Does cocoa butter assist sunburn? Science says… Sort of, however probably not. Ouch.
Sunburn is the last word oops second of summer time. One minute, you’re basking within the solar, absorbing the heat. The following, your pores and skin feels prefer it’s been set on fireplace, you’re glowing redder than a cease signal, and each motion is painful. And also you’d put actually something in your pores and skin to make it cease. Why not strive cocoa butter?
Cocoa butter is understood for being wealthy, creamy, and deeply moisturizing, so it is smart that it’d assist with a extreme sunburn – particularly if in case you have delicate pores and skin. However earlier than you go digging into that jar of cocoa-scented lotion, let’s get actual. Does it really work, or is it simply one other outdated wives’ story?
Let’s break all of it down, with out the fluff or false hope, and get to the reality about whether or not cocoa butter is your sunburn savior… or simply one other fable that’ll make your pores and skin tremendous smooth however gained’t really assist when it’s screaming for reduction.
What Is Cocoa Butter?
Cocoa butter comes from the seeds of the Theobroma cacao tree. Yep, the identical tree that offers us chocolate. Yummy! These seeds (aka cocoa beans) are fermented, dried, roasted, after which pressed to launch their pure fats, which we name cocoa butter. These items is thick, creamy, and melts at physique temperature. No marvel pores and skin loves it a lot!
Cocoa Butter Advantages For Pores and skin
1. It’s Tremendous Moisturising
Ever marvel why cocoa butter feels so wealthy in your pores and skin? This butter is loaded with saturated and monounsaturated fat, the identical kinds of fat present in coconut oil and avocado. These fat create a protecting barrier in your pores and skin that locks in moisture, stopping it from drying out.
Cocoa butter improves pores and skin hydration by stopping trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL), a flowery manner of claiming it retains moisture from escaping your pores and skin. In plain English, it’s wonderful for dry, cracked pores and skin, and even eczema. However right here’s the factor: Simply because one thing is a good moisturizer doesn’t imply it heals sunburn (we’ll get to that in a sec).
P.S. That is true of different butters, like shea butter, for instance.
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2. It Has Antioxidant Properties
Cocoa butter is wealthy in polyphenols, flavonoids, and Vitamin E, highly effective antioxidants that struggle free radicals, aka, the harm your pores and skin will get from UV rays, air pollution, and simply present within the trendy world. A recent study found that cocoa polyphenols stimulate collagen production to enhance pores and skin elasticity and scale back indicators of growing older.
3. It Has Gentle Anti-Inflammatory Properties
A few studies suggest that cocoa butter has mild anti-inflammatory properties that assist calm irritations and soothe painful pores and skin. Something that may scale back irritation is sweet information for pores and skin – not essential a treatment for sunburn. Cocoa butter isn’t as cooling or soothing as, say, Aloe Vera Gel, cool baths or chilly compresses, so it gained’t work as properly. In different phrases, cocoa butter is nice for conserving pores and skin smooth and stopping future dryness, but it surely doesn’t pull warmth out of a burn or velocity up therapeutic.
Does Cocoa Butter Helps Sunburns? What Science Says
Cocoa butter has a repute. Folks swear by it for conserving pores and skin smooth, decreasing stretch marks (FYI, it doesn’t work for this both, however it is a subject for one more submit), and making their legs appear to be a glowing Instagram advert. So when your pores and skin feels prefer it’s been roasted to a crisp, it’s tempting to achieve for that thick, creamy goodness.
However right here’s the deal: sunburn is not only dry pores and skin. It’s precise pores and skin harm. You didn’t simply overlook to placed on lotion; you principally slow-cooked your self underneath the solar’s UV rays, and now your pores and skin is screaming for sunburn reduction. That’s the place cocoa butter falls brief. Let’s break down why.
1. Cocoa Butter is a Moisturizer, Not a Healer
Moisturizing is nice, but it surely doesn’t restore burned, broken pores and skin. Let me clarify: You get a sunburn when UV rays penetrate deep into your pores and skin and harm the DNA in your cells. In an effort to defend you, your physique reacts by rising blood stream to the realm (which is why you flip crimson), and in excessive instances, it actually kills off the burned cells to forestall mutations (why you peel).
Cocoa butter seals in moisture and prevents dryness, which is nice for later levels of therapeutic. However analysis exhibits that cocoa butter doesn’t comprise the energetic substances wanted for repairing broken pores and skin. It gained’t cease peeling, gained’t velocity up restoration, and gained’t undo UV harm. So if you happen to’re making use of cocoa butter pondering it’s going to repair your sunburn, sorry. It’s simply conserving the realm hydrated, nothing extra.
2. Cocoa Butter Doesn’t Scale back Irritation
Let’s get one factor straight: sunburn is an inflammatory response. Your pores and skin isn’t simply dry. It’s indignant. Your immune system detects broken cells and floods the realm with inflammatory proteins. In flip, your pores and skin turns crimson, swollen, and sore. Aloe vera, hydrocortisone cream, and ibuprofen work as a result of they actively scale back irritation and assist calm the burn.
What does cocoa butter do? Not a lot on this division. Whereas cocoa butter accommodates some antioxidants that may have delicate anti-inflammatory results, it’s nowhere close to as efficient as all the opposite treatments already talked about. You recognize, those really designed to struggle irritation.
Consider it this fashion: in case your pores and skin is on fireplace, you want one thing cooling and soothing, like aloe vera or a chilly compress. Cocoa butter? It’s like making an attempt to place out a hearth with a thick blanket. It gained’t make issues worse, but it surely’s probably not fixing the issue both.
So… Is Cocoa Butter Ineffective for Sunburn?
Cocoa butter gained’t assist when your pores and skin is scorching, crimson, and painful, however it may be helpful later, as soon as the burn begins to heal. Right here’s how:
- It retains peeling pores and skin from drying out: Sunburn sucks the moisture proper out of your pores and skin. Cocoa butter helps lock hydration in, so that you don’t find yourself feeling like a shedding lizard.
- Relieves the itching: You recognize that annoying peeling part the place you wish to scratch your pores and skin off? Cocoa butter helps tone that down, so that you’re not consistently preventing the urge to scratch.
- Prevents cracking: As your pores and skin heals, it may possibly get stiff, tight, and uncomfortable. Cocoa butter retains it smooth, so that you don’t find yourself with tough, dry patches.
However let’s be actual: cocoa butter gained’t do something for redness, swelling, or ache.
One of the best transfer? Let your pores and skin quiet down first with aloe, chilly compresses, or anti-inflammatory remedies. When you hit the dry, peeling stage, cocoa butter can assist hold your pores and skin hydrated and feeling good whereas it heals.
Finest Methods To Deal with Sunburns
Cocoa butter won’t be the magic repair for sunburn, so right here’s what works (based mostly on science, not hype):
1. Aloe Vera
Aloe vera is palms down the most effective issues you may placed on sunburnt pores and skin. It cools your pores and skin immediately, helps scale back irritation, and retains the burn from drying out too quick. Studies found that aloe vera speeds up healing and reduces redness and peeling. Simply be sure you’re utilizing pure aloe vera gel and never the stuff loaded with synthetic colours and fragrances.
2. Ibuprofen or Aspirin
Ibuprofen or aspirin aren’t only for complications, They will really assist with an itchy sunburn, too. These medicines struggle irritation from the within to scale back swelling, ache, and redness. Pop a dose as quickly as you discover the burn and hold taking it for the following day or two to maintain irritation down. Maintain taking it as directed for the following 24-48 hours.
3. Chilly Compress
A chilly compress is the quickest method to cease a sunburn from getting worse. Solar harm doesn’t finish once you get out of the solar. Your pores and skin continues to overheat and that deepens the burn. Cooling it down as rapidly as doable helps to slows the method and reduces ache. Research discovered that reducing pores and skin temperature instantly after UV publicity helps forestall additional harm. Simply soak a fabric in chilly water and press it onto the burned space for 10-Quarter-hour.
P.S. Questioning if a chilly bathe has the identical impact? Yep, you could possibly have a cool bathe too, if you happen to’ve courageous sufficient (I’m SO not!).
4. Hydrocortisone Cream
Hydrocortisone cream is nice when your sunburn feels further swollen, itchy, or irritated. It’s a gentle steroid that helps calm irritation and scale back discomfort, particularly within the first couple of days. Hydrocortisone cream can fast-track the therapeutic course of and scale back signs sooner than moisturizers alone Apply a skinny layer a couple of times a day, however don’t overuse it. Lengthy-term steroid use can skinny your pores and skin.
Different Sunburn Remedies That Can Assist
Together with these foremost remedies, just a few different issues can relieve the signs of sunburn:
- Drink loads of water: Sunburn dehydrates your physique and pores and skin. Further fluids assist your pores and skin heal sooner.
- Keep away from tight or scratchy clothes : Follow smooth, free materials that gained’t rub in opposition to burned pores and skin.
- Keep out of the solar: Your pores and skin is already broken. Extra solar publicity will simply make issues worse.
- Don’t pop blisters: In case your burn blisters, depart them alone! Popping them will increase the danger of an infection.
- Keep away from important oils: These little buggers sneak their manner into so many lotions and potions, however can irritate the affected space.
Easy methods to Stop Sunburn
Sunburn is pores and skin harm – and time beyond regulation it may possibly result in pores and skin most cancers. The excellent news? You’ll be able to 1000% forestall it, if you happen to play it good. Right here’s the right way to benefit from the solar with out regretting it later:
- Use sufficient sunscreen (as a result of most individuals don’t): SPF 30+ is the minimal, but it surely solely works if you happen to really use sufficient (a few shot glass price on your physique and a nickel-sized quantity on your face).
- Keep within the shade between 10 AM and 4 PM: That is when the solar is at its peak, that means you’ll burn manner sooner than within the morning or night. If you wish to benefit from the sunshine, discover shade, put on a hat, or take breaks indoors.
- Cowl up: Vast-brimmed hats, sun shades, and UV-protective clothes can save your pores and skin when sunscreen wears off (particularly if you happen to don’t reapply it often).
Backside Line
In the event you’ve already peeled and healed, cocoa butter can hold your pores and skin smooth and forestall it from wanting like a shedding snake. However if you happen to’re crimson, in ache, and hoping for a miracle remedy for sunburn, cocoa butter isn’t it. So save your cocoa butter lotion for post-burn hydration, and subsequent time, put on a broad-spectrum sunscreen (and reapply it often!).
About Gio
Hello, I am Gio. I am a no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is pores and skin coach and author on a mission that can assist you obtain your greatest pores and skin day ever – on daily basis. I bust skincare myths and debunk advertising and marketing jargon that can assist you determine what’s well worth the splurge and what’s greatest left on the shelf – utilizing science, not hype. I additionally supply skincare consultations that can assist you create the very best skincare routine on your distinctive wants.
