After-Sun Healing Cream

Weekly DIY

After-Sun Healing Cream

Whip up your very own quick and easy after-sun recovery cream, made with just a handful of ingredients to soothe, hydrate and replenish hot, dry, sun-stressed skin. And yes - after a long wait, Montanov 68 is finally back, creating plenty of body without the need for butters.

Preservative: 20 drops Geogard 221

10-15 minutes
Beginner
Concerns
Sun-Stressed SkinDrynessDehydrationTight-Feeling Skin
Benefits
SoothingHydratingSkin Barrier SupportSoftening
Format
Lightweight Cream
Shelf life
Around 3 Months When Properly Preserved & Stored

What You'll Need

Montanov 68 MB
2 teaspoons
Forms the creamy base of the lotion, emulsifying the water and Tamanu Oil while creating a rich, cushioned texture without the need for added butters or heavy thickeners.

Aloe Vera Liquid-Gel
4 teaspoons
Brings light, cooling hydration to hot, dry and sun-stressed skin, helping the lotion feel more soothing and refreshing rather than rich or occlusive.

D-Panthenol
½ teaspoon
Adds an extra layer of hydration while helping support a softer, more comfortable skin barrier, making it especially useful when skin feels dry, tight or stressed after sun exposure.

Tamanu Oil
2 teaspoons
Provides the nourishing oil phase, helping replenish dry-feeling skin and improve softness while giving the formula a more restorative, conditioning feel.

Geogard 221
20 drops
Protects the cream from microbial growth and extends shelf life.

You'll Also Need:
4 tablespoons of freshly boiled distilled water, a large microwave-safe heatproof jug or cup, an immersion blender or fork, a microwave, and a clean 100ml jar or pump dispenser for your finished cream.


How to Make

  1. Add the Tamanu, Montanov and freshly boiled distilled water to a heatproof cup or jug.
  2. Stir well.
  3. Microwave in 15-second bursts, stirring between each, for up to about 1 minute in total. If waxy pieces remain, repeat for another 30 seconds.
  4. Blend with an immersion blender for 1–3 minutes until smooth and creamy.
    If mixing by hand, whisk or stir vigorously with a fork as soon as it comes out of the microwave and continue stirring as it cools and thickens.
  5. Once the lotion has cooled to around the temperature of your finger (or below 40°C), slowly blend in the Aloe Vera Liquid-Gel, Panthenol and the Geogard 221.
  6. Blend briefly until completely smooth, then transfer to a clean container and allow the texture to fully develop as it cools.
  7. Store somewhere cool and out of direct sunlight.

How to Use

Guidance

Apply to clean, dry skin after sun exposure and massage in gently until absorbed.

Reapply as needed whenever skin feels hot, dry or tight.

Make It Yours

  • For Extra Soothing:
    Add ½ teaspoon Alpha-Bisabolol for extra calming care, helping hot, dry or irritated-feeling skin feel more comfortable. Add it at the same time as the Aloe Vera Liquid Gel.
  • For Dry, Uncomfortable Skin:
    Add ¼–½ teaspoon Allantoin to help soothe rough, tight-feeling skin while supporting a softer, smoother feel. Dissolve it first thoroughly in the freshly boiled distilled water.
  • For An Extra Hydration Boost:
    Add 1–2 teaspoons Betaine to increase hydration and help skin feel softer and less tight without adding the tackiness that stronger levels of glycerine sometimes can. Dissolve it into the freshly boiled water.
  • For A Richer, More Protective Cream:
    Add 1 teaspoon Tallow and an additional teaspoon Montanov 68 MB to the oil phase for extra emollience and a richer, more protective skin feel. This is especially useful once sun-exposed skin starts feeling very dry or flaky, although it will make the finished lotion heavier.

Pro Tips & Storage

  • Can I use this cream on sunburnt skin?
    Yes, this cream is designed for mildly sunburnt, hot, dry or tight-feeling skin that is still intact. Aloe-based moisturisers are commonly recommended to help soothe sunburnt skin and reduce dryness while it recovers. Avoid applying DIY lotions to broken, blistered or severely burnt skin.

  • Does Aloe Vera help soothe sunburn?
    Aloe Vera is one of the most commonly recommended ingredients for soothing sunburnt skin, helping provide cooling hydration and relieve the dry, uncomfortable feeling that often follows too much sun exposure. Applying a moisturiser containing Aloe Vera while the skin is still slightly damp can also help retain moisture.

  • Can I use this lotion on burnt skin from heat or a cooking burn?
    We wouldn’t recommend this DIY as a treatment for thermal burns, open burns or blistered skin. Fresh minor burns should first be cooled under cool running water, while deeper, extensive or blistering burns may need medical attention. Use this cream only once the skin is intact and you are looking for general moisturising and conditioning care.

  • Will an after-sun lotion heal sun damage?
    No cream can undo the UV damage that caused a sunburn. What an after-sun cream can do is help cool, hydrate and moisturise sun-stressed skin while it naturally recovers. Keep burnt skin out of further sun exposure and continue using proper sun protection once the skin has settled.

  • Can I use this on peeling or blistered sunburn?
    It can be used gently on dry, peeling skin where the skin surface is intact, but avoid broken areas and do not pop sunburn blisters. Blistering can indicate a more significant burn and the blister itself helps protect the healing skin underneath.

  • How often can I apply after-sun cream?
    Apply after showering or whenever sunburnt skin feels dry, tight or uncomfortable. A cool shower or compress first can help calm hot skin, followed by a gentle moisturiser while the skin is still slightly damp.
Montanov 68 MB (O/W Emulsifier) - Essentially Natural

Montanov 68 MB (O/W Emulsifier) - Essentially Natural

R30.00
Aloe Vera Liquid-Gel - Essentially Natural

Aloe Vera Liquid-Gel - Essentially Natural

R20.00
Tamanu (Foraha) Oil (Cold Pressed) - Essentially Natural

Tamanu (Foraha) Oil (Cold Pressed) - Essentially Natural

R79.00

Aiden van Wyk

Aiden is an eccentric explorer of ideas, endlessly curious and always eager to share his discoveries. His mind is a maze of rabbit holes, each leading to new insights (and occasionally pure chaos). In all honesty - he's a little impulsive, he's easily distracted, delightfully scatterbrained, and unapologetically himself. But through every deep dive and misstep, his mission remains the same:

To make the world a teeny tiny little better, one lesson at a time :)