One minute you're drifting blissfully on a pool, perched atop a giant flamingo floatie, and the next you’re burned to a crisp, as pink as the floatie itself.

In case you, too, have any flamingo-floatie-related sunburn incidents this summer, we have a few ideas for how to treat painful sunburns quickly, naturally, and lovingly.

Lavender

Lavender is a powerful anti-inflammatory and vulnerary (wound healer), making it a great first aid treatment for both kitchen burns and sunburns. It has potent pain-relieving properties, reduces inflammation, and is antimicrobial—all aspects of sunburn relief that you want when your skin is hurting.

Take caution not to apply lavender essential oil directly to a burn, though, or straight onto skin in general. Instead, make sure the lavender essential oil is nestled inside a carrier (an oil, lotion, or hydrosol). A quick ratio is up to 20 drops of essential oil per one ounce of carrier. Remember, essential oils are natural but extremely powerful.

We swear by these healing products that contain lavender, no dilution necessary:
Lavender Geranium Body Oil
Geranium Palmarosa Face Toner
Lavander Hydrosol

Aloe Vera

Aloe vera gel is the treatment you are probably already familiar with. The spiny leaves of the aloe vera plant contain a clear gel that oozes when cut. This gel soothes burns of all kinds and can be applied directly onto sunburned skin. If you have an aloe plant at home, you can snip one of its long spears and put it in the fridge before spreading the soothing gel directly onto your burns.

While pure aloe vera gel is high in healing aloin compounds, products that tout “aloe” as an ingredient may not use pure aloe vera. There is also some research that suggests that thin lotions (like our Aloe Rose All-Over Lotion) and lightweight gels (like our Chamomile Yarrow Gel Face Toner) are preferable to thick ones, since they won’t trap heat on the skin.

These are the aloe-forward products we turn to for their intensely hydrating, soothing, and cooling properties:

Aloe Rose All-Over Lotion
Chamomile Yarrow Gel Face Toner
Aloe Vera Gel

Layer The Relief

When you’re feeling the burn, reach for this routine:

Apply a cool washcloth over the area for 10 minutes, let your skin dry.
Apply a layer of Aloe Rose All-Over Lotion or pure aloe vera gel over the skin of the body. For faces, apply a layer of Chamomile Yarrow Gel Face Toner or pure aloe vera gel instead.
Spritz with Geranium Palmarosa Face Toner throughout the day to cool and relieve hot uncomfortable skin.
Repeat before bed, or anytime you need relief.

Good luck out there. May your summer be filled with SPF and inflatable flamingoes.

Written By Vera Kachouh