The burn – sunburn, whipped body butter for sunburns

I am what is called a sun worshipper, give me any excuse to lie in the sun and catch a tan, I’m all over it. Theres something about Casper the Ghost white that’s just not for me, understandable for the winter months but not in Spring/Summer. Yes, I know that skin cancer is a real thing and that what I do is dangerous, this is not lost on me and I would encourage everyone to use high SPF levels of sunscreen whilst out in the sun. Naturally, this means that Im a do as I say, not as a do kind of person.

The weather in the Netherlands has been AMAZING this week, which is rare, unusual and unprecedented, which means that I naturally had to take advantage of it (I can’t begin to express how happy that I am winter is over and hopefully all the grey with it). It started out with a farmers tan, sitting in the back garden with the cats whilst reading, if the cats are happy in the sun, then I’m happy in the sun.

I had a light bulb moment of realising that I’m not far from the coast or the beach, hooray! Given that the hottest day of the year to date was being predicted, I decided to take advantage of it and go to the beach, that’s probably where I should have realised it was a bad idea and I would have been better in the garden with the cats.

I am a pampered princess, I can’t deny it. I’m a creature of luxury and camping or roughing it in any form has never been for me. My mother taught me at a young age that ‘camping’ was staying in a 2 star hotel or a motel and this is something that has been ingrained me in since a young child, which probably explains a lot about me.

I opted for what is considered to be the most popular beach near Amsterdam, Zandvoort aan Zee. I have to say that I was disappointed because it just wasn’t as nice as I was expecting. I understand that after spending a lot of time in Spain, its clean beaches and nice pools have ruined me. I just wasnt expecting dog excrement amongst the debris on the beach, it just added an extra level of grossness for me, which then heightened my germ OCD. I spent a few hours at the beach, quite literally sizzling like bacon in the sun and long enough to be utterly covered in sand, despite never leaving my blanket. I havent been quite so happy to get home and take a shower in a long time.

On the way home I was feeling ‘warm’, my skin was starting to feel more tender than wagyu beef and a tenderloin put together. I hoped that it was my skin turning into a healthy brown glow… no, no it was not. By the time I got home, I realised that I needed to start applying moisturisers and lotions and basically anything that would make it less ouchy (technical term). I decided to have a look too, you know, in the mirror to see how bad it was…. So I did my own version of The Scream by Edvard Munch and realised why it hurt when I sat down, because my legs (and all other areas) were various shades of red. I can already tell that I’m going to peel, which does not give me something to look forward to.

 

Sometimes aloe vera isn’t enough and that Id decided to make a body butter specifically for sunburns. Heres my body butter for sunburn, whilst it did help, it sadly wasn’t the overnight remedy I was looking for. I’m currently on day 2 of rubbing various potions into my skin to make it better. Yes the red is less, which is good but it does still hurt to sleep/lay down/move or wear any form of form-fitting clothing. Best decision made on the day was not to opt for the nudist beach because quite frankly, no one needs burnt bits!

DIY Whipped Body Butter For Sunburn

Makes: 240g(ish) Prep time: 5 mins Cooling time: 3+ hours Overall time: 4 hours minimum

• 1/3 C (75g) Shea butter
• 1/3 C (75g) Cocoa butter
• 3 tablespoons (45g) Mango butter
• 1/8 cup (25g) Coconut oil
• 2 teaspoons (10ml) Sweet almond oil
• 2 teaspoons (10ml) Castor oil – I use camomile infused version that I’ve made myself
• 1 teaspoon (5ml) Advocado oil
• 1 teaspoon (5ml) Apricot Kernel Oil
• 1 teaspoon Vitamin E oil
• 1 tablespoon of cornstarch (this takes out some of the greasy feel but not entirely)
• 3 drops of each of the essential oils– Peppermint, Lavender, Tea tree, Frankincense, Eucalyptus and Lemon
• Clean pots to put your product into or when all else fails, Tupperware!

How to make this burn healing body butter:

1. Over a double boiler combine the shea butter, cocoa butter, coconut oil, mango butter, sweet almond oil, castor oil, avocado oil and apricot kernel oil. Once its all completely melted, combined and no lumps at all, remove from the heat.

2. Allow your mixture to cool for 15-20 minutes. Once it has cooled down, add in your essential oils, vitamin e oil and cornstarch (you may want to sieve this in to avoid any lumps or beat very vigorously until they have all been mixed). If you add the essential oil whilst your butters and oils are melting or still very hot, they will be damaged by temperatures in excess of 100F (38C). This can result in reducing their therapeutic value and may cause skin irritation.

3. Now the waiting game starts, you need to wait for the mixture to cool down to the point that it has solidified before you can start whipping it. For me, this literally took HOURS (and given that I was feeling the burn, it felt much longer!). You want the mixture to be more of a solid and have no liquid like texture, so when you put the beaters in your mixture, you can visibly see where the beaters touched. Once it is good to go, use your hand mixer and whip it good! I whipped mine for easily 5 minutes but probably closer to 10, you want medium peaks but not soft floppy peaks.

4. Now to take your whipped body butter and put it in a pot and label them. I made two pots of 60g and one pot of 120g. When putting it in the pot, you will need to tap the air out of the pot where you’re putting it in the pot. I lightly (or not so lightly) tap the pot against a counter top to release any air bubbles in the pot, yes, this does make the lotion slightly less airy but not enough to make a difference and it ensures you fill your pot entirely.

 

Why I used the essential oils that I did?

• Peppermint: is a natural painkiller and helps soothe burnt areas by providing a cooling sensation.
• Lavender: reduces the sting of burns and reduces redness. Due to its antimicrobial properties, it’ll speed up healing, allowing your body to recover faster.
• Frankincense: helps to rejuvenate the skin by hydrating and providing the necessary moisture (and is generally awesome for skin).
• Eucalyptus:  it numbs the pain, has antibacterial properties that protect the sensitive, sunburned skin from infection.
• Lemon: speeds up healing
• Tea tree: has anti-inflammatory properties which help to prevent infection and swelling following a sunburn.

Honestly there are tons of other essential oils that you could add, so you can play around with it and swap out different oils if you wanted or didn’t like the scent of a specific one.

*Notes: you do not have to whip this body butter, you can use it as is once it’s solidified, however, whipping it gives it a fluffier and lighter texture. This body butter does have a greasy texture

*When making body butters, potions, lotions, soaps or any body product, always make sure that the equipment, spoons, bowls etc you use will NEVER be used for edible purposes again and are only used to make body products with.

*When using any essential oils directly or indirectly on skin, ensure that you stay out of sunlight or UV rays for up to 12 hours after application. This might sound quirky but as per this article, the combination of sun and essential oils can cause the skin to severely burn and blister.

Remember to share with friends or just keep it all for yourself! 🙂