It’s all very well being told to cover up, use adequate sunscreen or a hat, and for goodness sake keep out of the sun - but what if it’s too late?! What if your poor scalp is already burnt and now you just want to make it feel better?
- Drink plenty of water so your body can heal itself
- Stand in a cool or tepid shower a few times a day (moisturise afterwards)
- Use ice towels, ice packs or bags of frozen peas as cold compresses
- Take a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory painkiller such as Ibruprofen
- Avoid perfumed shampoos or toiletries; stick to unfragranced, SLS-free, alcohol-free natural products that won’t further irritate your skin.
- Don’t blow dry your hair
- Cover your head with a hat while you’re healing. Yes, it's too late to stop the burn that's already happened, but more sun damage won't help. Plus there are hats which actually have an SPF so check those out if you want a really serious solution to sunburnt scalps!
- Moisturise! If you’ve got a shaved or bald head, this is obviously a simpler process than if you’ve got hair.
If you’ve got hair over the burnt scalp, then try to moisturise as best you can at night. You might want to try applying 100% natural aloe vera gel overnight, then rinse it off in the morning.
For bare heads, slather on the Cooling Cream or Skin Salvation according to preference and severity of burns; if it’s blistering then use the ointment instead of a water-based cream. And do keep it topped up several times a day: you can’t over-apply moisturiser.
Pro Tip: Cooling Cream is a great way of keeping shaved heads in good condition, so use it as an aftershave cream every time you use the clippers or razor!
