Summer, sunshine, and green meadows invite us to spend plenty of time outdoors. Even though we usually follow safety guidelines in hot vacation countries – adequate sun protection and long-sleeved clothing – we often neglect these at home. Yet the sun can quickly cause sunburn on unprotected skin, especially when we underestimate the reflection of water at the public swimming pool or lake.
But summer isn't just about sunburn – it's also about insect bites. Learn here what helps with skin burns and insect bites.
The key points at a glance
- Coconut ghee can provide relief from sunburn and insect bites.
- It has a cooling effect and reduces itching.
- Coconut ghee is easy to make yourself from coconut oil and ghee.
Coconut ghee – not just for cooking
Every kitchen should have a jar of coconut ghee. With this mixture of clarified butter fat (ghee) and coconut oil, you can not only cook delicious vegetable dishes and bake waffles. What many don't know: it serves wonderfully as first aid for bites and burns!
Why? The ghee has a cooling effect, thus reducing Pitta, and the coconut oil reduces itching. Of course, you can easily mix it if you only have the fats separately in your kitchen cupboard. Simply combine about two parts coconut oil with one part ghee.
Insect bites are so bothersome – a good home medicine cabinet helps
More and more insects are coming to Europe from the tropics, not least the Asian tiger mosquito. Its bite can lead to uncomfortable skin reactions. But bites and stings from native midges, harvest mites, horseflies, bees, and wasps also often cause severe redness, persistent itching, and in some cases allergic reactions.
It's good to have an appropriate remedy at hand quickly, before the bite becomes inflamed from thoughtless scratching!
Experiences from Ayurveda practice
Especially in summer, patients often visit my practice who have been bitten by an insect and have severe swelling at the bite site. The area around the bite is hot, red, and itches intensely. This causes patients to scratch, which can lead to open wounds and inflammation. I've had the best experience here with a compress using coconut ghee.
Particularly striking was a bite on a yoga colleague's foot. The swelling was excessively pronounced because the area had unfortunately been treated incorrectly beforehand.
Learn how to treat such a bite easily yourself now.
Make a coconut ghee compress yourself
What you need
- 1 compress / thin cotton cloth
- Approx. 30-50g coconut ghee, depending on the size of the affected area
- 1 gauze bandage
Step by step
- The coconut ghee should come from the refrigerator, as it becomes liquid at 28°C.
- For the compress, you need a thick layer of the cooling mixture, spread onto a compress or thin cotton cloth.
- Make sure the fat is as cool and firm as possible. Cover the reddened area with the coconut ghee compress and secure it loosely with a gauze bandage.
- The wrap should be renewed twice daily. After a short time, the itching subsides and by the second day the swelling should decrease.
- Even after the swelling has reduced, the skin should be lightly coated with coconut ghee for a few more days.
What you should watch out for
Since the coconut ghee melts quickly from the warmth of your skin, you should preferably not wear clothing over it! Alternatively, choose old clothes where you won't mind the inevitable grease stains.
Further uses for coconut ghee: scalds, burns, irritations
The sun also often burns us too much, and mild sunburn can be wonderfully treated with the ghee-coconut oil combination as an after-sun lotion. This treatment is also helpful for minor scalds from hot water or steam after initial treatment with cold water. (Hold the scalded area under cold water for at least ½ hour!)
Important: Be careful with large-area scalds: If blisters form or the scalded area is larger than your palm, don't rely on your home medicine cabinet – definitely see a doctor. (This applies especially to children!)
First aid for nettle stings
Not only does the sun burn, but so do nettles. Almost everyone can remember as children how we came into contact with this stinging plant. Here, coconut ghee combined with a few comforting words provides quick relief.
Irritated and reddened skin loves coconut ghee too
But coconut ghee can also be used for allergic skin reactions, eczema, and redness without insect bites and sunburn, or for intense itching due to medication. Just try out what works for you and don't hesitate to integrate this kitchen fat into your Ayurvedic home medicine cabinet!
Conclusion
Coconut ghee is a versatile remedy that finds use not only in the kitchen, but also for skin problems such as sunburn, insect bites, and irritations. With its cooling and itch-relieving properties, it's a valuable addition to your medicine cabinet. Try it out and enjoy a pleasant and trouble-free summer!
