Hey hey friends! If you guys have been following along on my life lately, you know I got my first sunburn ever. Man, that was PAINFUL! I wish I had this recipe before the sunburn, haha. I’m not sure I could have found the chickweed here in mexico, but even without it, I’m sure this recipe would have been sooooothing on my bum. Next time I’ll be better prepared… though hopefully there isn’t a next time 😉

Regardless, summer is coming and excess sun exposure is likely for many of us. So if you find yourself with some agitated skin this summer, then this recipe by Katie from The Informed Mom is perfect for you. Ps. If you haven’t checked out her other post on how to make probiotic gummies, you totally should! Alright friends! Before I hand it over to Katie, here is a friendly reminder to go about sun exposure in a mindful way— avoiding poisonous sunscreens and limiting sun time, hanging out in the shade, and wearing protective gear to reduce risks. But you know, if you burn your bum… here ya go:

Chickweed & Lavender Sunburn Spray

With summer coming up and long days at the beach or pool, I thought creating a sunburn spray would be perfect! I’m always applying sunscreen on myself and my kids, but no matter what, a few of my kids always end up with pink cheeks and shoulders.  So when they have a sunburn, I spray them down a few times a day until healed. 

This recipe couldn’t be easier and is filled with skin healing & soothing ingredients. I tend to dabble in herbalism, making extracts and tinctures from dried herbs, so I added some chickweed extract that I made, lavender essential oil, and witch hazel.  Chickweed is amazing for skin health, whether it’s from sunburns or eczema, it really speeds up the healing process.  Lavender is known for its soothing properties, and witch hazel is a great astringent that also cools the skin.  


Chickweed Extract

First things first, you’re going to need to make your chickweed extract.  I buy my chickweed from here, but you can also order through amazon. Simply add about 1/4 cup of chickweed to an 8 oz jar.  Fill the rest of the jar up with oil.  I typically use olive oil or avocado oil as I always have some on hand, but feel free to use almond oil, fractionated coconut oil, etc.  

Close your jar tight and let it sit on a sunny window sill for 4-6 weeks.  Give it a shake every day or so.  

Once your extract is done, strain the chickweed out, and bottle it up. You can use it as is, or add it to other recipes like we are doing here today! 

What you’ll need for your sunburn spray:

2 oz glass spray bottle

– 10 drops lavender essential oil (read more on my essential oils here)

– 1-2 teaspoons of chickweed extract

witch hazel

How To:

 To your glass spray bottle, add your lavender essential oil and chickweed extract.  Then fill your bottle the rest of the way up with the witch hazel.  That’s it! 

Give it a good shake before use! 

A little tip: to cool down sunburns even more, pop this little bottle in the fridge before use.  

This is not sunscreen; this is for after sun exposure
Use and enjoy!

-Katie | The Informed Mom | @theinformedmom

Author

Katie Gonzalez is the author of The Informed Mom, a wellness education site with a focus on natural living, essential oils, and health focused recipes.

2 Comments

  1. What caught my attention is witch hazel, which I absolutely love, and it’s so hard to find here

  2. I love this idea so much! I have a beach day coming up and though I’ll do everything in my power to protect myself from the sun, I might like to keep this one handy 🙂

    ~Laurali Star