You’ve probably had a bowl or two of oatmeal for breakfast in the morning. Maybe you’ve used oats to make some homemade granola. We all love a warm and chewy oatmeal raisin cookie that comes straight out of the oven. Did you know that you can use oatmeal paste for sunburn? This natural remedy works when you’ve spent too much time out in the sun, but it’s also really beneficial for your skin in general.

The Benefits of Oatmeal for the Skin

Oats very well may be the most potent and soothing item that you have in your home when it comes to your skin. Oats are packed with essential nutrients that help your skin glow and look younger. This includes:
-Vitamin E
-Magnesium
-Zinc
-Phosphorus
-Selenium

Of course, you’ll want to stick with the plan variety. Using flavored oatmeal is only going to lead to sticky and irritated skin.

Whether you have oily skin, dry skin, or a combination of both these skin types, oatmeal can help balance your skin in a way that you can’t achieve from even the most expensive skincare products. It can also act as a cleanser, moisturizer, exfoliating scrub, and acne treatment.

How to Make Oatmeal Paste

There are a couple of different ways that you can make an oatmeal paste for your skin. If you have a food processor, you can pulverize the oats until they become a very fine powder. Adding a little bit of water at a time will allow you to turn your oatmeal into a paste. It usually takes about 50 percent oatmeal to 50 percent water. The consistency should be similar to construction spackle. If you’re treating sunburn, use cold water to make the paste. The coolness from the water will help draw out some of the heat from the sunburn. It will also help hydrate the area of the skin that is badly irritated and burned from the sun.

You can also make the oatmeal paste from regular, whole oats. You may need to allow the oats to absorb a little bit of the water in order to get a good paste going. You would apply the whole oats the same way that you would the finer paste.

To apply, hold the paste on the area that you want to treat. You can do this with your hand, or you can apply some of the paste to a washcloth. Try to leave it on for about ten minutes if you can. Rinse away with cool water once you’re done. If you’re trying to treat sunburn on the majority of your body, you can add oatmeal to your bath water for a soothing remedy.

Other Ways to Naturally Treat Sunburns

There are a number of natural remedies that you can use to help your sunburned skin feel and look better. Many of these items are probably already in your pantry or home.

Aloe

Aloe is a plant that you can rub right onto your skin to relieve irritation from the sun, a burn, or a bug bite. You can easily grow an aloe plant at home. Whenever you need to treat your skin, you simply break off a piece to use.

Honey

Ancient Egyptians were known for using honey as a natural skin remedy. Whether dealing with sunburn or another skin irritation, honey can reduce inflammation, soothe the skin, and prevent infection.

Witch Hazel

There are astringent properties to witch hazel that will help prevent infection from sunburn that has badly irritated the skin. You swipe witch hazel over your irritated skin with a cotton ball.

While oatmeal paste works really well for sunburned skin, it’s a good idea to limit the amount of time that you spend in the sun. Getting your vitamin D naturally can be beneficial for the body, but don’t let your skin become burned or damaged. This can lead to issues such as premature aging, sun spots, or even skin cancer. If you want to spend extra time in the sun, you can cover up your skin with clothing that will block UV rays. You can also use a safe sunscreen to protect your delicate skin.