We all love the sun, it warms us up and makes us think of vacations, not to mention the satiny effect it gives to our skin! But the sun also causes damage: sunburns, burns, allergies or worse, skin cancer. We have already talked about protection in the article “how to tan naturally”, we will now see how to avoid “burning” our skin too much and if this is the case, how to soothe sunburn and absorb it as much as possible. quickly. We will also talk about sun allergies, how to minimize them and how to avoid scratching when itchy.
Pure aspic lavender essential oil: the best against sunburn!
L’aspic lavender essential oil is best for relieving sunburns, but also for making them disappear quickly by facilitating cell regeneration.
Extremely healing, anti-inflammatory, pain-relieving and antiseptic: it does it all!
How to use it ?
For small areas (knees, ears, hands, feet): Apply 1-2 drops, pure on the burn, repeating every 30 minutes up to 5 times in a row. For large areas: Mix 30 drops of aspic lavender EO in 10 ml of St. John's wort macerate.
Heal and absorb a sunburn quickly
Prepare a treatment oil in an empty bottle which will both relieve and allow severe sunburns to heal.
- 2ml d'aspic lavender essential oil
- 1ml d'geranium essential oil
- 0.5 ml of waternoble laurel essential oil
- 1ml d'St. John's wort oil
- 1ml d'Evening primrose oil
It's ready!
How to use it ?
Apply 3 drops 3 times/day to the burn
Soothing beauty oil against sunburn
Perfect for soothing and healing, while prolonging the tan and limiting the risk of excessive peeling. Anti-spots and anti-wrinkles, it also prevents skin aging.
- 1ml d'carrot HE
- 1ml d'True lavender HE
- 1ml d'Roman chamomile HE
- 15ml ofCarrot HV
- 15ml ofCalendula HV
How to use it ?
Apply 3 times a day or more if necessary
Hydrosols to quickly cool sunburn
Hydrosols are also very very effective in quickly refreshing and soothing sunburn. Place in the fridge before use for maximum freshness!
- ⅓ d'lavender hydrosol
- ⅓ d'peppermint hydrosol
- ⅓ d'chamomile hydrosol
How to use it ?
Apply or spray as desired after exposure to the sunContraindications:
These synergies should not be used in pregnant women (during the entire pregnancy), breastfeeding women and children under 7 years old.
These properties and methods of use do not constitute medical advice. For therapeutic use consult a doctor.
The sun: why do we love it?
The sun plays a key role in our mood. It's much more than just a feeling, it's proven! Indeed, sunlight is essential for our mood (it acts, among other things, on the production of melatonin and on our sleep-wake cycles). In northern countries, with low levels of sunshine (Norway, Sweden, etc. because in winter the days are very short), the rate of seasonal depression is higher. To treat some of these forms of mild depression, light therapy lamps are used in current practice. A light therapy lamp reproduces sunlight and is used to regulate our melatonin production and therefore restore our sleep-wake cycles. This helps maintain good mood and vitality during the day and treats any insomnia.
The sun also participates in the production of vitamin D. Capital, it is this which fixes calcium on our bones. To avoid being deficient in vitamin D, you should expose yourself to moderate sunlight for about 20 minutes a day. Suffice to say that in countries where the level of sunshine is quite low, this is not always the case. We are almost all deficient above a certain latitude.
For your information, hemp oil is one of the only plants very rich in vitamin D, so its consumption is extremely beneficial if you are vitamin D deficient.
Phytotherapy and foods to prepare your skin for the sun…
As prevention is better than cure, here are some plants and foods that can help you tan better and burn less.
Wild pansy: very effective in cases of skin allergies. It is also useful in cases of eczema and psoriasis. Rich in tannins which regulate the production of sebum and in depurative compounds which help drainage in the liver and kidneys, it is used to treat many skin pathologies.
Borage oil: due to its richness in omega 3, it helps to moisturize the skin from the inside and prevents skin aging. It also helps fight against stretch marks.
Brewer's yeast: rich in B vitamins which help in the production of keratin, brewer's yeast helps protect the skin against damage from the sun. It is also used to have beautiful, strong, shiny hair as well as strong nails. Don't forget carrots, tomatoes, apricots and all orange-red colored vegetables and fruits! They contain antioxidant compounds that help the skin tan and give it a beautiful tan color. Also don't forget foods and antioxidant compounds: garlic, cabbage, turmeric, selenium, green tea, tomatoes, broccoli, and small oily fish (sardines, mackerel, herring, etc.), they help cells fight against oxidative stress caused by the sun and therefore reduce the risk of skin cancer.
Essential oils to relieve and calm sunburns and burns
And if prevention was not enough, here is a small list of essential oils to use in case of sunburn, burns or skin heated by the sun...
Here is our TOP 6 essential oils to relieve and calm sunburns and burns:
Lavender aspic essential oil:
This is what should be used (alone) on a burn or sunburn: extremely healing, anti-inflammatory, pain-relieving and antiseptic: it does it all! Use: if there is only one to have it must be this one. Pure on small surfaces, diluted in vegetable oil for large surfaces.
Tea tree essential oil:
Anti-infectious par excellence! Use: any infected burn (or in the process of becoming infected). 2 drops mixed with your after-sun milk (twice a day).
Immortelle essential oil (or Italian helichrysum):
Anti-inflammatory and healing, it is especially anti-hematoma and anti-coagulant. It is suitable for all small bruises, bumps, wounds and burns. Use: it is the essential oil for sores and bumps par excellence!
However, be careful with pregnant and breastfeeding women and children under 6 years old! Diluted in vegetable oil.
Noble laurel essential oil:
Antibacterial, antiviral and painkiller, it is perfect for burns, wounds and skin ulcers. Beware of skin allergies. To be used very diluted. Use: burns as well as all small ulcerated wounds.
True lavender essential oil:
Is very very soothing, regenerating and healing which makes it an EO of choice for after-sun creams and oils. Use: to add to your after sun cream.
Carrot essential oil:
powerful regenerating, healing and anti-spots (red or brown), it will give radiance to tanned skin while allowing sunburn to heal. Powerful anti-wrinkle, it will fight against skin aging due to the sun. Use: dull and sun-stained skin. Diluted in vegetable oil or cream.
Roman chamomile essential oil:
Known for its exceptional soothing properties, it relieves itching due to allergies or sunburn. Use: mainly sun allergy. Diluted in vegetable oil or cream.
NOTE: If in doubt, do not hesitate to seek advice from your doctor or pharmacist.
Virgin vegetable oils to calm and relieve burns and sunburns
And if prevention was not enough, here is a small list of vegetable oils to use in case of sunburn, burns or skin heated by the sun...
Here are our TOP 4 virgin vegetable oils to calm and relieve burns and sunburns:
Evening primrose oil
Skin regenerating, it preserves the elasticity of the skin. It is soothing and protects the skin from external aggressions
Virgin St. John's Wort Oil:
Very effective in treating burns and sunburns as well as itching and eczema. Be careful, however, not to expose yourself to the sun for the next 24 hours: St. John's wort oil is photosensitizing!
Virgin calendula oil:
Like St. John's Wort, it soothes redness and irritation but it can also be used to calm sun allergies.
Virgin arnica oil:
For bruises and bruises but also for redness and sunburn!
Hydrosols and other natural active ingredients against sunburn
To be used as a pure or diluted spray.
Witch hazel hydrosol
Soothing, purifying and skin tonic, it gives a refreshing effect while soothing sunburn.
Orange blossom hydrosol:
Skin regenerating, it is suitable for the whole family, even children and the most sensitive skin!
Aloe Vera juice:
Excellent hydrating, soothing and regenerating! It would also reduce brown spots. Purifying and astringent, it can be used on oily skin. On burns or open wounds, it will act as a healing agent.
Without forgetting the Immortelle and chamomile hydrosols having more or less the same properties as the corresponding EOs but without contraindications or precautions for use!
How does tanning and sunburn work?
Let's start with the beginning. To know why our skin burns, we must first understand how we tan. Tanning is nothing other than the skin's defense mechanism against the sun. In contact with UV rays, the skin protects itself. Keratinocytes produce keratin, which hardens the skin and makes it less permeable to radiation. Melanocytes produce melanin which is nothing other than a small “colored hat” which covers the cell and prevents rays from passing through it.
Normally after 20 minutes to half an hour of sun exposure, skin cells are at their maximum melanin synthesis for the day. If exposure continues, the skin is no longer able to protect itself and “we burn”: these are sunburns.
To get a good tan, it is therefore not necessary to stay more than 20 to 30 minutes in the sun! Beyond that, the skin burns and dries out, leading to sunburn and then alopecia areata.
Children and the sun + sun allergies?
It is important to note that UV protection during childhood and adolescence is extremely important!! For what ? Because we use up the majority of our “sun capital” before the age of 18. Clinical studies have shown that young children who have been heavily exposed to the sun without protection are more likely to develop cancers as adults and to have wrinkled and stained skin more quickly.
Sun allergies: Common sun allergies or benign summer eruptions (LEB) generally appear in young women, 12 hours after exposure to the first rays of sunlight of the year. These are little red bumps that itch. They disappear after about a week and return with each exposure to the sun. They fade with tanning but usually return every year.
Tips for protecting yourself from the sun: it's common knowledge but it works!
- Be careful during hot hours: between 12 p.m. and 4 p.m., no prolonged exposure
- Sun protection must be repeated regularly (every two hours is ideal, otherwise at least 3 times/day + reapply after swimming)
- Avoid “drying” in the sun. Let me explain: you put on the cream, you bathe, the cream goes away, then you get out of the water and wait, quite logically, until you are dry before applying it again! Yes, that’s where we burn!
- Think of big straw hats and bohemian tunics, it's beautiful and it protects!
- Children = a very thick layer of sunscreen, a hat and shade... I'll say it again: we use up the majority of our sun capital before the age of 18!
- In case of severe sunburn (burn), cool well under a jet of very, very cold water for at least 10 real minutes (this can significantly reduce the burn)
- In the event of a serious or extensive burn, oral antioxidants or omega-3 can accelerate healing.
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