Sometimes the Florida sun sneaks up on even the most experienced of outdoor loving families! We moved to Saint Augustine a year ago and guess what? We only just made it to the beach this past weekend. Granted, we moved here from only 45 minutes away. We’re Florida natives. And though we spend a significant portion of our days playing outside and always load up on the sunscreen, we all got sunburned! In fact, my husband is the only one of us frequently gets sunburned. (He doesn’t have our Filipino genes lol.) This time, he was the one who was least burnt!
I always keep aloe vera gel on hand for burns but personally, I hate using it. The gel is sticky and uncomfortable. My clothes get stuck to it and I end up feeling worse. My sunburn covers my entire back. I realized after we went to the beach that the bathing suits I’ve worn so far this season have been fairly full coverage. (Am I the only one with “beach suits” and “neighborhood pool suits”?) I wore a bikini to the beach. And my entire back is now on fire. We applied sunblock frequently throughout the day. However, we were in the sun from sunup to sundown fishing and wave jumping and should have spent more time under our umbrella and canopy.
Why I Don’t Like Aloe Gel
Honestly, I thought my aversion to the aloe gel was just another weird quirk. Everyone says to use aloe for sunburns. Then my ten year old complained about the gel. My son echoed her complaints. So I did what any DIY blogger would do. I made an after sun relief spray that works better for us.
Actually, first I tried something I already had on hand. I make homemade body butter for my daughter’s eczema. While I preferred it to the aloe, it still left me feeling greasy and sticky.
So I decided to make a spray with Fractionated Coconut Oil (FCO). FCO is a liquid form of coconut oil and so absorbs into the skin much quicker than the normal coconut oil I use in her body butter.
DIY After Sun Relief Body Oil
Materials:
- 3 oz travel toiletry bottle (It’s what I had on hand and is perfect for bringing on vacation–or on a Disney Cruise.)
- Fractionated Coconut Oil
- 10 drops Lavender Essential Oil
- 5-8 drops Peppermint Essential Oil
Directions:
Fill the travel spray bottle or squeeze bottle 3/4 of the way with the fractionated coconut oil.
Related: 10 ways we use Fractionated Coconut Oil in our home
Add the lavender and the peppermint essential oils. Shake well and apply to skin! It’s really that easy! Lavender soothes while the peppermint cools the inflamed skin.
Aloe Vera Gel vs Homemade Sunburn Spray
The aloe vera gel I have has added lidocaine for pain relief. I didn’t notice any difference between the gel with added lidocaine and the gel without it.
One of the benefits of the gel is that it does seem to last longer on the skin. The after sun relief spray I make needs to be applied more often. However, the stickiness of the gel makes my clothing stick to my skin which caused more irritation. This did not happen with the sunburn relief spray. The inconvenience of reapplying the homemade oil was negligible.
Next time you get a little too much sun, try this super simple recipe and let me know what you think!
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