Can I Use Vinegar on a Sunburn?

Using vinegar on a sunburn has been a tried and true at-home remedy to relieve sunburn for ages. Vinegar has many health benefits, and soothing sunburned skin is one of them. There is little harm in applying vinegar to sunburned skin, but it is important to use the right vinegar sunburn treatment.

There are many different types of vinegar, but using apple cider vinegar to relieve sunburns is most effective. Other types of vinegar are more popular for cooking purposes but can still be effective for sunburn relief. Apple cider vinegar tends to be better for preventing blistering and peeling.

Vinegar is highly acidic, so a mixture of water and apple cider vinegar is recommended. This would be the equivalent of two parts vinegar to one part cool water. Vinegar sunburn treatments can vary, but there are some effective ways you can find relief.

To clean the body of lotions and other chemicals, begin by taking a lukewarm shower and rinsing the skin with cool water only — no soap. Pat your body dry with a towel, being careful not to rub the sunburned skin. Soak towels or washcloths in a vinegar mixture, and place the treated towels on the sunburned areas for as long as 15 minutes. When the towels become warm, soak them again and reapply them to the affected area. This vinegar sunburn treatment can be repeated until pain relief is evident.

Additional treatments for using vinegar on a sunburn include taking a vinegar bath. Draw a lukewarm bath and combine two parts vinegar with one part water. Soak in the bath for 15 minutes or longer. This sunburn treatment can be repeated often, as well. In addition, a spray bottle with vinegar and water can be used by spraying the affected area with the sunburn treatment mixture.

Repeat treatments in the days following exposure to promote further healing. Applying vinegar for sunburn relief works best immediately after sun exposure or shortly thereafter. Rubbing aloe vera or coconut oil on affected areas after a vinegar sunburn treatment can aid in additional pain relief and mask the scent of vinegar.

Using vinegar on a sunburn is effective because during the fermentation process, the malic acid and acetic acid found in apple cider vinegar help neutralize sunburns and reestablish the skin’s potenz hydrogen (pH) levels. This promotes healing and relief. When skin burns, the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays attack the natural pH balance of skin. This causes inflammation and pain, leading to blistering and peeling of the skin.

Vinegar on a sunburn helps draw out harmful free radicals from the skin and restores the skin’s pH balance. This promotes proper healing and has a soothing effect on a painful sunburn. Vinegar also acts as an anti-inflammatory and helps reduce swelling, blistering and peeling of the skin.