3 Sunburn Treatments That Don't Work, From A Dermatologist

Here, he shares the DIY treatments that won't work or, worse, can further inflame the tender skin:

While this venture is very DIY-friendly, it's not going to help heal your sunburn, Maxfield says. The cool sensation of sour cream touching your skin after (hopefully) chilling in the refrigerator may feel nice at the moment, but it's not going to benefit you in the long run. 

While apple cider vinegar contains anti-inflammatory properties, those benefits are outweighed by the fact that it is extremely acidic and a powerful exfoliator (two things you don't want to dabble in post-sunburn). Your skin needs to enter a recovery period in order to heal itself, and ACV will not foster a soothing environment. 

If you use baking soda on your sunburn, "You're going to take this damaged skin and damage it more," Maxfield says, as baking soda has an abrasive nature. Definitely not a soothing option for sunburns. Plus, some skin types are especially sensitive to baking soda, which can infuriate the tender burn even further.

There are a few ways you can use aloe vera for sunburn treatment. You can pop some aloe vera gel in the refrigerator (prepackaged or fresh from the leaf) and rub it on your burn to cool, soothe, and encourage skin healing. Or if you don't love the feeling of sticky gel, look for a body lotion that contains high amounts of aloe (you can tell if aloe vera extract is near the top of the ingredients list). 

To sum it up: Sour cream, ACV, and baking soda will not help your sunburn. In fact, they can even make it worse. Stick to classic treatments like aloe vera; either rub the straight-up gel on your skin post-sun or apply a body lotion that contains high amounts of aloe. However, aloe is not the only DIY-friendly sunburn hack: Here are five at-home sunburn remedies that actually work.