I’ve heard that Noxema was invented originally for sunburn treatment, but I’m unsure if this is true or not. I’ve always heard that the best remedy is aloe vera gel. Why does aloe vera gel work, what is it doing for the dermis? And do essential oils like eucalyptus, peppermint or camphor have any positive effect on sunburns? How about vitamin E? What other topical solutions work well and why?
Our family used warm tea for sunburn, straight up Lipton or Red Rose.
Either dabbed on with a cotton ball and in extreme cases we threw a box of tea bags in a luke warm bath and soaked for an hour.
The tannic acid in the tea draws the burn out of the skin and heals it.