Camp Sunburn..Would You Like Some Tea?

Four of my kids were away at church camp in Oklahoma last week..They had an absolute blast.  The came back exhausted.  And burnt to a proverbial crisp.

Sean and Nick had areas on them that were burnt so bad that they were peeling and raw.  OUCH! Thank God they have a habit of wearing hats and thier faces were protected.  Somewhat.

You know how you see something and it makes you actually hurt? Well it was that way looking at them.

I made a very strong gallon of black tea.  I think I used about a cup of loose black tea to a gallon of water and steeped it a long time…30 minutes?

Then I ran them a cool bath, poured in the strained tea,  and added 1/4 cup of organic coconut oil.   I had them soak for about 30 minutes with no soaping or washing…the dirt soaked off eventually.

When they got out we patted them dry.  I felt their skin and sw tht it still had a layer of oil form the coocnut so I left things as they were.  If I had felt no oil I would have rubbed them down with it.

This morning? Tans.  No burn.  No blisters. No peeling. A little pink raw skin. Best of all, no pain.

I learned this little trick when MArc was at Camp LeJeune.  WE had only been married a year and he bought me a tiny sting bikini..back when, you know, I looked GOOD in one.  We headed for the beach and stayed all day.

ARGH!

For several days I wore one of his shirts and nothing else.  Every movement hurt.  Somewhere, and I honestly can’t remember where, I heard about black tea.  I made it and soaked for hours…and the next day the burn was gone.

Give it a try and let me know what you think

Image:MaryeAudet