You have just come back from a great day at the beach. You have enjoyed swimming, relaxing on the chairs for a sun tan, and you even had the chance to build a sand castle. As you walk in the door, you notice something that isn’t quite right. Your skin is staying heated.

Applying aloe vera gel to your skin will ease the uncomfortable symptoms of a sunburn. You can also put gauze or a loose cloth over the area to protect the burn and to prevent the gel from getting rubbed off.

Emu Oil is a natural anti-inflammatory that helps the skin heal quickly and re-hydrates burned tissue.  It is often used to treat burns, lacerations, and helps prevent scarring by promoting new, healthy skin cell growth.  Jojoba Oil is a naturally-derived plant extract that moisturizes and encourages healing.

And along with the vitamins take an aspirin. The aspirin will alleviate pain and inflammation. Take the aspirin for two days.

Doctors also recommend that you enjoy a twenty-minute soak in a cool bath to which you have added 1/2-cup baking soda.

Almost all creams available in the market are good enough for simple sunburns. You must make sure that vitamin E is an ingredient of the cream, though.

For slightly more aggravated sunburns, you can have a tub bath in cool water. Be sure to keep the sunburned parts of your skin for at least fifteen minutes in the water. There will be better effects if the water is in constant motion, like in a Jacuzzi.

You can apply antioxidant creams such as a topical vitamin C or vitamin E cream. According to Dr. Nicholas Perricone in 'The Wrinkle Cure,' one should be sure the vitamin C cream is vitamin C ester. Vitamin C ester is more easily absorbed into the skin because it is fat-soluble. In his personal experiments, Dr. Perricone discovered that sunburns treated with vitamin C ester healed in half the time as burns treated with other creams.

Menthol is also an anesthetic and helps block receptors providing a cooling effect to burns. Though temporary, the relief is welcome for severe sunburn. Aloe is also excellent at cooling while naturally healing.

Protect yourself from sunburns by using a broad-spectrum sunscreen of SPF 15, wear a wide brimmed hat, wear sunglasses, avoid moving out in the afternoons- 10 to 4 in the day. Cover yourself with protective clothing and take extra care when you are on heights, near the beach or sand.

Even the most careful people can accidentally get burned. Sunburns should be avoided at all costs, as they can significantly increase your risk for skin cancer. Severe burns can also make you ill. However, despite our efforts we often get burned.

A general rule of thumb when selecting or making a topical sunburn remedy is this: If it promotes moist and healthy skin, it's good. Give the body what it needs to promote healthy skin and then give nature the time to work her magic. The only exception to this is blistering sunburn.