Sunburns & Finding BaliBody
When I first came to Australia it was mid spring, so I didn't have to worry to much about the sun. NOW I can't stress enough how important it is to take care of your skin here! My complexion is quite tan I have a Spanish background for one and my first thought was that I wouldn’t need to worry about getting burnt because I never did in Canada. I mean our summers could get really hot (such an understatement compared to Australian Summer) and my skin wouldn’t burn. I never used sunscreen on tropical vacations because I would just get darker and sometimes wouldn’t even tan at all. So last week it probably hit 39 at one point so it was necessary to take advantage of the pool. Probably between laying out in the sun and swimming I was out for maybe 3-4 hours in total, then the following damage happened…
Stage 1 - Lobster Red
My skin became red and super hot to the touch, and throughout the whole process of the sunburn I felt like my body was over heating trying to compensate for the damaged skin. Sweating profusely while doing nothing was pretty bad Stage 2 - The Pain The burn genuinely hurt a lot more than I thought. I admit I usually thought my fair skinned friends were exaggerating about the pain when they burnt, but it’s all very real and painful. I avoided wearing bras including bralettes just because it hurt to have contact on my skin. Loose fitting clothing was my friend throughout this Stage 3 - Blistering.. Ew The rest of the week was high 30's and I noticed that the hotter I got the more I blistered, I took cold showers to cool down since I was avoiding the sun but that was only a temporary fix. Even after the showers I’d still blister when I felt cooler, I guess something to do with the cool water and skin contact Stage 4 - The Itch!! At nights the burn got ridiculously itchy no matter what I put on hydrating lotions, Vitamin E ,Aloe Vera straight from the plant itself my skin got itchier and itchier everything I tried. I lost a lot of sleep trying to get comfortable at night Stage 5 - Peeling.. ugh Now the peeling, its pretty gross if you haven't been burnt before, currently peeling still with some blistering to but the worst is that my skin is about 3 different shades right now. Trying to even this out will be a challenge but since this experience I can't stress enough to anyone who is currently visiting or plans on visiting Australia during the summer wear/bring the sunscreen! I REPEAT USE SUNSCREEN IN AUSTRALIA!
Finding BaliBody
Since this sunburn I've been looking into products that are good for tanning and have SPF in them. I came across Bali Body an Australian company (Melbourne based) that sells natural tanning oils and skincare products! The more I look into them the more I like them, having natural body oils that double as tanning oils, BB creams, moisturizers, sunscreens, other skincare products that are natural and animal friendly whats not to like? They carry a SPF collection as well for the safe tanner, which is all very affordable and its just worth having a go especially if you like natural products! I just purchased the 'Tanning/Body Oil' from the SPF collection. I can't wait to get it and start using it as part of my daily skincare routine, then be able to use it as a tanning oil after my skin finally heals haha.
All in all be careful and NEVER underestimate the Australian sun/summer heat like my poor Canadian skin did! Haha here's to finding Bali Body products and hopefully getting a safe tan and NO more burns! *I’ve linked the BaliBody website to this post so shop and create a healthy glow! xx