I forgot my sunscreen & ended up with a gnarly burn – an old wives tale saved me a week of pain, one buy did the trick
A SKINCARE fan shared a hack that soothed her skin after a bad sunburn.
After forgetting her sunscreen, she relied on an old wives’ tale to prevent pain and treat her skin.
Redditor Chloebugs shared the beauty tip in a post.
“I committed the worst crime: I forgot my sunscreen,” she said.
“I spent about 3 hours in the sun unprotected and unsurprisingly walked away with a pretty gnarly burn across my shoulders, chest, and face.”
She quickly realized that she had the usual sun poisoning symptoms and headed off to see a doctor.
“It turns out there’s nothing to be done about a bad burn except slather aloe on and be patient,” she said.
“However, my shoulders were too painful to wear any clothing, lay down, or lift my arms, and as a retail employee, waiting was not an option.”
Thankfully, Chloe remembered a traditional remedy that came in handy.
“Then… I remembered an old wives tale that a black tea compress could help heal scrapes and cuts, and I decided to give it a try,” she said.
“I brewed some really strong black tea (3 bags to 1/2 cup of water) and soaked some paper towels and left them on my skin for a few hours, and OH MY GOODNESS, my skin has changed from almost purple to light pink.”
Chloe revealed that she opted for black breakfast tea from Trader Joe’s.
“I’m assuming it would work with any black tea, although I’m not sure,” she said.
“I just used the plain breakfast tea from Trader Joe’s.”
Not only did it help tone down her skin’s discoloration, but within hours, it soothed her irritated burn.
“[It] is no longer hot to the touch, and I’m pretty much pain-free,” she said.
How black tea may help sunburns
Experts at Sun Outdoors explained that black tea, which is rich in antioxidants, has been a natural remedy for years for treating irritated and sunburned skin.
Black tea contains anti-inflammatory tannins, which help soothe burns.
“Soak several tea bags in cool water and allow the tannins to release,” the site said.
“You’ll know this when the water darkens substantially, indicating that the tea bags and water are ready to apply.
“You can apply the tea bags directly to your skin, which can be useful in sensitive areas like eyelids.
“A cloth can also be soaked in the water to gently pat this solution on sunburned skin. Black tea will remove the heat, pain, and stinging quite quickly. Plus, the tannins released will reduce inflammation, help protect skin from UV rays, and aid in restoring the skin’s pH balance.”
“DEFINITELY give this a try next time you mess up. It saved me from a long week of pain and sticky aloe lotion.”
Others vouched for the homemade remedy.
“The same worked for me when I had sun poisoning!” said one commenter.
“Yes!! I started Zoloft for anxiety, and for the past few years, I’ve been like, ‘Pft, I won’t be more sensitive to the sun!’ and end up as a crispy tomato,” said another.
“The catechins, antioxidants, etc., just pull away the heat. It’s a good thing I hoard tea.”
“It’s true! It works so well, and people think you’re a nut when you recommend it,” said a third.