Aloe Vera Ice Cubes for Soothing Sunburn Relief

By: Courtney Hamilton

Have you ever spent an afternoon on the beach only to be left with a searing, stinging red reminder of that day? Sunburn, a radiation burn that results from overexposure to the sun’s ultraviolet radiation, makes for a brutal end to a good day.

Enter aloe vera gel — a soothing ointment that’s been used since ancient times as a treatment for everything from skin disorders to epilepsy (1). You can buy it bottled, but the bright green stuff in the drug store is a far cry from the original plant. Besides, homemade aloe vera gel is extremely easy to make at home. If you’re lucky enough to have an aloe vera plant — a type of succulent — in your yard, you can chop leaves directly from the source. If not, many ethnic markets or natural markets carry the leaves for fairly cheap.

While aloe vera can be consumed to help with a variety of ailments, our focus today is treating the skin. Aloe vera gel has been shown to soothe the effects of overexposure to sun, and aloe vera helps generate an antioxidant protein in the skin — metallothionein — which then combats the effect of hydroxl radicals (2). It’s also been shown to have anti-inflammatory, anti-acne, moisturizing and anti-aging effects.

With aloe vera’s healing properties in mind, how do we boost the relief aloe vera provides after a long day in the sun? Freeze it. When your skin is radiating heat, counteract that burn with these refreshing aloe vera cubes. Be a super mom and have these stored in the freezer ready to go after your kids are outside all day, or just prep a batch the night before your morning hike. The cute, pineapple shaped ice cube molds are optional (you can get them on Amazon), but highly recommended.

Aloe Vera Ice Cubes Recipe

Total time: 3 hrs, 20 minutes

Serves: 2 trays

Cook Time: 3 hrs

Prep Time: 20 mins

When your skin is radiating heat, counteract the burn with these refreshing aloe vera cubes.

Ingredients

Gel from 2 aloe vera leaves

½ cup water

Instructions
Tags | Explanation
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Ingredients | The ingredients required to make the aloe vera ice cubes.
Instructions | The steps involved in making the aloe vera ice cubes.
Total time | The total time required to make the aloe vera ice cubes.
Serves | The number of people the aloe vera ice cubes can serve.
Cook time | The time required to cook the aloe vera ice cubes.
Prep time | The time required to prepare the aloe vera ice cubes.