Apple Cider Vinegar for Sunburn – 8 Face Mist & Mask Receipts

Apple cider vinegar is a well-known natural remedy for many conditions. Apart from adding a sweet flavor to their salad dressings, people often use it to help with weight loss.

But, during hot summer months, one use of apple cider vinegar gradually gains in popularity – this humble natural product can help you treat sunburned skin, ease the pain and speed up the recovery process.

Related Article: Natural Home Remedies for Sunburn Relief – 8 DIY Face Mask Recipes

What Is Apple Cider Vinegar?

Apple cider vinegar is fermented juice from crushed apples. It is full of nutrients, such as pectin, biotin, niacin, folic acid, minerals, and vitamins B1, B2, B6, and C.

Apple cider vinegar is a popular folk remedy and it is often used to help control indigestion, diabetes, osteoporosis, leg cramps, high blood pressure, etc. Because of its acidic pH and astringent properties, people also like to use diluted apple cider vinegar as a natural skin toner.

Why Apple Cider Vinegar Works For Sunburn?

If you think that putting something as acidic as apple cider vinegar to a sunburn doesn’t make sense, you would be (kind of) right. Pure apple cider vinegar could irritate the skin and even worsen the condition.

However, when properly diluted, apple cider vinegar can actually help your sunburn to heal faster. It is antibacterial, antiseptic and it has a cooling effect on the skin.

Apple cider vinegar contains acetic acid, which may help reduce inflammation and irritation, while malic acid stimulates the blood flow and may promote the healing process. Apple cider vinegar also may help prevent the sunburn from getting infected and can help you ease the swelling and uncomfortable stinging sensation.

How to Use Apple Cider Vinegar for Sunburn?

The following remedies are only recommended for mild to moderate sunburns. You shouldn’t be applying them to blistering skin or using them to treat severe cases. In case you’ve got severe sunburns, talk to your doctor as soon as possible.

1.    Diluted apple cider vinegar Mist

This is the simplest sunburn remedy you can make – even if all you have is apple cider vinegar, you can still help your skin to heal faster. You will need:

• apple cider vinegar
• water

The exact amounts depend on the size of the sunburned area you want to treat. The most often recommended ratio is 1 : 1, but if your skin is sensitive and reactive, you can use even 6 times more water than apple cider vinegar.

In either case, for small sunburns, just dip cotton pads into the mixture and gently dab on the affected areas a few times a day. To cover larger patches of skin, you can soak a washcloth in the mixture or use a spray bottle.

If large patches of your skin have been sunburned, you can also make an apple cider vinegar bath. All you have to do is add 1 – 2 cups of apple cider vinegar to your bathwater and soak in it for around 30 minutes each day until your sunburns subside. The water should be lukewarm or cool – you should never use hot water on sunburns.

2.  Apple Cider Vinegar and Aloe Vera Gel Mist

Aloe vera is often called the “burn plant”. People love using it for treating sunburns because it soothes and replenishes the skin, helps it to heal and has an anti-inflammatory effect. The following spray can help you reduce swelling, ease the pain, and enhance the skin regeneration process.

• ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
• ½ cup water
• 1 – 2 tablespoons aloe vera gel

This sunburn remedy is fast and easy to make. All you have to do is pour all the ingredients into a spray bottle. Shake the bottle well until everything is combined.

Spray the mixture generously to all the sunburned areas a few times a day. Keep the bottle in the fridge in between uses, for some added cooling effect.

3.  Apple Cider Vinegar and Oatmeal Bath

Oats have a lot to offer to burned, inflamed skin. They are full of antioxidants, plus they soothe and moisturize the skin and repair the damaged skin barrier. To make an all-natural bath that is great for your sunburns, you will need:

• 1 – 2 cups of apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup of ground oatmeal or colloidal oatmeal
• ½ cup of baking soda

Add all three ingredients to a tub filled with lukewarm water and stir a bit with your hand to dissolve everything. Then sink in and relax for the next 30 minutes. Use this method once a day for the next few days, until your sunburned skin starts to heal and the itching reduces.

4.  Apple Cider Vinegar and Baking Soda Mask

Baking soda is alkaline in nature and it is a natural antiseptic. It can help you soothe inflamed skin and relieve the itching sensation.

You can also add peppermint, tea tree, or lavender essential oil to this treatment. However, be careful with that – though these essential oils can enhance the healing, in some people they can aggravate the skin even further and worsen the condition. Patch-test the mixture before applying it to your sunburns!

• 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon of baking soda
• 3 – 4 drops peppermint, tea tree or lavender essential oil – optional

Put all the ingredients into a small bowl and mix well to form a smooth, even paste. Apply the treatment to your sunburns and leave it on for around 10 minutes or until it dries. Then wash it off with cool water.

5.  Apple Cider Vinegar and Honey Mask

Honey has natural antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. Its enzymes stimulate the skin to repair itself. Honey is also a humectant, so it replenishes dry, dehydrated sunburned skin. It can be used to treat numerous skin conditions, including acne, irritations, stings and bites, dry patches, premature aging signs and, of course – sunburns.

• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 – 2 tablespoons water – optional

In a small bowl, mix well the apple cider vinegar and honey. If you want, you can add a little bit of water to the mixture, to dilute the vinegar a bit more and make sure it won’t irritate your skin.

Apply this mixture to your sunburns every day for a few days, until your skin heals. Just leave it on for 10 – 15 minutes, then wash off with cool water.

6.  Apple Cider Vinegar and Potato Juice Mask

Potato juice is another great natural remedy that can help you soothe the stinging sensation and reduce the inflammation. This treatment can rehydrate the sunburned patches of your skin and strengthen the skin’s protective barrier.

• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon water
• 1 tablespoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon potato juice

In a small bowl, first, mix the apple cider vinegar and water. Add the potato juice and baking soda and mix everything well together. You should get a smooth, runny paste.

Apply the treatment to your sunburns once a day. Leave it on for 10 – 15 minutes, then wash off with cold water.

7.   Herbal Spray with Apple Cider Vinegar

Fresh or dried herbs have been used for centuries to treat various skin and medical conditions. When it comes to sunburns, the herbs that can help you the most are mint (for its cooling, soothing effect), lavender (it is antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antiseptic) and plantain (anti-inflammatory, antitoxic and antimicrobial).

• ½ cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons of any herb of your choice
• 1 cup of water

Boil 1 cup of water. Add the herbs, stir, and remove from the heat. When the mixture cools down, strain it and add the apple cider vinegar to the liquid. Pour the mixture into a spray bottle, shake well, and apply to all the areas you want to treat. You can repeat this a few times a day. In between uses, keep the mixture in the fridge.

8.  Apple Cider Vinegar and Olive Oil Mask

Olive oil contains polyphenol compounds that protect the skin and help with the repair of damaged areas. Olive oil thoroughly moisturizes, nourishes, and conditions the skin. This oil can help soothe almost any skin condition that involves inflammation, sensitivity, dryness, and itching. And with sunburns, you get all of that.

• 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

This is one of the fastest and easiest natural sunburn treatments you can make at home. Just mix the apple cider vinegar and olive oil well together. Apply the mixture to all affected areas. Leave it on for 10 – 15 minutes, then wash off.

Precautions/Warnings for Using Apple Cider Vinegar

Even though apple cider vinegar is a great natural skin enhancer that can help you control many skin problems such as sunburn relief, you should be very careful when applying it to your skin. Undiluted apple cider vinegar is known to cause severe irritations and even chemical burns! That is why you should always dilute it with at least an equal amount of water.

Other than diluting it, you should always perform a patch test before applying treatments with apple cider vinegar to larger areas of your skin. Even though it is perfectly safe for most people, you never know how your skin is going to react.

For treating sunburns on your face, don’t risk the solution getting into your eyes! Rather than using a spray bottle, soak cotton pads in the mixture and apply it that way to your face.

How to Get Healthy Skin in Summer that is Nourished and Plump?

Due to the higher UV ray exposure in summer, it speeds up the aging process of the skin. Therefore, it’s important to wear sun protection and treat your skin with nutrient-rich organic skin care. Shop our recommended nourishing organic herbal skincare to help keep your skin healthy in summer: