Skin Recipe: Sonya Dakar’s Sunburn Soother Yogurt Mask

Even people who slather on sunblock daily (and we hope you’re one of them!) can miss a spot or two, leaving an angry red patch on your neck or the backs of your knees. This recipe provides some natural comfort—in the form of yogurt—to cool those hot spots.

“Yogurt is a natural healer by re-establishing the acid/alkaline balance of the skin to help heal a sunburn,” says Sonya Dakar, owner of Sonya Dakar Skin Clinic in Beverly Hills, Calif. “I like to blend it with one of my favorite ingredients—green tea, which is so soothing. Green tea is also rich in antioxidants, which help protect the skin from free radicals, as well as calm and soothe irritation. I finish with flaxseed oil because it’s like nature's Neosporin. It’s rich in omega-3 fatty acids and has natural anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties. It is unbelievably healing and soothing.”

Thinkstock

Ingredients:

½ cup plain Greek yogurt

1 bag chamomile tea

A few drops grapeseed or flaxseed oil

Steep and cool one bag of chamomile tea. Strain yogurt into a bowl through cheesecloth or paper towel for a few minutes. Add contents of cooled tea bag to strained yogurt and mix well. Wash sunburned skin with cool water and pat dry very gently. Apply yogurt mixture to affected area. Let dry for 15 minutes and do not rinse. Reapply another layer.  Repeat three to five times. Rinse with cool water and apply one to three drops pure grapeseed or flaxseed oil.  The oil may be reapplied throughout the day. Yogurt mask may be applied twice daily until your burn fades.