Facebook user Cindi Allen-Stewart recently shared her DIY sunburn hack in a post with friends. But it didn’t just help a few of her besties, her post blew up, with almost 50,000 comments and more than 220,000 shares. So what’s her secret? Shaving cream.
But not just any shaving cream will do. To soothe a sunburn, Allen-Stewart’s tip is slather on some menthol shaving cream. She posted pics of her lobster-red back fading to a less intense blush after spending an hour coated in the foamy stuff. Her advice is to leave the shaving cream on for 30 minutes and then wash it off in a lukewarm shower. If the burn is still sore the next day, do it again.
"It may seem like it's a strange shaving ritual, but trust me! Don't rub it in, just let it sit on your skin,” Allen-Stewart writes. “It will start bringing all that heat out (you'll be able to feel it). You may feel like you are itchy too, but that's a good thing! Itching means healing.”
Dermatologists agree that menthol will cool the skin, so it helps with the discomfort. And dermatologist Howard Sobel adds, “If there is aloe in the shaving cream, it will work as an anti-inflammatory and help relieve the irritation of burnt skin.” So next time you get a sunburn, slather on the menthol shaving cream.