We all do our best to regularly apply sunscreen and protect ourselves from harsh rays – right?! – but sometimes despite our best efforts, the sun sneaks up on us. Maybe your sunscreen wears off sooner than you expected, maybe you end up outside when you weren’t planning on it— however it happens, you end up with a sunburn, one of the most enduringly painful things we can put our skin through. Our reaction when it happens might be to run out to the drug store, but before you buy chemical-laden remedies, turn to your kitchen pantry! According to this list of home remedies from Country Outfitter, these six household staples may be all the relief you need!

1. Apple Cider Vinegar
   
   Phongnguyen1410 via Wikimedia Commons
   
   Our obsession continues. Just add 1 cup of it to a cool bath to help heal your skin and rebalance its pH levels.
2. Cornstarch and Baking Soda
   
   PureWow
   
   Either one of these staples will work as a soothing treatment if you turn it into a paste. Just mix it with a small amount of water and spread over your burned skin. Allow it to sit until you – and your skin! – feels cooler and in less pain, then just rinse it off in a cool shower.
3. Milk
   
   condesign via Pixabay
   
   Want your skin to feel better quickly? Then turn to a milk compress. Just pour a little bit onto a washcloth and spread the cloth over the burned area. You can leave it on for as long as it feels good!
4. Oatmeal
   
   Christian Schnettelker via Flickr
   
   In addition to being painful, sunburns are also terrible because they itch something crazy. Oatmeal, luckily, is the perfect remedy for that! All you have to do is sprinkle some into your next cool bath.
5. Tea
   
   Leon Brocard via Flickr
   
   You know that tea has fabulous health benefits when you drink it, so it makes sense that it has some topical benefits, too! Specifically, its tannins help draw out the heat of a sunburn. Brew some up, let it cool, dip a washcloth in the cooled tea, and spread the cloth over your burned skin for cooling relief.
6. Cucumbers
   
   stevepb via Pixabay
   
   There’s a reason cucumbers are a spa day cliché! These veggies soothe your skin with their antioxidants and analgesic properties. Don’t slice them the way you see in pictures, though; instead, blend them into a paste and apply the paste to your skin to reap the benefits.

Isn’t it wonderful how many healing options we already have? If you still want more, be sure to check out the original article over on Country Outfitter, then tell us— do you have any of your own homemade remedies to share? Have you ever tried any of the ones on this list before? How do you feel better when you have a terrible sunburn?