Homemade AfterSun Sunburn Relief Gel with Essential oils
The Sun is beginning to shine, and we are spending more time outside. So how many of you have had the yearly sunburn yet? Don’t let the pain get you down, we have the best AfterSun Sunburn Relief Gel! And it’s homemade from natural ingredients!

This article originally published July 20, 2016, and has been updated for your convenience. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no cost to you.
Natural Sunburn Relief Gel
The great thing about this homemade AfterSun Sunburn relief gel is that it is made from natural ingredients. And only 3 ingredients at that!

All ingredients are known for being quality ingredients for your skin too! Plus it is so easy to toss together a jar of this in under 5 minutes for quick sunburn relief!

Sunburn Relief Gel Ingredients:
- 100% pure aloe vera Gel
- Pure Lavender Essential Oil
- Pure Peppermint Essential Oil
- Small hermetic jar

If you want the best results with this Aftersun Sunburn relief gel you need to use as pure of ingredients as possible. Not all essential oils are made equally. And as I was shopping for Aloe Vera, I discovered not all aloe vera is created equally as well.
Ensure you acquire pure essential oil without additives or dilutants.
Also, ensure you get Aloe Vera Gel as natural and as Pure as you can. While the “other stuff” WILL work, it won’t work as quickly or to the same level of quality.
Aloe Vera Gel has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, and also contains active compounds that may decrease pain. Plus, what else is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of sunburn relief?
For me, it’s always been Aloe Vera Gel! So naturally, that is our base.

I found the Clean + Easy Soothe Aloe Vera Gel on Amazon and it was much better than what I could find in my stores here. It is also what they have at my local salon for treatment on the skin after hair removal and I liked how it felt.
UPDATE – At the release of this recipe, the Clean + Easy soothe aloe vera was the best option available in quality at the time. But since then better options have become available on the market. Now you can find even more natural Organic aloe vera gel and cold-pressed aloe vera gels online.
Simply read the ingredients and watch for Aloe Vera Gels that say 100% and Cold-pressed. Ingredients usually are basic and are limited to Cold-Pressed Organic Aloe Vera (99.75%), Citric Acid, Ascorbic Acid, Potassium Sorbate, and Xanthan.
Search for PURE ALOE VERA GEL on AMAZON.

Why Essential Oils for Sunburn relief.
Lavender Essential oil is known to be a great healer for all kinds of skin ailments such as bug bites, itching, stretch marks and more. It is also perfect for Sunburns. It calms the skin and helps it heal faster than aloe vera gel alone.
Lavender Essential oil also reduces the amount of peeling and itching you will suffer after a sunburn if you apply immediately. Frequent use can also reduce the amount of scarring.
Peppermint Essential Oil is an instant soother. It helps to stop your skin from continuing to burn. But it also has an instant cooling effect that helps your skin from hurting. It penetrates and soothes the pain.

Together the Lavender and Peppermint oils help the Aloe Vera gel to instantly
- Stop the excessive pain from the sunburn
- Stop the burning
- Offer an instant cooling effect
- Soothes and moisturizes
- Leaves your skin feeling soft, smooth and much happier
- Reduces the chance of peeling and itching later
- Allows the sunburn to turn into a tan instead of peeling off.
Best of all I can have a summer’s sunburn relief gel supply ready in under 5 minutes! It is so easy to put together! And if you put your gel into cute little hermetic jars they make great gifts too!
Sunburn Relief Gel Directions
Add 3 Tablespoons Pure Aloe Vera Gel into a small Hermetic jar. I found mine at Micheals. But you can also find some cute ones on Amazon as well. You will want about 2- 3 oz jars for this recipe.


After you add the Aloe Vera Gel into the jar then you will add 15 drops pure Lavender Essential Oil.

Add 15 drops Pure Peppermint Essential Oil.

With a stick or back end of a spoon stir until the oils and aloe vera are mixed well. It will turn your aloe vera slightly cloudy.


Then Seal the lid and it is ready to use!
I prefer this easy homemade AfterSun Sunburn Relief Gel to lotions because it
- Soaks into my skin faster
- Doesn’t leave a greasy residue
- Instantly soothes my skin
- Smooths and softens
- Instantly calms burning pain from the sunburn
- Only 3 ingredients
- Faster and easier to make
You will want to apply instantly after you have spent any time out in the sun. Even if you applied sunscreen and didn’t get burned. It will help to condition your skin.

But it is especially important to apply instantly after a sunburn. And continue to apply every few hours or whenever the sunburn is causing pain, feels dry or itches.
Not only will your skin look and feel amazing, but it will also smell amazing! I honestly love the scent, as it is very light but refreshing at the same time.

I’m normally not a fan of lavender oil. Call me crazy but to me, it just doesn’t smell good. It actually gives me a headache if you can believe that.
BUT, combined with the aloe vera and peppermint oil it mellows it enough that I actually love the scent and it even soothes headaches from spending too much time outside in the hot sun.
HOMEMADE AFTERSUN SUNBURN RELIEF GEL WITH ESSENTIAL OILS

Say Goodbye to Painful, Itchy, Peeling sunburns! This Homemade AfterSun Sunburn Relief Gel instantly Soothes, Cools, heals and moisturizes your skin.
Materials
- 3 Tablespoons Pure Aloe Vera Gel
- small Hermetic jar (2- 3 oz)
- 15 drops pure Lavender Essential Oil
- 15 drops Pure Peppermint Essential Oil
Instructions
- Add 3 Tablespoons Pure Aloe Vera Gel into a small Hermetic jar.
- Add 15 drops pure Lavender Essential Oil
- Add 15 drops Pure Peppermint Essential Oil.
- With a stick or back end of a spoon stir until the oils and aloe vera are mixed well. It will turn your aloe vera slightly cloudy.
- Seal the lid and it is ready to use!
Notes
- This is one of those times where the quality of the ingredients will definitely make a difference. Try to get the highest quality of Aloe Vera and Essential Oils that you can find. What you find in a general store will be effective, but the better the quality of ingredients, the greater the effectiveness of the gel.
- If you absolutely despise the lavender or peppermint oil scent, you can try adding different essential oils that are known to heal and condition skin, like Eucalyptus Oil or Orange Sweet Oil.
- You can store the jars sealed in a cupboard away from sunlight. It usually lasts about a year and still remains potent enough to soothe the skin!
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If you absolutely despise the lavender or peppermint oil scent, you could try adding different essential oils that are known to heal and condition skin, like Eucalyptus Oil or Orange Sweet Oil.
But they may not offer the same skin benefits. But it is a good alternative if you have issues with either of those oils.
You can store the jars sealed in a cupboard away from sunlight. It actually lasts a long time and still remains potent enough to soothe the skin!
UPDATE: I’ve actually had a jar for about a year, and it still works. Not as potent as when it was first mixed. But still works. It also can become a little runnier the older the gel gets. But it can still be used. But making a fresh batch at the beginning of summer every year is ideal.
Or for some extra soothing store one in the fridge to stay cold. Can’t you just imagine how amazing that will feel on burning sunburns? Or any kind of skin irritation even!
Now go enjoy your days in the sun and don’t worry about your skin afterward (though, do always remember the sunscreen)! Have a jar of this Aftersun Sunburn Relief handy to apply when you come indoors!
Sunburn or not it will feel amazing to slather on after any time outdoors.
And if you happen to get an accidental sunburn, you have the best AfterSun Sunburn relief gel ready and waiting for you.

What is your favorite Sunburn Relief Method?
If you liked our Aftersun Sunburn Relief Gel, be sure to PIN it and share with your friends and family.

Check Out these other Resource articles that include Essential Oils!
50 Uses for Lavender Essential Oils

Top 10 Essential Oils Every Home should have


Benefits of Garlic Essential Oil

Also try this amazing Basil Lime Body Scrub for even more amazingly Soft Skin!

My wife and I are always back and forth about essential oils, and how they are best used. Though we both believe they are helpful, this is exactly my point that they are best used as an assist to established remedies, like aloe vera gel. I love this idea, and extra points go towards such a cute little jar!
I love that this is so easy to make. My husband turns into a lobster so easily every time we go to the beach or go hiking. I need to keep a large jar of this in the house, because he’ll go through it so quickly.
The crazy thing is that my husband has been sunburned before…Through his pants while he was driving to work!!! That is when we learned that fabric/clothing each has a UV blocking rating and his pants definitely failed. lol. Let’s just say I’m glad I have this for the next time this happens. Cause even though we think we are protected with sunscreen, it always happens that someone gets sunburned through clothing at least once a summer cause we didn’t realize a shirt or shorts weren’t a good UV blocker.
I love the color! Fortunately I’m not prone to sunburning but this is such a great tip to know for my husband, who burns easily! I still remember him being in such pain for the entirety of a trip!
I’ve never used a home treatment for sunburn, but this is a really good idea that looks like something I could even do. I love finding something that works that doesn’t require a trip to the doctor.
You had me at easy and “only 3 ingredients” . Thanks for the great tips. I am not exposed to the sun as much as when I was younger, but this is still great to know and have on-hand for when my kids or I may need it. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for sharing. Definitely going to make and take !!!
Is there a way to use aloe plants to make the aloe gel in this?
Yes! Absolutely! Open the Aloe vera plant and scrape out the aloe vera gel from the inside of the plant and use that in place of the aloe vera gel in the recipe.
When looking online for an aloe vera gel I’m finding that a lot of the best reviewed products have more of a watery consistency instead of an actual gel. Would these still work well with this particular recipe?
It could still work, but the consistency would be a little different. But the combination of the aloe vera and the essential oils are the most important part of getting relief from the sunburn.
Thanks for the EO Advise. I love EO for headaches etc. I have probably 100 aloe plants counting pups. Glad i can use with EO. I’ve Just been slicing open and appling the gel on daughter snd grandkids. Thanks again.
Growing up, my mom had a lot of aloe vera plants and that is what we did. It always felt nice. I’m currently growing my own Aloe vera plants so I can do that too, and add the essential oils to it. Fresh is always best. ๐ The lavender helps it heal quickly. And peppermint helps to cool and reduces chances of infection. Not to mention it all just smells good. haha.
Other essential oils to consider:
Sage (anti-inflammatory)
Clove (has a numbing effect)
Rosemary (close relative of lavender)
Yarrow (good pain reliever)
Wintergreen (close relative of mint)
Dandelion is also an excellent pain reliever, but very hard to find as an essential oil. But, you can make your own by simmering dandelion blossoms in a mild oil (like safflower or almond); it will keep for a while in a dark, cool place.
If you find youโre not getting enough relief, try adding a few of these extras.
Thank you for this recipe! I just want to comment about the fact that the smell of Lavender typically gives you a headache. I always had the same problem and thought I was the odd man out, for it seemed everyone but me loved the smell of Lavender. However, I now know that it is the low grade of most Lavender on the market that I can’t handle. The only thing I can tolerate is 100% pure premium grade Lavender. And funny enough, now that I have found it, it actually is one of my favourite EO’s!
I think you are spot on! I started growing Lavendar plants this year in my garden and I absolutely LOVE the scent! I can’t use any box store brand oil in lavender, it needs to be premium grade in order for it to not give me headaches.
I love using Aloe Vera in the summer to soothe my skin but I’ve never made a sunburn relief gel myself- thanks for sharing this great recipe and I love the beautiful color of the gel!
Thank you so much for this post. I made a batch last week after getting a sun burn. It felt wonderful! Tonight as I was cooking dinner my arm got burned bad. My husband was ready to take me to the hospital. I said no, let me try this stuff first. I slathered it on good. Pain immediately got better. Blisters went down and the redness is almost completely gone! My family was in awe! I will definitely be making more for my vacation to the beach in a couple of weeks. Thank you!!
I’m so very glad it was able to help!
I have used this recipe for a few years now and it works wonders! Last year my daughter got a second degree sunburn all across her shoulders and down her arms. This was a lifesaver! I modified it by adding some Bio Oil. I will never use anything else!
Thank you!
Can you use fresh aloe jel from your plants?
I believe you could.