Home remedies for sunburn

Most sunburn heals at home, and home care genuinely works. The goal is simple: cool the skin, keep it moist, keep the body hydrated, and do nothing that traps heat or breaks skin.

What works

• Cool showers or cool compresses: 10 to 15 minutes several times a day, especially in the first day or two. Cool, never icy.
• Aloe vera gel: pure gel or a clean commercial aloe product on unbroken skin, after cooling
• Plain, fragrance-free moisturizer or calamine lotion on damp skin to lock in moisture
• Drink extra water and fluids: burned skin pulls fluid toward itself; coconut water, buttermilk, and oral rehydration all count
• Loose, soft cotton clothing over the burn; keep the area completely out of the sun while it heals
• Paracetamol or ibuprofen as directed on the pack for pain, if you can take them

What NOT to do - the popular mistakes

• No butter, ghee, oil, or malai on a fresh burn - grease traps heat inside the skin
• No toothpaste - it irritates
• No ice or ice water directly on skin - ice can damage burned skin further
• Never pop blisters - they are nature's sterile dressing; popping invites infection
• No peeling or scrubbing flaking skin
• No products with fragrance, alcohol, or "anti-itch" benzocaine sprays - they irritate burned skin

For children

• Cool compresses, extra fluids, loose clothing, and shade only
• No home remedies of any kind on a baby's skin without a doctor's advice; any sunburn in a baby under 1 year deserves a doctor's call
• Watch children closely for too little urine, unusual drowsiness, or refusal to drink - dehydration signs

Ayurvedic view (interpretive): Classical home care for heat damage centers on cooling and moisture, matching the safe list above. Where old habits conflict - grease on burns - modern burn science should win.

Remember: Cool it, moisturize it, hydrate, and leave blisters alone - that is the whole remedy. The famous kitchen fixes (butter, toothpaste, ice) are the three things burned skin fears most.