Aloe Vera for Minor External First Aid

Cordelia — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 19:00:00 +0000

Everyone knows aloe vera is a welcomed, soothing remedy for burns, but it’s also useful in a variety of ways, when minor external first aid is needed.
Here’s just a few:

For sunburn, or minor burns (where there is redness only) simply snapping off a leaf and dabbing the gel onto it will soothe wonderfully.
Because of it’s antifungal, antibacterial and antiseptic qualities, aloe gel will harden into a natural bandage and can be used for minor abrasions, grazes and bruises.
Many have reported it will greatly reduce the appearance of scars when applied.
After shaving legs, bikini area, face, etc., applying aloe gel will diminish razor burns and heal minor cuts very quickly with no scarring.
Aloe vera has done wonders for people with acne, and helps reduce the redness and scarring when applied to face.
Aloe vera has also been known to relieve and/or improve other external skin discomforts such as eczema, psoriasis, ulcers, stings, bites, bruises, sprains and frostbite.

Please note: Aloe vera should never be used in place of an antiseptic. Once an injury is cleaned and treated as necessary, aloe gel can be applied to help protect the wound and speed the healing process.

Photo © Imarin | Dreamstime.com

Soothing Sunburn with Aloe Vera

Cordelia — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 20:00:00 +0000

Those summer months are just around the corner, which means… potential SUNBURN.

By now, everyone is aware that aloe vera does wonders for burns. For sunburns, it’s especially good for soothing relief and to speed healing. Because I’m very fair skinned, I’ve pretty much used aloe vera all my life, and was chased around as a kid to have it applied to me after getting those nasty sunburns, and have never found a product that compares.

You should, of course, always use a good sunscreen when you’re going to be in the sun even for short periods, (especially if you’re fair skinned!) but sometimes we end up in the sun unexpectedly, or we missed areas when applying the sunscreen.

Here are a few things you can do to soothe that nasty sunburn with aloe vera.

If most of your body is covered in sunburn, the best way to soothe it is not always possible because more than likely you won’t have a sufficient amount of aloe gel around. But if you do keep large quantities of fresh aloe gel on hand, you can draw a cool bath, adding a large amount of the aloe gel to the bath. Soaking in the aloe vera bath will draw heat from your skin and soothe the pain greatly. (and will also make your skin oh-so soft, but when in pain, you won’t care about being baby soft, of course)
You can also, of course, apply the aloe gel directly to your skin. Just apply the aloe gel and allow to dry.
Another thing you can do is make an aloe vera “spray”. If you have a decent amount of aloe gel, then in a bowl, add very small amounts of water to the aloe gel, and mix as well as you can. Keep adding a wee bit of water if needed, until it’s mixed thin enough to be able to be sprayed through a spray bottle. Pour the aloe vera mixture into a spray bottle, and keep it in the fridge. You can spray your sunburn for relief as often as you need to.

Whenever using the aloe gel for any of the above, be sure to avoid any of the yellow “sap” underneath the skin of the aloe vera plant!

The aloe vera “spray” option comes in very handy when your back is burned, because you can’t always reach all of your back to apply aloe gel directly. (and that cool, refrigerated aloe spray feels sooooo good on a sunburned back!)

For my sunburned face, (especially the bridge of nose, and cheekbones that end up burned worse) I always apply the aloe gel directly, instead of using the spray. Majority of the time, I just apply the aloe gel directly to the worst areas, and use the spray everywhere else, or for the areas I can’t reach.

Helpful Aloe Vera » sunburn

Aloe Vera for Minor External First Aid

Soothing Sunburn with Aloe Vera