Sunburn Treatment & Prevention

Since it is now August and the height of summer time here in Portland, I have some timely information on natural prevention and treatment of sunburns. Being a fair skinned person myself, I am well acquainted with the power of the sun's rays and how quickly they can cause a week of suffering. Fortunately, I have great solutions that work every time, even for a person as pale as myself.

Treatment

So you find yourself red as a lobster after having spent all day playing in the sunshine. Instead of enjoying the next week of summer fun, all you have to look forward to is peeling, flaking, and odd stares as you walk through the grocery store. Not so for me. When I find I have mistakenly gone from prudent to overindulgent with sun exposure, I turn to Lavender essential oil. Many occasions I have completely skipped the peeling and burning phase and gone straight to healed in just one or two nights. All I do is apply therapeutic-grade Lavender essential oil to my skin. Often, I top it with jojoba oil and let it soak in. I always apply before bed and after showering in the morning until the skin has calmed to a nice healthy tan. Goodbye burn.

Prevention

I LOVE to be in the sun. The shade just doesn't quite do it for me on a nice summer day like today. Of course, staying in the shade is the most obvious solution to preventing sun burns but certainly not the most fun. Sunscreen is the second most obvious solution; however, sunscreens are loaded with toxic chemicals that we would do well avoid. It seems we are stuck choosing between two evils: skin cancer from sun burn or cancer from toxic chemical absorption. Until now...

Allow me to introduce the internal 'sunscreen' that really works: Astaxanthin.

Astaxanthin is a carotenoid derived from microalgae that blocks ultra violet damage to the skin. This nutrient is found also in seafood and is what gives salmon, for example, their natural pink color. Astaxanthin is a powerful antioxidant that can assist in overall skin health and anti-aging. Additionally, it can contribute to eye health, nerve health, and exercise recovery.

In the mornings during the summer time, I take two capsules of astaxanthin, and I am ready to go. I buy my astaxanthin supplement from Vitacost, where I get many nutritional products because their costs are low and shipping is a flat $5 regardless of how many products I purchase.

No longer do I need to worry about my scalp, forehead, or nose burning when I find myself having been unexpectedly overexposed to the sun's rays. Neither do I need to worry about oxybenzone, lauryl sarcosine, fragrances, etc. polluting my blood stream.

This sounds like a win-win to me!