The best things to use on a sunburn are cool water, aloe vera moisturizer, and an anti-inflammatory pain reliever like ibuprofen. Start all three as soon as you notice the burn. Sunburn peaks in redness and pain 12 to 24 hours after exposure, so early treatment makes a real difference in how uncomfortable the next few days will be.
Cool Water First, Not Ice
Your first move is cooling the skin down. Take a cool bath or shower, or press a clean towel dampened with cool tap water against the burned area for about 10 minutes. You can repeat this several times a day. Adding a couple of ounces of baking soda to a cool bath can help soothe stinging skin further.
Stick with cool tap water, not ice or ice water. Extreme cold on inflamed skin can cause additional damage and pain. The goal is to draw heat out gradually, not shock the tissue. When you get out of the bath or shower, pat yourself dry gently rather than rubbing with a towel, which irritates the burn.
What to Put on the Skin
Once your skin is cool and dry, apply a moisturizer containing aloe vera or soy. Aloe vera works at the cellular level by stabilizing cell membranes that UV radiation damages. This protection reduces cell death and helps skin recover faster, which is why aloe has been a go-to sunburn remedy for decades. Look for a gel or lotion where aloe vera is one of the first ingredients, not an afterthought at the bottom of the label.
Soy-based moisturizers are another strong option. Soy is a natural source of ceramides, the fats that form your skin’s protective barrier. Sunburn strips that barrier away, leaving skin dry, tight, and vulnerable. A ceramide-rich moisturizer helps lock moisture back in, reduces irritation, and supports the skin’s natural repair process. Products that combine ceramides with anti-inflammatory ingredients tend to absorb better and provide more relief.
For the first day or two, apply moisturizer liberally and often. Sunburned skin loses moisture rapidly, and keeping it hydrated reduces peeling later on. Store your aloe gel or moisturizer in the refrigerator for an extra cooling effect when you apply it.
What to Avoid Putting on Sunburn
Skip any product containing petroleum, benzocaine, or lidocaine. Petroleum-based products trap heat in the skin, which is the opposite of what you want. Benzocaine and lidocaine, commonly found in spray-on sunburn relievers, can irritate already-damaged skin and sometimes cause allergic reactions. Butter, coconut oil, and other heavy oils have the same heat-trapping problem as petroleum.
Avoid harsh soaps, exfoliants, or anything with alcohol, which dries out the skin further. If you normally use retinol or acne treatments, pause them on sunburned areas until the skin has fully healed.
Anti-Inflammatory Pain Relief
Take ibuprofen, naproxen, or aspirin at the first sign of sunburn if these are safe for you to use. These work by reducing the inflammatory response that causes redness, swelling, and pain. You can continue taking them as directed on the label for as long as the burn is uncomfortable, typically two to three days.
Starting early matters. The inflammatory cascade ramps up in the hours after UV exposure, and getting ahead of it limits how severe the burn feels at its peak. If you’re already 24 hours in and haven’t taken anything, it still helps with pain, but you’ll have missed the window where it does the most to reduce swelling.
Drink More Water Than Usual
Sunburn pulls fluid to the skin’s surface and away from the rest of your body. This means you can become dehydrated without realizing it, especially if the burn covers a large area like your entire back or chest. Drink extra water for the first two to three days. If you feel dizzy, unusually thirsty, or notice dark urine, increase your intake further.
How to Handle Blisters
Blisters mean you have a second-degree sunburn. Do not pop them. The fluid inside protects the raw skin underneath from infection while new skin forms. Keep blistered areas clean, and apply petroleum jelly (this is the one time petroleum is appropriate) to protect them as they heal. Cover large blisters loosely with a bandage to prevent accidental rupture.
If a blister breaks on its own, gently clean the area with mild soap and water, apply petroleum jelly, and cover it with a non-stick bandage. Watch for signs of infection: increasing redness spreading beyond the burn, pus, warm streaks radiating outward, or a fever that develops days after the initial burn.
Clothing During Recovery
Wear loose, breathable clothing over sunburned skin. Tight fabrics create friction that worsens pain and can tear blisters. Lightweight, moisture-wicking materials are ideal because they keep sweat from pooling against the burn. If you need to go back outside before the burn heals, cover affected areas completely, since sunburned skin is far more vulnerable to additional UV damage.
When Sunburn Needs Medical Attention
Most sunburns heal on their own within a week. But severe sunburns, particularly those covering large portions of the body, can cause systemic symptoms like nausea, fever, and chills. Burns covering more than 20% of the body’s surface area (roughly the equivalent of both legs or the entire torso) with extensive blistering can lead to dangerous fluid and electrolyte loss that requires medical treatment.
Seek care if you develop a high fever, feel confused, see signs of infection around blisters, or if the pain becomes unmanageable with over-the-counter medication. Sunburn in young children and infants warrants a call to their pediatrician regardless of severity.