrap your aloe after sun lotion bars in foodservice film. Or store them in large tins when not in use.
More Aloe After Sun Relief Remedies
If you’re looking for more ideas for natural sunburn relief, then be sure to check out these other aloe infused sunburn remedies.
- Aloe Vera Soap Recipe with Neem Oil
- Aloe Vera Bath Melts Recipe
- After Sun Skin Soother Recipe with Aloe
- DIY After Sun Skin Salve with Aloe
Love these natural summer skin care recipes? Be sure to pin this post with my aloe after sun lotion bar recipe for later! Also be sure to check out this post with 12 natural recipes for summer skin care.
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