It can happen to the best of us. On a recent trip to Greece, I forgot to sunscreen my left shoulder. And I got quite a burn. Can last about a month but here are some quick tips to soothe the itching and pain.

1. NO direct ice – Cool COMPRESS is BEST.

Burn skin is too frail for ice to be directly placed. Wrapping ice in a towel or better yet soaking a cloth in ice water and hold it over the burn. This will absorb some of the heat from your skin, constrict blood vessels, and reduce swelling.

Repeat this process every few minutes as the cloth warms up. Apply the compress several times a day for 10 to 15 minutes 

2. Take a cool bath or shower—and skip the soap. NO SOAP!!

After being in the sun, the first thing you want to do is rinse off and cool off—but no sudsing up. Bubble bath and soap dry out and irritate sunburned skin. A cool bath is a better option.

3. Soak in soothing oatmeal.

Add colloidal oatmeal to a cool bath helps tamp down inflammation and reduces itching. Don’t have colloidal oatmeal bath at home? Grind up plain oats in your food processor and add to your tub. Mix the oatmeal treatment with cool bath water and soak for 15 to 20 minutes. Afterward, gently pat your skin dry with a clean towel. Rubbing your skin to dry off will only irritate it further.

4. Use Baking Soda.

The best way of using baking soda is to make a cool compress or have a bath with it, although here are some alternative remedies. Add it to your oatmeal bath and cool compresses. Its alkaline property provides a soothing effect on sunburn.

• Its antiseptic property heals the skin.
• It can help to soothe skin, reduce itching and inflammation.
• It has a cooling effect and helps to retain the moisture of the skin.
• It balances the pH levels (or) acid – alkaline levels of the skin to promote faster healing.

5. Apply hydrocortisone cream.

Minimize itching, soothe skin irritation, and reduce inflammation with a topical lotion, spray, or ointment containing 1% hydrocortisone, or other rash relief creams.

Hydrocortisone has anti-inflammatory properties, which means it will reduce redness and ease the pain of mild sunburns.

6. Stay hydrated.

You need to drink plenty of water to help counteract the drying effects of a sunburn. But if you can’t guzzle fast enough, snack on hydrating fruits and vegetables, like watermelon, cucumber, strawberries, tomatoes, grapefruit, and cantaloupe—all of which are more than 90% water.

7. Moisturize – NO OINTMENTS (aka Vaseline).

After you’ve gently rinsed off, apply a moisturizing cream or lotion to lock in hydration. Avoid creams that are highly fragranced or have exfoliating properties like salicylic acid or glycolic. It’s just too sensitive and these will all be irritants. Try chilling your moisturizer in the fridge before applying.

Avoid products that contain petroleum (like Vaseline) as they can trap in heat.