I went fishing on the spur of the moment yesterday morning and it seemed like every time I tried to put sunblock on, the fish would take off with my line, so I was never really sure which parts of me I was putting sunblock on. Apparently it happened to be everywhere except for my forearms and the backs of my hands.

If you didn't know, aloe goo provides immediate relief from pain and skin tightness caused by sunburn.

People will always tell you about using aloe to sooth sunburn, but nobody ever says how to use it and I remember the first time I tried it I just made a big sticky mess.
So, since I have a sunburn at the moment I figure now is a good time to go over it.

Here's a picture of my kit after I've used a sharp knive to cut a few leaves off of my aloe plant.



I use the sharp knife to take the leaves instead of clippers or simply snapping the leaves off because I will be using that knife later anyway, and the sharp knife doesn't disturb the plant anymore than it needs to be.

As you can see in the photo, I have a bowl full of water with the leaves chopped into sections. I try not to bother with the sections that are smaller than my thumb and just toss them back in the yard.
I leave the water bowl full of leaf pieces in the fridge between applications.
I apply when I really start to feel the sunburn again after the last application, about once an hour or so I guess.

To the right you can see one of the pieces with the sides that have spikes on them chopped off, and split down the middle with the knife. This is where the sharp knife really comes into play.

If I was really good with a knife I would try to skin them and toss them in a blender with a little water to make a sort of gel, but for the most part simply splitting them works fine for rubbing the goo on your sunburn with the back of the leaf acting as a grippy pad.
Though, I suppose a carrot/potato peeler could work. I'll have to try that one of these days.

Oh wow, you have an aloe plant?!?! I've always just known of the Aloe Vera gel that you can buy in the store and rub it over your sunburns.

Do you think the aloe coming straight from your plant is a lot more potent and works better for burns?

I, actually, can't remember a time where I've lived somewhere that didn't have an aloe plant within sight of the house/appartment. I almost always have one on my porch. The one I have now gets these really long leaves that abe about 18 inches long.

I've used quite a few of the aloe gel products in the past, my favorite being a blue gel with a lot of bubbles in it and the word "ICE" on the label. I don't remember what it's called, but I know it when I see it.

I think that the goo straight from the plant, and the clear gels you get from the store provide the same relief. The only noticable differences between the two are one is portable while the other isn't, and that the aloe plant has a pretty much infinate shelf life as long as you water your plants and don't cut too much off at a time.

Cool, thanks for the info! I currently have the clear gel here at home. It says 100% Aloe Vera so I'm pretty sure it's good stuff. I really like Aloe Vera, it's good for the skin!

I know that in Texas my parent had two aloe vera plants at the house. I think they are ver resilient plants in places where there is a lot of sun and humidity, like Texas or Florida. I think in areas like Washington it would not do as well. I always used the plant stuff before moving up here. They both do about the same but the smell of the plant is more soothing to me that the gel.

Did you know that aloe also helps with dry skin too? I use it to keep my skin from getting dry and cracked. I have sensitive skin to most lotions but the aloe doesn't affect me. And yes, that is the only thing sensitive about me!

Well, I put aloe goo on my sunburnt arms the day I got burnt, the day after I got burnt, then I went out in the sun for about 6 hours yesterday with SPF 15 on and now the burnt arms have turned into a tan and don't hurt at all anymore.

Sweet... Last weekend it was sunny here so I went out for a bike ride for like 3 hours... no sun block... the sun wasn't even hot enough to tan me! I got wind burnt, but not sun burnt... it's not fair!!! I thought I was like half italian before coming to Washington. Now whenever I go back to Texas, people ask me if I am sick because I look soooo pale!

Dr. Oz on the Oprah show said that by eating tomatoes you can help protect your skin against sunburns, and wrinkles! They did an experiment on a lady. They tested her skin before she started eating tomato paste and then tested her again after 3 months of eating it... her skin was protected by UV rays by 30% more after eating the tomato paste!

I found that interesting. I've never really had a strong like for the taste of tomatoes, but I might change my mind!

Tomatos are good cut into wedges with a little salt on them.

Does that mean eating pizza is good for you now?

Tomato paste, huh? I might try it during the summer.

I love tomatoes, and eat a lot of them, mostly raw cherry tomatoes that i throw into my tuna and chicken salads I take to work.

I've also heard that processed tomatoes are also good for you, including those found in ketchup (okay, so there's salt and sugar in there too, but hopefully you're not going to eat a bowl of it!).

It's getting to be that time of year again. I managed to make it out for a couple of hours for fishing yesterday and burnt the heck out of my arms. I was only in the sun for maybe 2 hours. Good thing I still have my aloe plants.

I've been cutting my hair short this time of year for so many years now that I completely forgot hair makes an awesome sunblock for ears, foreheads, and necks. My nose is a little rosy, but the rest of my head is sunburn free since my hair is 3-4 inches long for a change.

It's definitely not that time of year over here yet! Although, I think I may have gotten a little color playing tennis the other day outside... I think the temperature reached 55 degrees!

I was just reading this list of "sunscreen facts" and came across something interesting that I've never heard before.

Well, we're having a sunny spell here at the moment, and when I get home from work, I intend to go out on my bike. I'll be putting on some suncream, but it won't have twenty minutes to start working before I go out...