No matter how diligently you apply sunscreen when you remember to, there are times when you don't do it often enough or forget to bring it or miss a spot or two. The resulting sunburn can be painful,embarrassing and in the worst case scenarios can make you or someone you love miss precious vacation days and fun!

And if your kids are burned that compounds the misery because you suffer along with them even if you're not the one affected. You'll want to find the fastest most effective relief available, for you and your family, true?!

Living on Maui, I see victims of improper (or lack of) sunscreen use practically every day and I want to stop each and every one of them and enlighten them about what they can do to: relieve the pain, make the red turn brown and keep from peeling. You read that right! They don't believe me when I tell them either, but I've had the advantage of having the solution at hand and have proven that it works time after time.

Remember: when your skin is burned, continuing to go out into the sun before it is healed without proper protection will only make the situation worse and you or your child will burn MORE. Here's how to heal sunburn, the fastest way I've found.

When you see red skin or sunburn, the first thing needed is moisture...at the cellular level! It is through moisture that skin cells acquire the ability to reproduce and repair themselves.

Most people just want to apply aloe and Aloe Gel straight from the plant is a great skin healer. But on its own, aloe is astringent. And most of the time we don't have a plant that we can freely hack at accessible.

Many will opt for the green or blue aloe gels available in local drug stores. Here you still have the disadvantage of the astringent and drying nature of the aloe itself along with the fact that most of these aloe products purchased over-the-counter contain alcohol. The alcohol will further dry the skin, inhibiting its healing abilities. Additionally, they are usually made from an inferior form of the aloe plant, not the healing extract.

The fastest and most effective relief for a severe sunburn is combination of two Absolutely Natural products: Aloe & Tea Tree Recovery Gel AND Rosehip & Aloe Lotion.

When you go in from the sun, put the products on ice or in the refrigerator, have the sunburned victim take a warm shower - not so hot it hurts, just warm enough to open the pores. WITHIN 5 MINUTES, apply the Rosehip Lotion liberally to get moisture to the cells and start the healing process.

Then, also liberally, apply the Aloe and Tea Tree Gel. Aloe Vera and Tea Tree Oil are amazing skin healers and work quickly and effectively. This is a gel, so when it dries it will feel tight and flaky - just wipe the flakes away and re-apply the Rosehip Lotion. A couple of hours later, repeat the process - you don't have to re-shower - and if you're still up for a while, then apply the Lotion once again before you go to bed. The more moisture supplied to the skin cells, the faster the skin will heal - and you'll all be able to go back out in the sun and have FUN!

For just a little pink, the Rosehip Lotion alone will give fast relief from the discomfort, start the skin cells to healing themselves right away and you'll see results as soon as the next morning. Once your skin is healed, you can tan.

I actually had occasion to "save a vacation" this last week. A friend of mine and her daughter, visiting Maui from Nebraska to celebrate the daughter's thirteenth birthday and entry into teenager-dom, went to Ka'anapali Beach and didn't use any sunscreen. She explained that she'd been to another beach a couple of days before, late in the day on fairly cloudy days & they hadn't used any then, but this was a bright, sunny day and we played on the sand, in the water and snorkeled for about 3 hours.

She's always been a very organized person, so I just assumed that she had put her sunscreen on and was sure she made her daughter do so. Not the case. They FRIED! They were so red, they were practically glowing and in a lot of pain! So, I took them home, provided mom with bottles of Aloe and Tea Tree Gel and Rosehip Lotion and the instructions above. (Additionally, ibuprophen will help with the pain so that you can sleep.)

The next day, they weren't glowing any more but still a little pink, so they opted to stay out of the sun altogether. (Not a winning proposition for the new teenager!) However, they both exclaimed that the pain was gone and raved at how good it felt to put the lotion on their skin, especially when it was chilled. She continued to apply the lotion periodically during the day to both herself and her daughter. On day two after the burn, the pink was entirely gone, they looked tan and healthy and felt great. They applied Absolutely Natural SPF 25 and were able to head out to the beach to surf. Sometimes I'm even surprised at how fast it heals your skin!

Then there's the added bonus of making a teenager a lot less miserable. We all know how they can get and when you compound that with a sunburn and instructions to stay out of the sun because of it...well, you get the picture. I was a hero to both of them, and they had lots more fun on their vacation.

I've used Absolutely Natural products on myself and my family for years and will continue to do so! They are the best! So, remember what Aunty Connie says: apply sunscreen often, properly and liberally...and if you don't and you get a sunburn, there is a solution.