Hey there sun babes (and dudes!!) It’s getting HOT here in Sunny So Cal and spending time outside means you might find yourself sporting a little pink cheeks.

Over the weekend, we managed to find a very quiet, and oddly people-free beach spot ??(unclear how that happened but we were grateful for a chance to cool off and go swim).

That being said, my son and I both came home a little pink.  Mine was just on a few notseensunshinespotsonlyabathingsuitwouldexpose but my doodle bug, despite using sunscreen, sported his first ever face, chest and neck soon to be base tan.

He is pink.

He is a bit on the fair side, but still has Mama’s olive-ness thank goodness, and I am 99.9% sure he won’t even peel, its just a very good 1st degree sunburn… ON HIS ENTIRE CHEST.

How to help my little lobster child?

Of course! ALOE!  We all know that Aloe Vera soothes and and relieves pain from burns and minor skin irritants.  (makes a pretty cool hair gel just in case you are needing any)

But we are talking SKIN right now and I wanted to share with you the very effective anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant substance that works wonders for your skin.

If you happen to grow (and I highly recommend everyone have one healthy aloe vera plant on-site)  then you are one step ahead of damaging, and painful, effects of burns, sun-related, or not.

So as soon as you are able to treat that stingy, itchy sunburn, cut off a healthy portion of aloe leaf and get in the kitchen!

Find a mature, leave, one that has about 3 inches at the base and cut it off.  Wash the leaf, trim off the spiky edges with a sharp knife and peel away the two leaf halves.  Usually one side pulls off, leaving the pulp stuck to the other half.

I tend to rinse off the pulp if it has any yellow tint to it.  I never used to do this, and I have never had any issues with it, but that yellow substance can have the opposite effect if you happen to be sensitive to it.

Be safe. Rinse your pulp!

Next take a butter knife and, taking the flat edge, scrape off the pulp and place it in a magic bullet if you have one.  (this is my secret trick to making DIY aloe gel)

I add to my freshly harvested pulp a few tbs (up to a quarter cup depending on how much pulp you threw in) some aloe juice.  (you can find organic aloe vera juice at your local health food stores or amazon)    You are just adding enough in to give it some added liquid.

Bonus if you have high-quality organic lavender essential oil.  NOT any kind that is cheap or used as “fragrance”  I am talking Lavendula Agustafolia or Lavendula Officinalis

** when buying herbs and essential oils, the only TRUE and SAFE way to know what you are buying is by the latin names.  If you find something, and you will, that reads : “100% therapeutic grade lavender essential oil” but doesn’t list the botanical name of the plant used I would avoid it.. LIKE THE PLAGUE. **

ok thats another post and I have talked about it before.  here.

So add in up to 5 drops of PURE lavender essential oil, to your very slimy, mucous-y gel.

Whip it up so its nice and foamy and slather that goop on your sunburn, or even any skin that is irritated, itchy etc.  Put a tight lid (hopefully you are using a mason jar or other glass vessel) and refrigerate.  Apply generously several times a day until the sunburn is gone.

ALSO don’t be shy, slather this all over your neck and face morning and night, especially when the sunburn is gone. DON’T waste this precious goo.

You can also just put some aloe vera JUICE on a small fine-mister and take it on the go.  Its very soothing and great for a mid-day facial pick me up even if you don’t have a sunburn!

You have just made plant GOLD so don’t let it go to waste.  If you happen to have curly hair, or kids, run your goopy, slippery hands through your, (or their) wet hair and let dry dry.

Aloe vera helps other substances penetrate into the deeper layers of the skin so take advantage of that.

This amazing gel is great for blisters, bites, burns, scrapes, diaper rash, rashes,  and…sunburn.