This was originally posted a year ago and since then has helped 200k+ people heal their burns over night! I hope it helps you as well! Enjoy!
Heal A Sunburn In ONE Night! Using Three Simple Ingredients!
This last week was a beautiful one! We had 70′s-80′s with sunshine all week! We could not get enough sun after being cooped up inside all winter. Unfortunately it never seems to fail for me that the first few days of nice weather, after winter, I forget to put sunscreen on or wear protective clothing. Fortunately my kids were either indoors during the recommended hours or wearing protective clothing so they did not get burnt but I was not so lucky. Below my neck got crisped! Ouch! It’s that nasty burn when you want to skip a shower completely (I assure you I did not skip any showers) because the warm water feels like needles on the skin. In my “lobster” state I had a thought, “if coconut oil is like the gold of oils then I should try it on my skin!” As I was walking down the stairs to my kitchen I noticed my aloe vera plant, *snip*! Once in my kitchen I grabbed some raw honey too, I figured it couldn’t hurt. I then proceeded to rub aleo vera, coconut oil and honey onto my tender skin. I slipped on an old tee shirt that I didn’t mind getting oil spots on and went to bed. When I woke up the next morning my skin felt cool (instead of blazing sunburn hot!), I looked in the mirror and I was a nice golden brown instead of a lobster red!
This picture really doesn’t do the after justice!
Now I must have a disclaimer at this point. I do not suggest you will be a nice golden tan if you go crisps your self and then use my remedy, I naturally tan with or without a burn so that is normal for me. Some of you may still be a bit pink but the pain, heat and yucky skin should subside. I have decided to try this for a few more nights to see if it helps with peeling. One other benefit has been how soft the area is now. This is a must try! The instructions are below! And for goodness sake be sure to protect yourself from the sun! A bit of a tan is okay but red of any kind, not so good!
Mae’s Sunburn Remedy…
- 3-4 in piece off an aloe vera plant, sliced in half
- 1 Tbsp coconut oil, in liquid form
- 1/2 – 1 tsp raw honey or propolis
The amounts above will vary depending on how much you need to cover. I used this for the area that a tank top does not cover on my chest.
Directions: Start with aloe vera, liberally rub all over affected area, let dry (30-90 sec), next take coconut oil and rub over infected area (over where the aloe was put). Next take the honey (I would suggest using a propolis tincture, I didn’t have one on hand I need to order more!) and rub into any areas that look more red or blistered. Then put an old tee shirt on and go to bed. Most if not all will be absorbed by morning. Take a warm wash cloth and wipe off any sticky spots. For maintenance continue the process the next night. Do this till the burn is either gone or better.
I would love to know how well this works for you! I do not want to “re-test” it to find out how well it will work for me again so if you are burnt and try this PLEASE let me know how it works for you!
Strive For Progress and Stay In The Shade!
~Mae
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You might try mixing all ingredients into a salve, might work easier and a little less messy. Going to expeirment with this one. Thanks. We’ve been spending most of the day outside getting the garden ready and planted. THe boys have their little farmer tans going on, and I acquried a bit to
Making a salve would be a great idea. It would be to sticky with the honey in it but I would definitely try it with a propolis tincture which would be much less sticky. If you make it let me know, I have to order more tincture and then I’ll make some to keep on hand.
My mother always used 1 to 2 cups of white vinegar to a tepid bath for about 15 minutes, or until the water gets to cold to bathe in it. It is important to use aloe vera after a rinse from the vinegar bath. You feel like and smell like a pickle, but it does soothe the skin. The mixture you found might be even better to bring all that inflammation down! Thanks for the post!
Hehe smelling like a pickle! I can already hear my kids giggling about it!
Thanks for the tip! I have unfortunately had to my sunburn remedy again this week but it really works well! I agree it helps the inflammation wonderfully! Thanks for stopping by! 
Great idea! I need to get an aloe plant. I got a similar burn this last Sunday. Mine was in the exact shape of a baby bib thanks to a necklace and the shirt I was wearing. It was pretty comical. I used some of my Burt’s Bees moisturizer with royal jelly and had similar results to yours. The sting and red were all gone. I love a remedy I can make with ingredients on hand though.
Haha! I love it, baby bib! Those bees make some pretty awesome stuff! I love anything I can make that doesn’t have preservatives, simplest the better. I just wish I had time to make it all!!!
I LOVE THIS!! I will give you some propolis tincture when i see you! We make a great one
I would love that and I have been wanting to talk to you about adding your stuff to my site
I love coconut oil! I use it as lotion on a daily basis. This way I know what I am putting in my body. It’s nice to not have all those chemicals floating around…
Yes exactly! I have been using it as lotion as well!
Thanks for stopping by!
I’m interested in hearing more about using coconut oil as a lotion too!
I just found a blog that made some but I want to see if I can expand on it. If I create a great recipe I will share it with you! I hope to work on one this week!
Speaking of coconut oil love, I recently began making deodorant with coconut oil that is working really well. I had been using Tom’s, but pregnancy was just too much for the Tom’s to handle. This works SOOO much better than Tom’s. Easy, cheap and fast to make with ingredients you already have on hand. Johnny has started using it and even he admits he’s impressed with it. You can add essential oils if you want. I didn’t with my first batch and the faint scent of coconut is quite pleasant. Recipe is here:
http://ourdailylegacy.blogspot.com/2011/08/homemade-deodorant.html
Thanks Tara! Do you feel like you smell alright after a day? That is always my problem and I always wonder if it has something to do with how much garlic and onions I eat! lol I will be trying this!
Actually yes! I had switched back to antiperspirant (hated to, but my superhuman pregnancy nose was gagging at my own body odors) and found I still needed to reapply. So far, I feel like this coconut deodorant is actually keeping me fresher than my old anti-perspirant. Definitely give it a try. Even if you just make a half batch. But it only makes 4 oz at a time so if you don’t love it it’s not a huge loss.
I’m thinking of using it for stinky sandal feet and I already use it in other areas that get warm and moist and it’s working great. I don’t know about the garlic and onion yet, since when I’m pregnant I don’t eat them much. I normally eat them like crazy and raw, so we shall see after this baby is born.
Thats awesome Tara! I am TOTALLY making this tomorrow!
Do you use arrowroot or starch? By the way do you know what you are having, or are you doing what we did and leaving baby a surprise?! I want to see pics of big sissy SOO bad btw! 
I used arrowroot powder since I had it on hand. The original site I found the link to that recipe on people had used corn starch and were still happy with it.
I know, I need to send you some pics. Maybe I’ll do that right now.
Thanks Love I’ll make it tonight! Yes pics! If you sent it to my personal address I will check it tonight
Another natural remedy my whole family swears by is plain Greek yogurt. Just slather it on and wait as long as you can to wash it off.
Haha nice! I have not heard of that but I can see how it would work, greek yogurt is awesome!
Thanks for stopping by!
I have used coconut oil all by its self and it worked great. I’ll have to get an aloe very plant and try that with it! Thanks for the tip!
Yes I am seeing all kinds of amazing benefits from using just coconut oil, I have been putting it on a patch of eczema on my baby and it’s been soothing it amazingly! I am going to try to make a lotion from it this weekend as well. Thank you for stopping by!
Interested in the coconut oil, however, the coconut oil i am finding is a solid, do i melt it enough to rub on skin???
If you keep the oil in a warmer place it should melted enough. A room around 70 degrees is usually perfect. If you do need to warm it I would just place it in a small dish and place the dish in warm water. Or put what you need in a ziplock and run it under warm water for a few seconds, that should be plenty. If your coconut oil turns completely liquid on you just place it in the fridge for a while. Hope that helps!
Coconut oil melts at 76*. As soon as you stick your finger in the jar, it melts.
Great bit of info thank you!
I saw this last night on pintrest. I thought.. “I should pin that”, but I didn’t. Today son went to the beach with gf’s family and he came home looking like a lobster. So I looked it up on pintrest again… FOUND IT! I made this concoction that looks like it will glow in the dark and then I used a rubber spatchula to apply to his poor beet red body. I will see in the moring how this worked for him. He usually tans after a sunburn, so we will see how brown he is in the morning. Thanks for the idea. I was just going to put aloe on him, but I believe you are correct about the coconut oil… What could it hurt? We will see….
Oh tell me how it turns out!
Aloe and honey are both great, but skip the oil. What do you usually do with oil? You cook things. If you want to cook yourself further, use any type of oil. Otherwise, I’d avoid it.
The oil is not to put on to sit in the sun, it is to rub on the skin after a burn. There are many ways different oils are wonderful for your body besides just cooking with it. Try it!
When you get a sunburn, your skin is a lot hotter than usual, and the oil will lock that in, because that’s what oil does. The heat will be trapped against your skin, causing more damage than you were already suffering from. No matter which way you look at it, oil+skin+heat= very, very bad.
I am sorry we disagree with the way in which oil works for the human body. I do appreciate you stopping by, have a great day.
I know this reply is like a year late, but I had to add my two cents here
E you are correct that MOST oil would seal a burn into the skin and make it worse, but one of the awesome properties of coconut oil is that it actually absorbs into your skin, rather than sitting on top of it. I can’t quote all of the scientific stuff there but my friend google is pretty good with that! One of the reasons coconut oil works so well is that it penetrates all the way down, getting to the damaged, deeper layers that many treatments don’t work on. I use it for everything, including all by itself for sunburn remedy- good thinking adding the aloe and honey though!
Thank you for the comment! Coconut oil is out of this world amazing! Almost to good to be true!
check out all the uses for coconut oil, i actually made a sunscreen with it!.. Also it it very soothing after I treat sunburn with black tea
Oh sunscreen is something I have been wanting to try!
Coconut oil also works very well if you put it in your hair. I usually leave it in for about 30 minutes before a shower and it has helped it grow faster and thicker. Plus I haven’t had my hair cut in almost 6 months and I still don’t have many split ends.
That is AWESOME! I am soo going to try this thank you!
I used just coconut oil on my burn, i can tell where I missed because as it is healing the missed areas are really itching, so off the hit those spots with some coconut oil……………
Nice!!!
Thanks so much for the help! Got out on the boat on beautiful Dale Hollow Lake on Memorial Day weekend and got burnt up and I’m still hurting some! Gonna try this when I get home. Got burnt on Saturday and still hurting on Wednesday so maybe it will help! Thanks again!
Glad you liked it! Hope it helps! Im happy to report that I had no peeling as a side benefit to using this! Good luck!
just FYI, Honey is a great thing to have on hand… it has been used for centuries as a healing agent! It has antiseptic properties, as well as healing properties, as well as a sealant to keep bacteria out. My grandmother used to put it on cuts, when I was little.
Dr. are now using in addition to medication to treat staph infections. There are so many medication resistant staph infections out there, that the medical world is being forced to look at ancient (yet well proven) remedies. The coconut oil is also good, but you can also use Olive oil, which also has healing properties ( used to treat skin infections, or fungal infections) as well as keep skin soft. also is great on the skin, keeping moist will help to prevent peeling.
I use it on my face to keep wrinkles at bay!
Yes! Honey is AMAZING! My best friend is a bee keeper so she keeps me highly informed on how good it is! Thanks for your informative comment!
I found your concoction through pinterest, and was very interested! I was pleasantly surprised to see that you used coconut oil!
Last year we were on vacation, and I got torched. All I had with me at the time was my coconut oil. I thought, “what the heck, it can’t hurt -this stuff is a miracle oil, right?” and I applied it liberally. My sunburn was gone within 2 days, and it didn’t have the horrible burned feeling by the next day. I now use it whenever I get a little too red.
YES! I love this stuff! I am sooo happy with how the “crispy” feeling goes away and that there is no peeling afterwords!
Coconut oil is amazing. I use it before going into the sun (about an hour prior, then sunscreen) and I’ve noticed I can stay in the sun for nearly twice as long as I used to be able to. I’m of Scottish/Irish descent so I normally just burn and freckle, but I’m actually managing to tan this year!
Anytime I do burn I slather on more coconut oil, pinkness is gone the next day and my skin hasn’t hurt at all.
I also use coconut oil as the base in my sugar scrub. Great for exfoliating any dead skin and the coconut oil makes your skin SO soft.
Deep conditioner for your hair – Rub some in wet or dry, wrap your head in a warm towel or plastic wrap or shower cap, let it sit, wash out. Best conditioning treatment I’ve tried yet.
Homemade deodorant base, homemade toothpaste base, under-eye cream, cuticle softener… the list goes on.
Just buy the stuff in bulk and enjoy!
Thats an interesting that you say “I’ve noticed I can stay in the sun for nearly twice as long as I used to be able to”, an earlier commenter disagrees and says you will burn more. I think it really pays to do testing and research on your own. I agree with all your uses! I just recently started using strait coconut oil on my teeth, along with another natural toothpaste. I was at my dentist yesterday and they were very pleased with the state of my mouth and said I only needed a check up once a year! It really is a great oil! Thanks for sharing!
I just started using coconut oil and discovered it worked great as a sunscreen for me. I had applied sunscreen I thought everywhere needed, but had forgot to apply it to my face because I had applied coconut oil when I washed my face, forgot to go back and apply sunscreen over the top of it to go out to the pool that day. Imagine my surprise when the back of my neck had a slight burn to it with the sunscreen, but my face was not pink at all and I burn easily. I love it for a sunscreen. However all the recipes I see for making sunscreen call for adding zinc oxide, why? I would prefer to use less chemicals if possible.
Well Wiki says, “Zinc oxide can be used in ointments, creams, and lotions to protect against sunburn and other damage to the skin caused by ultraviolet light (see sunscreen). It is the broadest spectrum UVA and UVB reflector that is approved for use as a sunscreen by the FDA,[50] and is completely photostable.[51] When used as an ingredient in sunscreen, zinc oxide sits on the skin’s surface and is not absorbed into the skin, and blocks both UVA (320–400 nm) and UVB (280–320 nm) rays of ultraviolet light. Because zinc oxide (and the other most common physical sunscreen, titanium dioxide) are not absorbed into the skin, they are nonirritating, nonallergenic, and non-comedogenic.[52]”
I see it in a lot of natural lotions as well. I suppose since it apparently does not absorb into the skin and it reflects all the different rays of sun that it creates a “natural” barrier. I have had a thought of making my own sunscreen but have not had time to look into it further. I would be interested in recipes if anyone out there has some, I’d be happy to try it and let you all know how it works! I too use only coconut oil mixed with lavender or frankincense essential oils on my face and have also noticed that I do not burn. I love it! I would be careful though, just because you do not burn doesn’t mean your body hasn’t had an over exposure to the sun. So remember to be smart with how much exposure you get. I am sure I didn’t have to tell you that, it’s more of a general warning to anyone out there reading this.
Hands down my favorite thing about using coconut oil as far as sunburns go is how I did not peel when I used the above mixture. I HATE peeling so that fact was awesome!
Thanks for your comment! 
I have very fair skin (fair is a nice way of saying super white). I recently had one of those fun days at the beach (no sunscreen like an idot!) that left me burnt, bright red! I used coconut oil and aloe vera on my skin over night. the next day I was still pink, but no longer bright red. The burn faded to almost normal within 2 days AND I never pealed, thats a miracle for me. I’m convinced it was the coconut oil and aloe vera.
YAY! That’s awesome! I am convinced it is the coconut oil too, I am so thankful to have finally found something to stop the peeling before it starts!!!
Thanks for the note, have a wonderful day! 
I make my own sunscreen. It has coconut oil, vitamin e oil, raw shea butter, beeswax to make it waterproof, zinc oxide and lavender essential oil (to get rid of the raw shea butter smell). Works GREAT!!! I love the stuff. Turns into a solid (like deodorant) but glides on and spreads really well. I’m really happy with it. Don’t think I’ll ever put the store bought chemicals on my kids again.
I ALWAYS use an aloe leaf on burns. Instant relief.
Thank you for the recipe! I will be trying this!!!
I appreciate your comment have a wonderful day!
Oh and honey is great for acne too!! When my 16 year old looks like he’s getting a zit, I have him put honey on it. Works great. He’s 16 and has really good skin. That should tell you something. LOL.
Good suggestion! As much as I use honey and know about it I never thought of applying it strait to zit! I’ll try that next time I need it! Thank you!
After a similar outing in March, not thinking of sunscreen, as it was in the mid to upper 60s, I got a sunburn. It got worse each day for 3 days. I tried a tip from Pinterest. It was vinegar on the burn. I believe the burn was too bad to be helped much. But I also used an aloe product with lidocaine. it did help take the edgy pain down a notch.
I knew I had to keep the skin moisturized, and I read the ingredients of the Banana Boat After Sun Lotion. Of course, Coconut Oil on the long list rang a bell. Went to kitchen. I really think that was the turning point.
I still use the after sun lotion on my face and is in better shape now. No splotchy dry spots anymore.
And I use the plain coconut oil on my feet at bedtime and cover with cotton socks. Feet aren’t perfect, but much smoother.
That’s all very interesting! I appreciate your comment!
Try a scrub before applying the coconut oil a few times a week to your feet and see if that helps 
I used your sunburn recipe last night (I mixed the oil, honey, and aloe) and WOW, it is a LOT better this morning. I brewed some VERY strong tea and applied it several times first, took some Advil, and lastly, smeared a bit of hydrocortisone cream on to help with the sting/redness. This morning I was pleasantly surprised to see that my face and shoulders weren’t a bit sticky or peeling. The red has faded significantly and it is only slightly warm to the touch. I am so happy!
Yay! I am so happy it helped you! Continue to apply the aloe and coconut oil till all pink is gone and you should have no peeling!
I have a propalis tincture, should I mix it with the honey?
No I would just use the propalis by itself. I only used the honey because I was out of propalis.
I today just got back from PALMS SPRINGS with beautiful weather and heat way up in the 90′s. I applied sunscrean and tanning oil(only on my legs for the tanning) and stayed in the hot sun swimming and having fun for 3 hours. I usually don’t burn, I only tan but this time my chest and my arms are ALL red. It’s worse than a lobster. I’m horrified and Its kind of late now and don’t have honey or aloe with me. Will coconut oil by itself work and get rid of this as fast as I can? Thanks!
I am so sorry to be late in my reply. No doubt your sunburn has calmed down by now. In general coconut oil is very healing for the skin so it should have helped, the aloe would def be ideal to go with it. I am interested in what you ended up doing.
I am going to Africa in June for a couple months and am SO excited to have found this recipe before I go so I can bring it with me! No store bought lotion has ever helped with my sunburns!
Yay! I am so glad I could be a help for you! Have a great time in Africa!!!
Hello! I’m not familiar much with the difference in agava nectar vs raw honey and just regular honey you buy in the bear container. All I hv is agava. Will that work as well? I’m on my way back from Cali to Colorado with quite the killer sunburn. Don’t hv the aloe unfortunately but if the reg agava and coconut oil with still help than just coconut oil I might as well do what I can. Thanks for your help! Hopefully you get a chance to check this post out soon
Agave is nothing like honey, unfortunately. Do some more research on Agave. It’s not as great as people keep making it out to be. I have not had the same results without using the coconut oil and aloe. They both need to be used for the results that I have had, quite a few times now. Good luck in the future!
Thanks for the recipe. I got fried yesterday. I thought I’d be ok with using coconut oil as a sunscreen. I reapplied often but apparently it ‘cooked’ me. I still love the stuff just know that my pale skin needs more protection in the hot Fl sun. Anyway last night I used some apple cider vinegar with water, spearmint oil, lavender oil and peppermint oil to cool then later lathered on honey. I took a *hot* shower under my fiance’s advice that may have *hurt* the healing (IMO). I put coconut oil on my face (as my usual moisturizer) and neck but none on the rest of my burn. Woke up with lots of burning and tightness. Today I am using chilled black tea I brewed last night and then going to try a WARM shower and apply coconut oil and honey (I don’t have aloe). I hope to get better soon! This really sux
Oh no! I have heard of using coconut oil as a sunscreen but wasn’t sure if I should try it. Good to know. There are many healthy sunscreens out there. I will try to post my faves soon! Be well!
Is it ok to put on your face also? I have already started to peel
I’m almost purple I am SO sunburned! I will NEVER not use sunscreen again!
Yes these ingredients are safe to use anywhere on your body
Youch! Be safe in the sun! Apply a healthy sunscreen and stay in the shade during the hottest times of day. 
I just got back from a cruise where I got a bit of a sunburn (well, more than a bit, it blistered). Anyway, I had bought a small tin of coconut oil with me for washing my face and moisturizing at night (easier than bringing two products). Anyway, the day I got burned, that night I used the coconut oil to cleanse my face and a cool washcloth to gently wipe my face down and it didn’t sting or further aggravate my skin at all. It was very soothing and although my skin did peel, it wasn’t quite as “gross” as it normally is when it peels. I continued to use it as a moisturizer and cleanser throughout the trip – I will never travel without it again!
That’s great news! Thanks for sharing!
I tried this last night and even went out and bought an aloe vera plant and propolis tincture but it didn’t seem to make a difference. :-/ I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong. I put the aloe vera on first, then followed it w/the coconut oil, and then squeezed some of the very dark colored propolis (that I purchased from whole foods) into my hand and applied it to my sunburn. Any idea what I’m doing wrong. My burn is just as painful and red as before!
It could be the quality of the oil. I had the same problem on a recent vacation. Be sure to buy Nutiva that is what has worked best for me. I am sorry it did not make a difference.
I was frustrated when that happened to me as well. I have tried it with the Nutiva oil many times and it has worked great. Hope that helps.
My friends father was in an explosion of something flammable years ago when she was a small child (she’s in her late 40′s now) and was in the burn unit for awhile, hospitalized for a long while and all the while her mom was bringing in A LOT of Aloe Vera juice. I never asked if she juiced it or if she purchased it, but she must’ve purchased it as it was a lot, according to my friend. Every day she did this and her father drank it everyday and the doctors could not get over how fast he recovered. I don’t know if they applied it topically or not, but she says no one would believe he ever had to be in a burn unit at any time of his life.
Wow! That is very interesting and crazy! So cool, thanks for the comment!