DIY Sunburn Relief in 7 Easy Steps!
Some pride themselves on it because it’s the base of an amazing tan.
Others are shocked by it because they believed their melanin will protect them, or that it’s exclusive to fair-skinned individuals.
Sunburns are not only painful, but they also affect everyone! Whether you didn’t consider the fact you vacationed in a place that was 9,000 feet closer to the sun or you spent all day at your child’s T-ball game, sunburns can happen to anyone at any time during the summer.
Sure, you can take some pain relievers, but does that really help? Not immediately, at least. For that, you should look to using aloe vera! Aloe vera gel is a natural way to soothe the swelling and pain caused by sunburns. The already calming and cooling effects of aloe are made even better if you freeze the gel.
Here is a step by step guide on how to make your very own handy frozen aloe vera for all your sunburn emergencies!
The tools you will need to start are:
- ice tray
- knife
- measuring cup
- bowl
- spoon
- vegetable peeler
- aloe leaf
- optional: 500mg powdered Vitamin C (for every 1/4 cup of gel)
- Wash your hands and equipment! We don’t want to contaminate the aloe vera by using dirty tools, which includes our hands. So, make sure everything is cleaned and ready to go!
- Cut an outer leaf of an aloe plant!
- If your plant is young, make sure you do not cut off too much at once. Removing all the outer leaves could damage the plant.
- Stand the leaves up in a bowl and let the resin drain for 10 minutes.
- Though aloe vera resin extract is great for detoxing and promoting healthy bacteria growth in your digestive system, it contains latex, which can be slightly irritating to skin. It's best to drain the dark yellow resin out so it won't get into your gel.
- Peel the leaves!
- Use the vegetable peeler to remove the green outer layer of skin from the leaves completely. Make sure to cut through the inner white layer to the gel underneath, leaving a canoeshape half filled with gel.
- Scoop the gel out!
- Using your spoon, remove the clear gel from the canoe into a clean bowl.
- Fill your ice tray!
- Just take an ice cube tray and fill up each cube ¾ of the way to full. Let freeze for 30 minutes or until cubes appear solid.
- After the cubes are frozen, extract them from the tray!
- They are ready to use!
BONUS TIP! If you have a lot of gel you want to keep for a month or two, add 500mg of powdered Vitamin C for every 1/4 cup of gel you have. Use a blender to mix the two ingredients together until it takes on a foamy appearance.
If you don’t have an aloe plant, we recommend using a natural aloe gel to ensure you are getting the highest percent of aloe possible. Some chemicals added to aloe mixtures can hinder the freezing process. Depending on the setting of your freezer, it can take anywhere from 30 minutes to a few hours to freeze. Keep in mind aloe vera gel IS perishable! So, unless you intend to gift some frozen goodies away, preparing a big batch isn’t necessary. A ½ cup to 1 cup of aloe vera gel should be more than enough.
You can rub a cube directly onto the surface of your sunburn for the best relief. To minimize mess, you can wrap the cube in a washcloth or place in a sandwich bag!
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