Burnt, peeling skin. Painful, red chafing. Breakouts along your hairline. Oh, the joys of summer!

As much as you’d like to soak up the sun, summer skin irritations often go hand-in-hand with warm weather. Thankfully, there are lots of natural ways to soothe and heal your skin, using Crawford Street Skin Care, and other home remedies.

Bookmark this page, or take a screenshot to remember these helpful tips!

How to treat sun burns 

Cause: Over exposure to UVA/UVB rays of the sun

Symptoms: Redness, pain, swelling, peeling, blistering in severe cases

Natural remedies for treating sunburnt skin: 

• Calm the skin with cool, damp cloths or a cool bath with two to three drops of lavender essential oil.

• Keep a bottle of our Rose Geranium Toner in the fridge for a cooling mist that also contains soothing aloe vera.

• Use our Body Butter or Body Oil to hydrate and soothe the skin.

• If there are blisters on your skin, use the Restorative Beauty Balm to speed up healing. 

How to treat contact dermatitis 

Cause: Irritants or allergens like poison ivy, sunscreen ingredients, sweat, or pool chemicals

Symptoms: Red, itchy, inflamed skin, sometimes with blisters or dry patches

Natural remedies for contact dermatitis:

• Luke warm oatmeal baths for rashes or irritated skin. 

• Avoid chemical sunscreens and sunscreens with fragrances, choose unscented mineral based sunscreens.

• Shower immediately after swimming in pools with chemicals.

• Use pure aloe vera gel to soothe and calm irritated skin. Tip: You can usually buy aloe vera leaves in the produce section at the grocery store. Or keep an aloe plant at home and just cut a leaf and squeeze the gel.  

How to treat chafing

Cause: Repeated friction from skin-on-skin contact or clothing, often with sweat

Symptoms: Raw, red, stinging skin, usually in inner thighs, underarms, or under breasts

How to naturally prevent and treat chafing:

• Wear thigh covering “shorts” style underwear. 

• Use a dusting of corn starch to keep skin dry. 

• Wear loose fitting clothing and stick to natural fabrics. 

• Apply aloe vera gel.

• Use our natural Cream Deodorant with baking soda and cornstarch to keep arm pits and other skin-on-skin areas dry and protected.

• Use Gaelyne’s Cold Cream to protect and heal skin. 

How to treat breakouts 

Cause: Increased sweat and oil production can clog pores, along with heavy moisturizers, some sunscreens are comedogenic

Symptoms: Pimples, blackheads, whiteheads, often on the face, back, or chest.

How to naturally prevent and treat summer breakouts:

• Use non-comedogenic products.

• Double cleanse your face to really make sure you have removed all of the sweat, oils and sunscreens.

• Use a hydrating toner.

• Use a gently exfoliating product like our French Clay Cleanser. The clay also absorbs oil!

• A dab of raw or unpasteurized honey on a pimple can help speed the healing process. Honey is antibacterial and anti-inflammatory.

How to treat insect bites and stings

Cause: mosquitoes, black flies, horse flies, bees, wasps

Symptoms: itching, irritation, pain, 

How to naturally prevent bug bites:

• Go unscented or fragrance free. Mosquitos love scents from personal care products and laundry detergents.

• Wear light coloured, loose fitting clothing. Mosquitos love dark colours like black, and navy. Your lululemon leggings are a big no-no if you are outdoors.

• Use a non-toxic, Deet-free bug spray, like our Outdoor Body Spray, on your skin. If you must use a Deet-based product, spray it only on your clothing, not on skin. Avoid the face and make sure never to spray Deet inside. 

How to naturally treat bug bites:

• Aloe vera has soothing and anti-inflammatory properties to reduce your reaction to bites. 

• Baking soda mixed with one or two drops of eucalyptus oil and tea tree oil to form a paste, then placed on the bite.  

• Baking soda is alkaline and helps to neutralize skin PH, relieving itchiness and inflammation. 

• Eucalyptus oil is anti-microbial and relieves pain.

• Tea tree oil reduces inflammation and speeds healing.

• Ice can reduce inflammation, numb the area and slow down the histamine response that causes the itching and swelling.

• Honey is antibacterial and anti-inflammatory and can be used to speed the healing of bites or stings.