We're always looking for a quick remedy for our sunburn in summer time. We've tried a myriad of options ourselves including aloe Vera, ice water, Green Ice, lotions, balms... Until finally, we've found a fast acting healing solution: Les Filles Francaises' Sunburn Relief! Les Filles Francaises
Les Filles Francaises is a tiny operation in central Virginia which focuses on offering solutions through first-hand experiences as well as trial and err of testing out these products themselves. As such, their sphere of influence is focused to the local community. This however enables us to give direct feedback regarding products. If there is a specific need, they are happy to find a solution. Les Filles Francaises primarily crafts with doTERRA essential oils and other complimentary ingredients that they have found to be beneficiary to skin and body wellness.
Les Filles Francaises Sunburn Relief is used exactly for its name: sunburn relief. This product comes in a rollerball for easy application and contains a combination of frankincense and lavender essential oils with apricot oil acting as the carrier oil.
Frankincense
Frankincense is known as the "king of essential oils" and was revered both in ancient and modern times as powerful force to promote health and wellness. The essential oil is made from the resin harvested from the Boswellia Sacra tree which can produce several pounds of resin in a year, and if tended to properly, can continue production for hundreds of years. The chemical composition of frankincense includes A-Pinene, Limonene, and A-Thujene. Recent studies are learning how frankincense interacts with the human body on a cellular level to promote healing.
Other benefits of frankincense oil include:
promote cellular function
improve skin appearance
hydrate and rejuvenate skin
uplifts mood and focus (aromatherapy)
promotes a sense of grounding (aromatherapy)
Lavender
The chemical composition of Lavender includes L-Theanine and Linalool, the latter of which composes 30% of lavender's chemical makeup. Linalool is also the component which gives lavender its floral aroma.
Other benefits of lavender include:
promotes sleep (L-Theanine)
soothe and relaxes (linalool)
cleansing (linalool)
relieves itching from bug bites
reduces inflammation and pain from light to moderate burns
may promote healthy circulation system and immune system (ingested)
Combining Frankincense and Lavender
The combination of Frankincense and Lavender working in conjunction is noteworthy as well. Some studies have found that combining these oils together has the potential for amplifying their effects than if these oils are used individually. Other studies have found that lavender and frankincense also contain compounds that work with the endocannabinoid system. Together, they reduce inflammation, anxiety, stress, and pain. Other combined benefits include soothing headaches and promoting sleep and healthy skin.
In Conclusion
In our experience, the combination of these oils also gives near-immediate relief for most sunburns (the greater the damage, the longer the recovery time). Simply apply the rollerball oils to the sunburn areas and follow-up with an aloe-infused lotion or cream. With viscos nature, lotions tend to be applied and absorbed into the body faster, while the structure of creams lock oils onto the skin for a longer duration thus supplying more hydration to an area. We have personally found that our bodies tolerate lotions on severe sunburns better than thick creams. Then once the skin is less sensitive, we can resupply hydration with a cream or frequent application of the lotion.
We keep a Les Filles Sunburn Relief rollerball in our summer on-the-go bag and always make sure we take it with us on vacation. I have had more than one occasion thinking that my skin is ready for beach sun only to apply Sun Relief later that afternoon. In my experience and testing, it successfully heals full bodied sunburns usually within a day, or two days for intense burns. For me, this works far better than Green Ice and other remedies (I'm not a fan of ice water).
Try it out for yourself and see what you think!
References:
dōTERRA (2023). Frankincense Oil Uses and Benefits [blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.doterra.com/US/en/blog/spotlight-frankincense-oil
dōTERRA (2023). The Go-To Oils: Lavender and Peppermint [blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.doterra.com/US/en/blog/spotlight-go-to-oils-lavender-peppermint
dōTERRA (2023). Sleep: Lavender & L-Theanine [blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.doterra.com/US/en/blog/science-wellness-sleep-lavender-l-theanine
Green Gables Restaurant (2023). The Relaxing Benefits of Frankincense and Lavender Oil [blog post]. Retrieved from https://greengablespa.com/the-relaxing-benefits-of-frankincense-and-lavender-oil/#:~:text=Studies%20have%20shown%20that%20both,anxiety%2C%20stress%2C%20and%20pain
Additional Reading:
dōTERRA (2023). dōTERRA Frankincense Study [blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.doterra.com/US/en/blog/science-research-news-frankincense-study
dōTERRA (2023). Essential Oil Cellular Activity [blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.doterra.com/US/en/blog/science-research-news-essential-oil-cellular-activity
dōTERRA (2023). The Future of Frankincense [blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.doterra.com/US/en/blog/spotlight-the-future-of-frankincense
dōTERRA (2023). Linalool [blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.doterra.com/US/en/blog/science-research-news-constituent-spotlight-linalool dōTERRA (2023). dōTERRA Oil Chemistry Wheel [blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.doterra.com/US/en/blog/science-research-news-doterra-oil-chemistry-wheel