Recently, a nameless member of our team booked her first poolside cabana of the summer. Despite a head-to-toe dip in mineral sunscreen on the hour and regular breaks from the sun, alas, she left the first pool day of the season with reddened knees and too much sun on her shoulders.

We’ve all been there. As worthwhile as they are to avoid, from time to time – sunburns happen. Avoiding them is crucial in the fight to protect yourself from skin damage and skin cancer, which we all know, but once the damage is done, healing burned skin and relieving the pain and inflammation is priority numero uno. After this most recent tussle with the sun, our “nameless team member” hit the TCM beauty closet in search of a little non-toxic sunburn TLC…

Having a moment:  Hidden among the bottles of colostrum tabs and avocado body oils on our Chalkboard shelves, an untouched bottle of organic African tamanu oil, touting wound-healing and anti-inflammatory properties, sounded like the golden ticket. Sure enough, after some quick research, we found that tamanu oil is a natural sunburn remedy in Africa where the oil is sourced. Pouring out the bottle faster than our weekend’s poolside bartender and warming the oil in our hands, the tamanu oil brought instant relief everywhere it hit the skin.

Less than love at first sight, since the bottle gathered dust for what must be months, we’re now deeming tamanu oil the must-have oil of the summer and not leaving home without it!

Why you need it: When it comes to sunburns, desperation can set in fast and we, like many of you, have tried everything. Ice, baking soda, scratchy aloe fronds, they all have their benefits, but tamanu oil is the sunburn remedy we’ve been dreaming of. We were thrilled to feel instant relief from the thin, light oil and have since read that tamanu oil has been known to turn slightly burned skin back to bronze overnight.

The best part about tamanu oil is yet to be mentioned, however. Tamanu oil, sourced from sustainable Madagascan forests, is like an esthetician in a bottle. The oil is anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, boosts cell regeneration, softens wrinkles and fights acne! Pacific Islanders have used tamanu oil as part of their folk medicine for years to heal wounds, fight skin issues and as a baby balm. In other words, unlike many other condition-specific skin oils, you don’t need to worry about healing a sunburn only to bring about another skin imbalance in return. By healing a sunburn with tamanu oil, you’ll also be fighting wrinkles, acne and deeply nourishing your skin. We don’t know how we’ve spent a summer without it.

How to get your paws on it: We love the sustainably-sourced and certified organic tamanu from SheaTerra Organics. In a two ounce bottle, SheaTerra’s version is suitable for carry-ons, perfect for a beach bag and an absolute staple for the all-natural beach babe! Tamanu oil is the perfect thing to pack for any and all summer holidays: bring it to disinfect feet while you tromp off-the-grid in a tropical jungle, use it to de-puff eyes after an all-night bender out on the Grecian Isles, or simply soak your skin in the stuff after an afternoon at your hometown beach or pool. Wherever your summer sun plans take you, trust us and pack this stuff for better summer skin!