Last week, Australian rugby player Alexis Caught posted a photo of himself in a dirty-looking bath to Instagram. Except the tub wasn't actually filled with dirt — it was filled with Earl Grey tea. And the reason why will bring hope to anyone currently dealing with a nasty sunburn, Allure reports.
"No, this isn't a British fake tan," Caught joked in his post. "It's a skin care tip that I got from my Irish nan. When you've been out in the sun, have a cool bath and pour in Earl Grey tea (leave the bags in the bath too). The tannins from the leaves and the bergamot sooth and restore your skin... plus it smells amazing. Trust me! I do it whenever I'm back in Aus and have got a little too much sun. (Your confusion and sheer outrage did make me laugh though.) [T]ry it, and let me know what you think! Or have your grandparents given you any odd grooming and beauty tips? Mine aren't the only ones right?!"
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But is this just an old wives' tale (or, in this case, old Irish nan's tale)? Dermatologist S. Manjula Jegasothy told Allure it's actually legit: "While it has never been studied in a truly scientific manner, bathing in Earl Grey tea may soothe sunburned skin," she said. "Bergamot oil has been found to be a decent suppressor of nitric oxide, which is a common mediator of sunburn." Still, she couldn't verify Caught's claim that it'll "restore your skin." Green tea, she added, has been proven to reduce the skin damage sunburns can cause.
So, if your aloe vera and painkillers fail you (or you just love the smell of Earl Grey tea), Jegasothy recommends bathing in 20-30 bags.
Or, you could try this theatrical-looking aloe vera sheet mask, because apparently, Caught knows what he's talking about when it comes to sunburn relief.