What do you do when your sunscreen fails you royally? For example, Cassandra loves Versed, but one of their sunscreens was horrible. It was The Versed Guards Up daily sunscreen, and there was actually some drama about it on the internet. There was a less-than-ideal manufacturing situation, and some of the products came out gritty. But, Cassandra didn’t know this when it first came out. So, upon buying this, Cassandra was shocked to discover how terrible it was. When she rubbed it on, the grit was so terrible. It felt like an exfoliating product. So, he left it on the back of her shelf, and it expired. 

But, when she used it again before going to the beach, she burned her skin so badly that she couldn’t even lie down. The sunscreen even blistered. If you’re experiencing a similar situation, firstly, don’t peel the skin off. Rather, take the proper steps for the sunburn can heal properly. So, what are the proper steps? Below, we’re sharing Cassandra’s body skincare routine for healing sunburns.

First, she took a shower afterward to avoid irritation from dirt, oil, and debris.

Nécessaire The Body Wash - With Niacinamide, Vitamins + Plant Surfactants - $25 

This has soothing niacinamide and antioxidants like lemon and apple. Cassandra’s skin loves it! Though to be honest, she would recommend an antibacterial soap as more of a general recommendation. Because a bad sunburn really hurts, showering can hurt too. One way to ease the discomfort is taking a cool shower. This will alleviate some of the sunburn’s discomfort. A warm shower could make it worse. If even the pressure from the showerhead is painful, you can take a cool bath. Although the cool water may be a bit uncomfortable, it’s best to keep the skin cool and moist when healing a sunbrun. 

Elta Md Skin Recovery Serum - $59.50 

When you get out of the shower, you may find that your sunburn is stinging even more from the water pressure or water temperature. So, how can we get the skin to calm down? As mentioned before, hydration is a great way to do this. However,  you don’t want to suffocate the sunburn by putting something on it like putting petrolatum. Cassandra would recommend something lightweight and healing like the Elta MD Skin Recovery serum. This was something created by dermatologists, and it helps to recover a damaged skin barrier. 

This serum is meant to reduce oxidative stress, and it goes on very nicely. The serum contains centella asiatica, a very soothing antioxidant. It also has glycerin and sodium hyaluronate, two amazing humectants. In particular, sodium hyaluronate is amazing for wound healing, and it’s got amino acids that are super supportive to the skin. When Cassandra puts this on, it immediately feels very soothing. 

Dr. Sam’s Flawless Revival Mask -$42

This is from Dr. Sam Bunting, who is an amazing cosmetic derm. Although this is a face mask, it offers deep hydration for the body. You can use this as a face/body mask and rinse it off, or you can use this as an overnight face/body mask. This is amazing, and it’s so luxurious on the skin. It has water, shea butter, niacinamide, and glycerin. Basically, it has all of the hydrating and skin-supporting things you can think of for the face and body.

Biossance SPF 30 Squalane + Zinc Sheer Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30 PA +++ -$46 

This is completely mineral, and it’s extremely gentle so it won’t irritate the skin even if you have a bad sunburn. Make sure you reapply, and check the expiration date!

Photocred: Pexels