Welcome Sun-Worshiper!
Spend a little too much time in the garden again?
Feeling the pain of an unrelenting sun?
Been there, done that on more occasions then I care to admit.
And that’s why I created an all-natural Soothing Sunburn Relief Spray. Necessity is the mother of invention as they say.
Summer doesn’t officially start until June 21st but in many parts of the country the heat is already on full blast.
Everyone wears less clothing the hotter it gets outside and suddenly that winter white skin is at the mercy of a merciless sun.
Just look at that sweet, wonderful, ghostly white kid. (And yes, he does appear to be watering the concrete pavers instead of the apple tree like he was told, but I digress).
My skin is of the “burn-peel-still-white-underneath-repeat” variety.
Unfortunately, Fabulous Farm Kid #3 is not alone in this alabaster genetic trait. It’s one of the less awesome things they inherited from me.
Even with regular sunscreen applications, everyone in our house will likely suffer from a little too much sun exposure over the course of the summer.
Fortunately, I always keep a bottle of my soothing Sunburn Relief Spray on hand so happy skin is just a few sprays away.
There are lots of ingredients out there that claim to soothe your skin after too time spent outside. I stuck with some old standbys and a couple that may surprise you.
Here’s what I put in my Sunburn Relief Spray and why:
Witch Hazel–gentle relief for irritated, red, damaged or inflamed skin.
Aloe Vera Gel–provides moisturizing therapy for sunburned, dry or irritated skin.
Water–use distilled if possible.
Lavender EO–soothes occasional skin irritations, helps skin recover quickly.
Peppermint EO–cooling to the skin.
Lavender is a wonderful essential oil for calming and sleep as I discussed in my post about Anti-Monster Spray. But few people know how great it is for occasional skin irritations including minor burns.
You could put lavender essential oil directly on your sun-burned skin but usually the area is too large to make that practical. Instead I just added a generous amount of lavender EO to my recipe along with the cooling effects of peppermint EO and rounded it out with some other skin soothing ingredients.
I only use the purest essential oils and am very loyal to my favorite brand. Your skin is the largest organ in your body and what you put on you, you put in you, so whatever brand you use make sure it is says FOR DIETARY USE on the bottle.
We don’t live anywhere near a beach but between the kid’s activities, the garden, the chickens, the bees, the dog and a myriad of other things, we spend a lot of time out in the sun.
We all know it’s important to put sunscreen on but in the flurry of life it often gets overlooked.
This soothing Sunburn Relief Spray goes a long way in helping your family on those occasions when they just plain forgot.
A tall, frosty glass of Old-Time Lemonade wouldn’t hurt either. Just sayin’…
Here’s to a safe and care-free summer!
1/4 cup distilled water
1/2 cup witch hazel
1/4 cup 100% pure aloe vera gel
40 drops lavender essential oil
20 drops peppermint essential oil
8 oz. spray bottle (preferably glass)
Annette says
This is a great idea! We use after sun lotion all the time. This would be a great natural alternative.
Fabulous Farm Girl says
Hi Annette–thanks for stopping by. Hopefully you can avoid sunburns altogether but if not you can at least avoid some chemicals which is always a good thing. Have a great weekend!
–Leah
Laura says
Found you via family fun Friday… This is awesome! I have made something similar but I wouldn’t have thought to use the witch hazel in addition to the aloe. I feel a touch antsy about the peppermint, though… does it burn/sting on a bad burn???
And, just a tip straight out of MY life… I know what you mean when you say the sunscreen gets forgotten during the busy-ness of life… I have definitely done it too… I have remedied this by always putting on lotion with SPF in it when I get ready in the mornings. (I like Eucerin.) Getting in a routine like that could help to protect you and your little alabaster dolls 😉
Laura says
PS, I’m totally pinning this!!!
Fabulous Farm Girl says
Hi Laura–thanks for your great comment. The key with any essential oil is for it to be 100% pure and of the highest quality possible. Don’t go by the label as they all say pure but if you keep looking most will say “for aromatic use only”. That tells you right there that it is not pure. For this reason I only use therapeutic grade essential oils as every single batch goes through 6 different purity tests by a 3rd-party lab and the bottles state “for aromatic, topical and dietary use”. I don’t have any problem with my peppermint EO stinging or burning and use it directly on my skin for headaches as well as fevers and (I can’t believe I’m admitting this) hot flashes. It cools down your body very quickly and it works great to cut the heat of a sunburn. Plus it is quite diluted in this recipe so I can’t imagine it would be a problem. That said, if you want to replace the peppermint, both melaleuca and roman chamomile are great for sunburns as well. Hope that helps.
–Leah
Laura says
Of course. I only use therapeutic grade oils as well. I guess I meant less from a standpoint of quality/safety of the oil and more from a standpoint of.. Ouch! Sunburns hurt… I have also used my peppermint neat and I don’t have an issue with stinging or burning like I did with cheaper oils. But I have had sunburns where putting anything on them, even plain aloe, really hurt. So I wondered if that cooling effect of the peppermint ever translated into discomfort in your experience.. Not sure if I’m making sense.. In theory it sounds like a great idea… But so did putting aloe in the refrigerator and that about gave me a heart attack when I applied it 😉 I guess in reality it’s a moot point since I take major precautions against sunburns anyway. I was just curious about your experiences with it. Thanks for the awesome post 🙂
Laura says
Sorry for being redundant! I see where you did answer my question down at the bottom but when I read this on my phone it was cut off and I couldn’t see it. You’re right.. I wasn’t thinking… 10 drops of peppermint in that much carrier probably couldn’t do any damage!!
Fabulous Farm Girl says
Don’t apologize Laura as I love the conversation especially with a fellow essential oils girl! No problem with stinging or burning as far as our family goes and even though the peppermint is diluted l can still feel the cooling effect of it. Yes, I agree that on bad sunburns anything you apply (including my sunburn spray) feels cold and a bit shocking to say the least but it only lasts a few seconds in my experience. I tell my family (or myself) that it’s a small price to pay to help speed recovery and heal the damage. You are right of course, that the best thing is too do is always protect your skin with a good quality sunscreen so you don’t get a sunburn in the first place. Or wrinkles. Or cancer. I always put on sunscreen now but I sure wish I had been more careful when I was young. Thanks for your comments.
–Leah
Natalie says
What a great blog, Leah! I’m so glad to have found such great information – thanks for sharing! – Natalie
fabulous Farm Girl says
You’re so welcome Natalie and thanks for the wonderful compliment. You really made my day!
–Leah
Sarah Mueller says
I have a similar recipe but it doesn’t have witch hazel and can’t be sprayed – a bit messy. I think I’ll use your version next time to make it more convenient. We’re featuring you at Family Fun Friday
this week at Happy and Blessed Home. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Fabulous Farm Girl says
Thanks so much for the feature Sarah–I’m very flattered! In our house convenience is everything and the less you have touch a sunburn the better (read: less screaming), so a spray version is a must. Look forward to linking up on Friday.
–Leah
Elizabeth says
I just made this (easy!) and used it on my sunburn. It feels so good and the EOs cover the smell of the witch hazel. Thanks for sharing!
Fabulous Farm Girl says
WooHoo Elizabeth, that is so awesome! Keep applying it even after the pain goes away as it will also lessen the peeling. Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know it worked for you. Have a great week!
–Leah
Kristen Hewitt says
This is so helpful! I need this living in Florida…happy to find you at SITS!
Fabulous Farm Girl says
Thanks Kristen! I love Florida but the sun can be relentless. Glad I can help make it a bit easier to deal with. have a great day and come back soon!
–Leah
Trish @Dayngr says
Surfing in from The Sits Girls Sharefest today. Love the all natural alternatives. We DO live by the beach so this is a great share today!
Fabulous Farm Girl says
Thanks Trish! I wish I lived by a beach but if I did my family would need a gallon of this stuff. Even living in the mountains we still go through a fair amount of it. Glad I could make your beach living a bit less painful. Have a great week!
–Leah
JES says
Thanks for sharing another wonderful way to use my precious essential oils 🙂
Fabulous Farm Girl says
You’re so welcome Jes! Always happy to help a fellow essential oils fan. Have a fabulous week!
–Leah
Jessica | The 104 Homestead says
I love [essential] oils. They’re fabulous! I will definitely need to keep this recipe on hand. We are an Irish family and burn regularly 🙂 Thank you for sharing on Green Thumb Thursday.
Fabulous Farm Girl says
You’re welcome Jessica! We’re Irish over here too so I feel your pain. Literally. This spray has saved us this summer so definitely make yourself up a bottle to have on hand. Have a fabulous week!
–Leah
Deanna says
Leah
Since you updated your site when you click on some of the cleaning links (like room and linen freshner ) it goes to sunburn spray?? And others are not right either…just wanted to let you know…
Mel says
Do you use alcohol free witch hazel or just the kind from the grocery/drug store?
Leah says
Hi Mel–you want to use the regular one from the grocery sore. Just make sure it is fragrance and additive free. Thanks for stopping by!
–Leah
Annie says
So excited to have found your website. Loving all the recipes and ideas! We do the same sun relieving spray but also add frankincense EO and it has been insanely helpful with hubby’s super fare skin 🙂 Thanks for sharing all of your wonderful ideas!
Mel says
what is the shelf life of this product?
Leah says
Hi Mel–thanks for your question. Nothing in this recipe should go bad. Just keep it in a dark glass spray bottle and out of extreme heat. Have a great day!
–Leah