# Home sunburn remedies

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-sunburn-remedies/169973>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 21, 2003, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-sunburn-remedies/169973 "2003-04-21T04:14:23Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![IGJoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/igjoe/32/5420_2.png) [@IGJoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IGJoe)\
**Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-sunburn-remedies/169973/21 "2003-04-22T06:52:34Z")

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Thanks for all the replies, you’ve pretty much confirmed what I thought.

When I went to work today, I also had quite a few people recommend vinegar (after they had finished laughing and pointing out that I looked like a raccoon). I tried a bit of white vinegar, and it took the sting away almost immediately. Of course, the down-side to this was that I smelled like a gym sock all night long…

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**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\
**Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-sunburn-remedies/169973/22 "2003-04-22T07:29:59Z")

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From past experience, I too can recommend vinegar for treating sunburn. It does take the sting away quickly, for at least a few hours. Then reapply. But the smell is a disadvantage – you seem like a pickel for a while – but when it stops the hurt, who cares?

Vinegar is a mild acid, rather like the tannic acid of steeped tea that koeeoaddi suggested. And I think that aloe vera is mildly acidic, too. Maybe this is a common link?

But TheLoadedDog’s bicarbonate of soda bath would be mildly basic, not acidic.

Try 'em all, and tell us what worked.

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**Author:** ![something\_clever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3bc359/32.png) [@something\_clever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/something_clever)\
**Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-sunburn-remedies/169973/23 "2003-04-22T07:47:04Z")

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this stuff called “foille medicated spray” works wonders… i got burned and it kept me pain free for awhile…

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**Author:** ![easy\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/eb8c5e/32.png) [@easy\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/easy_e)\
**Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-sunburn-remedies/169973/24 "2003-04-22T08:10:31Z")

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Vitamin E lotion. In my experience, it prevents peeling, but YMMV.

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