Down here in Florida we have officially entered the dog days of summer. It is hot…like fry an egg on the sidewalk hot. Despite this fact, however, we still find ourselves loading up the car, ordering some Publix subs, and hitting the local beach or pool.
Since we were little, people have drilled the value of sunscreen into our stubborn heads. Yet somehow, we forget to put it on, forget to reapply, or forget that baby oil is still not a valid alternative. We end up burnt.
For days following these burns we barely survive while doing the following things:
Taking ice cold showers
Walking around saying “Ouch” at every step
Peeling and itching like a mad man
Claiming that we’ll never go into the sun again (until next weekend)
And finally, slathering ourselves in aloe vera
Ahh, aloe vera. A delectable nectar bestowed upon us by the plant gods. A frequent user of the stuff since childhood, you can imagine my surprise when I realized I’d been missing out on a pretty incredible summer life hack all this time. Frozen aloe vera cubes!
I was browsing around a great blog called Masshole Mommy recently and saw a post the writer, Robin, featured on freezing aloe vera for a cooling treat post-sunburn. How had I never thought of this!?! It makes perfect sense. I’m beginning to think I’ve failed as a Floridian.
All you have to do is squirt the aloe vera into silicone molds (Ikea sells some that are both economical and adorable) and let them freeze overnight. Robin suggests using one or two stars at a time and holding them in a washcloth to avoid a huge mess.
With a little one of my own now, you can bet I’ll be trying this one out in the future!
Do you all have any tricks for beating the summer sun and surviving a nasty burn?
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