How to Treat a Sunburn With Oatmeal

Oatmeal can be an effective home remedy to treat milder forms of sunburn, since it has been used for centuries for all types of skin conditions. By dissolving oatmeal into a cool bath, and soaking immediately after exposure to the sun, you may be able to avoid peeling, blistering and tenderness.

Instructions

1

Fill an old sock full of oatmeal. Uncolored tube socks will work the best. You can use any type of organic rolled oats or even colloidal oatmeal, which are oats that have been ground into a fine powder to aid dissolution in water.

2

Fill your bathtub full, using cool to lukewarm water. Avoid using hot water in the bath, since the heat can remove the natural oils from your body, and dry out your skin even further. Remember that dry skin is itchy, peeling skin, especially after sunburn.

3

Drop the sock filled with the oatmeal into the bath and let it soak for a few minutes. You may want to drag the sock around the perimeter of the bathtub a few times to speed up the dissolving process. If you're using colloidal oatmeal, you can skip this step since it will dissolve much more quickly than rolled oats.

4

Get into the bathtub and soak for at least 30 minutes. Use caution in getting in and out of the tub, since the oatmeal can make the sides and bottom of the tub quite slippery.

5

Stand up in the tub and carefully rinse the residue of the oatmeal from your skin with cool, clear water.

6

Dry yourself with a thick, soft towel, taking care not to aggravate the sunburn further by rubbing back and forth. Dab gently until you are completely dry.

7

Use an additional oatmeal mask to treat a sunburn on your face. Mix one egg white and a few drops of olive oil into some cooked oatmeal, and mix until the consistency is smooth. Once the oatmeal has cooled off to the point where it will be soothing rather than alarming, apply it to your face in an even coat. Wait until it has dried completely, and then rinse the mask off with cool water.