Hi all!
Currently, I am experiencing a “perfect summer day”. There are birds chirping, dogs barking in the distance, and the sky is a beautiful blue. These perfect, sunny days can come with some challenges, though—like sunburns. Here is my official approach to sunburns (unfortunately, I am an expert).
Soothing Sunburn Care
- Soak in the coldest water possible for as long as possible. Ideally, you will soak until the actual “burning” sensation dramatically decreases when you are out of the tub. Instead of a soak, you can also use a wash cloth soaked in cold water.
- Blend 1 cup of pure, organic Aloe Vera gel with about 30 drops of Lavender (Lavendula angustifolia). Apply this to your burn generously in between cold soaks.
- Once the “burning” sensation decreases, you want to begin to Nourish your skin. This is a step often over looked. Start with a cup of your favorite organic carrier oils; this includes sweet almond, apricot kernel, sunflower seed, jojoba, coconut, sesame, etc. Many of these oils can be found at your grocery store in the cooking oils section. Look for oils that are organic and unrefined, and in the case of Olive oil you’ll want “extra virgin cold pressed”.
- Avoid mineral oil! This includes the perennial favorite “Baby Oil”. Mineral oil is a petroleum by- product, and not bio-available. This means our skin can’t absorb it and can’t use it. Not only that, it will sit on the surface of your skin and prevent it from properly absorbing anything that would be helpful.
- OK, now that you have your cup of carrier oil, blend in some anti-inflammatory, soothing essential oils. A nice, cooling blend would be:
12 drops Lavender (Lavendula angustifolia)
1 drop Vetiver (Vetiveria zizanoides)
3 drops Frankincense (Boswellia frereana is a good one)
Apply this cooling, nourishing oil to your skin until all the pink/red is gone ( a day or two).
6. Blend an exfoliating body polish to slough away the dead skin and avoid peeling. Just add some fine grind sea salt to the oil you blended until it clumps and is neither runny or “sandy”. Apply to wet skin, scrub vigorously for a minute or two, and rinse with water but no soap. You will be amazed at how smooth your skin feels!
Let’s re-cap these steps:
Soak
Soothe
Nourish
Smooth
Self-Care Class
And speaking of Nourishing…. registration is now open for my brand new class, Aromatic Self-Care for the Massage Therapist.
This class explores 7 key principles that can either re-charge or exhaust the Caregiver.
- Nourishment of the senses
- Regulating your emotions
- Refreshing your energy
- Sacred Space to support your work
- Relief from pain and discomfort
- Clarity to stay focused on your vision…
- Release what isn’t yours…
Find out how to blend Aromatherapy products to best suit these 7 principles for YOU!
Aromatic Self-Care for the Massage Therapist is currently being offered THIS AUGUST in Asheville, NC and in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
To read all about it, click HERE.
Thanks for reading!
