How to Relieve Sunburns Naturally Based On Your Ayurvedic Dosha

You run, you play, and you’re out in the summer sun all day! The next morning, you wake up only to feel hot, sweaty, and burning. Getting lost in the heat of the summer has put you in the heat of a sunburn.
 
Sunburns can cause you to feel somewhat flu-like symptoms because, even though they look like they’re just affecting the surface of the skin, so much is working overdrive beneath your skin to repair the damage.
 
But Ayurveda can help! Ayurveda is an ancient science of the mind-body that enlightens us and brings us back toward balance and longevity. As the author of Idiot’s Guide to Ayurveda, I specialize in making this health system easy for people to understand so you can begin to benefit from its ancient wisdom today.
 
With there being a few mind-body types, referred to as doshas, this allows us to peer into how to treat each type specifically.
 
Recommended Read: What Are the Doshas? Here’s Everything You Need to Know
 

Here Are 3 Natural Sunburn Remedies Based On Your Ayurvedic Dosha:

Try these natural sunburn remedies based on your Ayurvedic dosha this summer to keep playing all summer long!
 

1. Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate

You may notice feeling extra thirsty when you have a sunburn, but this isn’t just because you feel hot. Internally your body is working super hard to heal the skin and needs some extra hydration to do so!
 
Each dosha should eat and drink what’s right for them during the summer season. Here’s what that looks like:
 
Vata is the driest of all the doshas and will need a little extra kick to quench dehydration beyond just water. Aloe juice, honeydew melon, and cucumber are rejuvenating additions that contain electrolytes, vitamins, and minerals to help you stay hydrated.
 
Pitta is fiery and will need to take extra steps to cool down. Coconut water, celery, and watermelon are go-to picks all summer season to keep pitta cool and calm.
 
Kapha is the wateriest of the doshas, but still requires proper hydration. In order to avoid adding too many sweets, Kapha types should go for a high quality, low sugar lemonade, some romaine lettuce, and green apples.
 

2. Ayurvedic Oil Application

In Ayurveda, oil application is called abyangha which not only nourishes and heals the skin, but is meant to nourish the soul as well! In Sanskrit (Ayurveda’s ancient language), the word “oil” can be translated into sneha which means “love.”
 
As you’re preparing to oil up a nasty sunburn, keep your mind immersed in love and watch your healing accelerate tenfold!
 
Each dosha requires a little something different, so when choosing a healing oil for the summer use the following as a guide:
 
Vata should use a nourishing castor oil as it contains antibacterial properties. Castor oil is also a little heavy, which will add some needed grounding to airy Vatas.
 
Pitta will want an anti-inflammatory oil, due to being a mostly firey body type. Coconut oil is an excellent choice as it is cooling, antibacterial, and antifungal.
 
Kapha should gravitate towards something light and that keeps the blood moving. Neem oil is a great choice as it stimulates the blood flow to bring nourishment to the skin.
 

3. Cool ACV Bath

Add about a cup of high-quality apple cider vinegar (ACV) to a cool water bath. Taking a cool, ACV bath is beneficial to each body type with a summer sunburn as the apple cider vinegar is anti-bacterial, anti-microbial, anti-fungal . . . anti-anything bad!
 
These properties will help the skin heal and alleviate itchiness as the sunburn begins to peel off.
 

A Final Note On Ayurvedic Remedies For Sunburns

There are a couple other remedies all body types can use to heal a sunburn. These include brahmi oil, turmeric-infused oils, and aloe vera gel. Oils infused with certain healing herbs, such as turmeric, will help significantly bring down all inflammation and irritation.
 
Keep your chin up and don’t let a silly sunburn ruin any part of your summer. By slipping a few tips and tricks into your back pocket, Ayurveda can help you stay happy with natural sunburn remedies all summer long!
 

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