1. Take a Cool Shower

While nothing feels quite as relaxing as a hot shower after a long day, hot water strips your skin’s natural oils and aggravates inflammation. If your goal is to soothe your skin, lowering the water temperature is essential. Board-certified dermatologists consistently recommend cool or lukewarm showers as a primary step when discovering how to calm your skin down. The cooler temperature helps constrict blood vessels, reducing redness and immediate itching. Next time you step into the shower, turn down the heat a bit and apply a gentle, fragrance-free moisturizer immediately afterward to seal in hydration.

2. Chill with Milk

Cool milk does wonders for inflamed tissue, so I highly recommend giving it a try next time your skin is giving you trouble. Milk contains natural proteins, fats, and lactic acid that help soothe itching, lower surface skin temperature, and calm irritated skin. Soak a clean washcloth in cool milk and gently lay it on the affected area for 10 to 15 minutes. This is a classic home treatment for sunburn, but it also works exceptionally well to soothe itching and skin redness. If you need additional relief afterwards, pairing this with a cooling yogurt treatment can keep skin feeling fresh.

3. Use Apple Cider Vinegar

It might not be the best smelling thing you can put on your skin, but vinegar is touted by many experts as a great way to treat sunburns or burns in general. Diluted apple cider vinegar helps balance skin pH and offers natural soothing properties as highlighted by health experts at Healthline. Simply saturate a cotton ball with equal parts apple cider vinegar and cool water, then gently apply to your burned or irritated skin. You’ll feel better in no time!

4. Smear on Hydrocortisone Cream

It’s an often overlooked treatment that you can easily find over the counter at any drugstore. One percent hydrocortisone cream is a great treatment for itching and rashes, and it’s affordable and easy to use. Simply spread a thin layer on the affected skin and wait for relief to come. Hydrocortisone works by dialing down localized swelling and immune responses caused by mild allergies or bug bites. I use this stuff all the time on myself and my kids, and it truly provides instant relief and can clear up minor skin irritations in just a couple of days when paired with gentle cool showers.

5. Bathe in Oatmeal

I know it sounds messy, but it really works! Next time you take a bath, toss in a couple of cups of uncooked rolled oats or colloidal oatmeal. It won’t be anything like the oatmeal you eat, I promise. As noted by dermatological guides on Mayo Clinic, oats release active beta-glucans and anti-inflammatory compounds into the water that hydrate and soothe your skin if you have a sunburn, are itchy, or brushed up against something that caused a rash. Some people put the oatmeal in a sock so they can squeeze the concentrated liquid right onto their skin.

6. Use up Leftover Yogurt

If you have some plain yogurt in your fridge, here’s a great way to use it up. Plain yogurt contains beneficial probiotics and lactic acid that help calm skin and retain moisture. Spread a thin layer on your skin and let it do its work for about 5 to 10 minutes before rinsing with lukewarm or cool water. This is a great remedy for sunburned skin or if you just suffer from irritated, dry skin. You might just start keeping plain yogurt in your fridge especially for this use.

7. Slice up a Cucumber

You know cucumbers are great for soothing tired, puffy eyes in the morning, but they also work wonders on irritated or sunburned skin on the rest of your body. Cucumber slices are packed with antioxidants and high water content to provide immediate cooling relief. Simply layer thin slices of cucumber on any area that you want to soothe and let them work for several minutes before taking them off.

Do you suffer from skin that bothers you? I get very dry skin on my face, especially in the winter, but most of these methods provide relief for me. Which one will you try first?