Great remedy for sunburn

[plantmandan]

Unless you plan on going out exclusively when it is dark, it is nearly impossible to avoid some degree of sunburn on the playa. Not to worry.

Calendula is a great remedy. Your skin (and your newest best friend's skin) will thank you. It comes in a gel or cream, and both work well.

Calendula can be found in the first aid section of most health oriented grocery stores.

[BBadger]

A "great" remedy? Let's see some citations. All the medical references to that plant I've found are either of hippie-science caliber or weakly supported.

Furthermore, a medical reference page at the University of Maryland on Calendula states:

"Professional homeopaths often recommend using ointments with calendula to heal first-degree burns and sunburns."

That in itself should make a person extremely skeptical.

A better solution? Just put on some sunblock and/or cover up. Prevention vs. "cure" and all that. No, it's not impossible to avoid becoming sunburned. I have never gotten sun-burned at Burning Man even while working on stuff in the midday sun.

[Eric]

I'm a fair-skinned ginger. I get a little darker on the playa, but nowhere near sunburned. It's all about liberal doses of sunblock - "prevention" is better than "remedy". Besides, once you have a couple of layers of sunblock/playa/sunblock/playa going you're damn near opaque to UV!

[Bob]

An calendula shrubbery won't be allowed past the Gate.

[danibel]

Plain ole aloe vera gel seems to work well for me if I happen to get sunburned. I take the big bottle from Trader Joes and then I am sure to have some to share. It's a really nice layer on my feets before bed too.

I do use some sunscreen out there, but mostly it's hats and long flowy sleeves during the day.

[pink]

Sunscreen & then the dust that sticks to the sunscreen.

Never sunburned on the playa, and I'm fair skinned with little to no tan.

[plantmandan]

A "great" remedy? Let's see some citations. All the medical references to that plant I've found are either of hippie-science caliber or weakly supported.

Furthermore, a medical reference page at the University of Maryland on Calendula states:

"Professional homeopaths often recommend using ointments with calendula to heal first-degree burns and sunburns."

That in itself should make a person extremely skeptical.

A better solution? Just put on some sunblock and/or cover up. Prevention vs. "cure" and all that. No, it's not impossible to avoid becoming sunburned. I have never gotten sun-burned at Burning Man even while working on stuff in the midday sun.

OK, point taken. It's great that you have never gotten sunburned at burning man, but prevention just doesn't always happen for some people. Perhaps I should rephrase my statement:

I am Irish and live in the high desert. I have tried every type of sunscreen there is. I understand that long sleeved clothing is the best prevention but find it uncomfortable in the midday sun. If I am exposed to the sun, calendula works great for me. I do not need any medical references to know it works for me. No, I do not sell this product for a living. It may or may not work for you, I am simply passing along information that I am grateful to have been given. Have a nice day!

[BBadger]

"Prevention just doesn't always happen" ... yes, well, some people believe that about such things as STDs and pregnancy too. Does Calendula work on genital sores too? But that's another topic...

Good that you've found some sort of ointment that works for you, but prevention is really the key.

In your case, you're probably using a poor sunblock application regimen. Remember to reapply. Forgetting to reapply is the usual problem/reason that sunblock doesn't "work" for people. It ain't no day-long pill. Also forgetting to apply to all surfaces, such as the top of your feet when wearing sandals, or the back of your arms near your elbows (that bit me this year) can cause surprise sunburns.

[mudpuppy000]

I've had pretty good luck with the coppertone sport sunscreen. Seems to last quite a while. I burn pretty easily, so I always wear hats and some sort of clothing to keep the direct sun off me as much as possible.

Watch out if you're riding bikes a lot, the backs of your knees are really prone to sunburn, and hurt like hell if they do.