The Best Products to Repair Dry or Sun-Damaged Skin: Summer Skin Series Part 3

In this summer skin series, we’re helping you soak up the beauty of summer. Learn to care for your skin sans harmful products or side effects. 

→ Check out Part 1 for Tips To Protect Your Skin + Prevent Sun Damage

→ Check out Part 2 for Solutions to Common Summer Skin Woes

Today we’re highlighting the best products + tips to repair dry or sun-damaged skin. 

Because we all know there’s something sacred about soaking up the summer sun. But it’s no secret that too much exposure can leave your skin dry, depleted, and needing support. It happens to the best of us! 

Thankfully, nature provides us with powerful, nourishing ingredients. It IS possible to heal sun-damaged skin from the inside out – without toxic chemicals. These are our favorite holistic sun care rituals and products to support your skin after any amount of sun exposure.

Understanding Sun Damage + Your Skin’s Resilience

Here’s the thing: the sun is medicine for our bodies. It nourishes us with life-giving vitamin D. 

And since most food sources don’t provide adequate vitamin D, we need time in the sun to activate vitamin D production. Vitamin D from sun exposure supports numerous critical functions within our bodies, including: 

• Mood regulation

• Internal circadian rhythms

• Bone health 

• Muscle function 

• Immune function

• Glucose metabolism¹

• Brain function 

So, if you’ve been a victim of fear-mongering sunscreen narratives, we’re here to set the record straight. Protecting your skin from sun damage is all about balance and common sense. 

The good news is our skin can actually build resilience against sun damage. It takes gradual, responsible sun exposure – something we embrace at Primally Pure. (Check out this post to learn why we don’t believe in daily sunscreen use.)

Still, it’s all about balance. Too much sun exposure (especially during peak hours) can overwhelm the skin’s defenses. This often leads to signs of sun damage, including: 

• Dryness

• Redness

• Irritation

• Hyperpigmentation

• Premature aging

Your skin’s first line of defense is its moisture barrier. So naturally, sun-damaged skin weakens the barrier and can leave your skin vulnerable to further damage. If you want to support your skin’s natural healing process after sun exposure, focus on three specific areas:

• Replenishing moisture

• Reducing inflammation

• Providing bio-compatible nutrients 

Repairing and balancing your skin is possible with just a few simple holistic sun care tips. Here’s a list of helpful tips + favorite non-toxic products to address sun-damaged skin.  

1. Swap to Oil Cleansing to Avoid Stripping Sun-Damaged Skin 

After a long day in the sun, your skin craves gentle care. When your skin barrier is compromised, it also disrupts your skin’s delicate microbiome, which is crucial to skin health.² The last thing you want to do is apply products with harsh chemicals that irritate or strip sun-damaged skin.

Avoid harsh soaps or foaming cleansers with surfactants. (This goes for your body wash too!) Instead, opt for an oil-based cleanser with ingredients like cold-pressed oils. 

• Our Cleansing Oil contains a nourishing blend of oils, including:

  • Jojoba

  • Castor

  • Rosehip

  • Avocado 

These oils gently nourish while lifting away sweat, sunscreen, and environmental debris.  Instead of stripping, they leave your skin soft, clean, and balanced.

*Tip: Check out this intro to oil cleansing if you’re new to the concept.  

A restored skin barrier can begin healing. It begins to retain moisture better and defend against environmental stressors. This creates a foundation for healing sun-damaged skin and a healthy, radiant complexion.

2. Replenish Moisture + Soothe Sun-Damaged Skin With Regenerative Hemp

Sun-drenched or sun-damaged skin craves deep hydration and soothing support. This is why our Regenerative Hemp Collection is one of our favorites for holistic after-sun care. 

What makes these unique is the proprietary whole-flower hemp. Because they're made with the whole flower, they contain a full nutrient profile. In other words, they're loaded with benefits for dry or sun-damaged skin.

Our proprietary Regenerative Hemp oil is packed with skin-loving nutrients, including:

• Cannabinoids – full of soothing properties and powerful antioxidant content

• Essential fatty acids (Omega 3 + 6) – deeply moisturize and replenish the lipid barrier 

• Chlorophyll – packed with antioxidants that address free radicals⁵

• Beta-Caryophyllene – calms inflammation, supports wound recovery, and enhances cell turnover^3,4

In addition to replenishing nutrients, hemp’s soothing anti-inflammatory benefits calm skin irritation. It's a gentle yet effective choice for balancing red or sun-damaged skin.

3. Repair the Skin Barrier With Animal-Based Ingredients

Animal-based ingredients often get a bad rap in the skincare space. But when responsibly sourced, they offer unmatched nourishment for the skin. At Primally Pure, our tallow and emu oil are only sourced from ethical farms aligned with our nose-to-tail philosophy. 

Because of this, the benefits are twofold. Nutrient-dense ingredients heal your skin + honor the animals and land they come from. (A win-win!)

• Grass-Fed Tallow – deeply moisturizes and helps restore the skin’s protective barrier. Rich in nourishing fatty acids that:⁶

  • Support skin structure + barrier function

  • Seal in hydration

  • Provide long-lasting moisture (without clogging pores)

• Emu Oil – naturally high in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, its powerful anti-inflammatory properties make it perfect for:⁶

  • Calming redness and irritation

  • Supporting cellular repair

  • Replenishing essential nutrients

  • Providing potent moisture 

Find these animal-based ingredients in our best-selling creams + balms!

Few ingredients are more powerful or biocompatible for restoring sun-damaged skin. Both tallow and emu oil closely mirror the structure of your skin's natural oils. This property makes them incredible for replenishing moisture and repairing the barrier.

4. Calm Inflammation With Simple DIY Natural Sunburn Relief

After a long day in the sun, sometimes you need immediate relief. The pain + heat sensation from a sunburn is a signal of inflammation. Your skin needs soothing support to calm irritation and promote healing. 

Nature provides a variety of remedies for sunburns. Many natural ingredients can help relieve discomfort, reduce redness, and restore balance. These are a few of our favorite DIY options if you don’t have these after sun care items on hand. :) 

• Aloe Vera – opt for the gel that comes straight from the aloe vera plant – and run far away from the green synthetic goo we grew up using (nostalgia, anyone?). Aloe is a go-to natural sunburn relief for good reason. It provides an immediate cooling sensation and reduces inflammation.

• Lavender + Tea Tree Essential Oils – this duo can provide powerful anti-inflammatory benefits. Dilute with cold-pressed oils to ease discomfort and support healing from sun damage.

• Apple Cider Vinegar – diluted with filtered water, you can apply to sunburned skin for relief. It can help balance pH, reduce the heat sensation, stimulate healing, and soothe irritation. (Keep it in the fridge for a cool, refreshing burst!)

• Chamomile/Calendula Compress – with natural anti-inflammatory properties, these can help calm irritated skin.

Create an after-sun ritual with these remedies to comfort and support your skin’s natural recovery process. They provide immediate relief and can work beautifully alongside nutrient-dense products. Rest easy knowing you're giving your skin the extra support it needs.

5. Target Oxidative Stress + Free Radicals With Antioxidant-Rich Ingredients

Excessive sun exposure triggers a harmful process called oxidative stress. It starts with an excess of free radicals in your body that: 

• Break down collagen

• Weaken the skin barrier

• Accelerate visible signs of aging

This is where antioxidants come in. Antioxidants can:

• Neutralize oxidative stress

• Support skin repair

• Shield your skin from future sun damage

Now that it’s clear antioxidants are key, let’s look at our top antioxidant-rich products. These deliver restorative benefits while deeply nourishing sun-damaged skin.

• Clarifying Mist – whether you’re sun-kissed or sunburned, this mist helps revitalize skin. Polyphenols and antioxidants support its natural defense mechanisms. Layer before and after serums or balms to help the oil-based products absorb even deeper.

*Tip: Check out this post to understand why oil + water DO mix sometimes. ;)

• Plumping Serum – rich in antioxidants that restore vitality to sun-stressed skin. Green coffee oil contains one of the highest concentrations of antioxidants, helping to stimulate collagen and support skin repair after sun exposure, while astaxanthin delivers deep cellular protection against oxidative damage.

• Antioxidant Balm – a powerful blend of tallow, emu oil, astaxanthin, cacay nut oil, and plum kernel oil. This balm is incredible for:

  • Targeting free radical damage

  • Deeply moisturizing 

  • Improving skin texture + tone 

  • Protecting against further sun damage

To us, this one is a necessity if you want to support repair at a cellular level. Antioxidant-rich products help repair sun-damaged skin and protect against environmental stressors.

Holistic Care for Sun-Damaged Skin

We’ve all been there – soaking up a little more sun than planned while lots of memories are made. The good news? Your skin is incredibly resilient. 

By focusing on hydration, nourishment, and barrier repair, you give sun-damaged skin exactly what it needs to recover. And when longer days in the sun call for extra protection, our tallow sunscreen can provide intentional support.

Explore our non-toxic essentials designed to nourish and protect sun-soaked (or sun-damaged) skin. So you can soak up sunny days with confidence.

XO

Sources: 

1. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements | Vitamin D

2. National Library of Medicine | Human Skin Microbiome: Impact of Intrinsic and Extrinsic Factors on Skin Microbiota 

3. National Library of Medicine | Beta-Caryophyllene as an Antioxidant, Anti-inflammatory and Re-Epithelialization Activities in a Rat Skin Wound Excision Model

4. National Library of Medicine | Beta-Caryophyllene Enhances Wound Healing Through Multiple Routes 

5. Amy Myers, MD | 7 Benefits of Chlorophyll

6. Oregon State University | Essential Fatty Acids and Skin Health

   
   

   
   

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