My skin was so sore I knew I had to do something to alleviate it and so I set to it with my collection of essential oils and a pot of unscented cream base for mixing which would also moisturise my skin after the extreme drying out it had just received. Before application I also had a cold shower to take as much of the heat out of the burns as possible.
My recipe was as follows:
30g of an unscented base cream - they are readily available on the internet for adding essential oils to.
Then I added a 2.5% dilution of oils...about 15 drops. 12 drops of Lavender and 3 drops of Roman Chamomile as it is such a strong scent. After adding the oils to the cream I briskly stirred them with a clean spoon until it was all properly incorporated.
Lavender is well known as a curative for burns I have been using it on burns and insect bites for 16 years. It not only speeds the healing process but is soothing and antiseptic to help avoid any infections.
I used Roman Chamomile here because that is what I had in the house but really German Chamomile would have been better as it has stronger anti-inflammatory properties. Roman Chamomile is a very calming and soothing oil and give how much discomfort I was in a bit of soothing was very welcome.
I kept the cream base mixture as neutral as possible e.g. no existing fragrances and only a few ingredients. I wanted something that would simply act as a carrier for the essential oils but that wasn’t an oil like olive olive or sweet almond oil which might keep the heat in and make the burns worse.
If you have not used these oils before, or haven’t used them in a long time I would recommend you do a patch test first on your skin (the crook of your elbow is a good place to try it out as the skin is more delicate there). The last thing you want to do is slap something on your sunburn which you are allergic to. People who have allergies to the Chamomile or Ragwort plant family should drop the Chamomile.
If your patch test is clear then apply as necessary. I found that this mixture speeded the healing time and alleviated some of the soreness and itching I associate with too much sun. One week later and my skin is healed with no sign of peeling.
Prevention is always better than cure though so the first chance I got I stocked up on sunscreen!
NB: You might find over time the oil and cream separate out in which case just stir it up again.