Soothing Sunburn with Aloe Vera

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.

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Aloe Vera Internal Health Benefits

Aloe vera has always been considered the “Wonder Plant” through history, due to it’s external healing abilities, but it is also a wonderful herbal alternative for internal health as well.

Due to it’s anti-inflammatory traits, as well as increasing the ability to absorb nutrients in the digestive system, aloe vera has been used through time to greatly relieve constipation and IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), help with heartburn and soothe peptic ulcers. Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis treatment is also a possibility with use of aloe vera.Aloe vera has also been used to strengthen and improve the immune system because of the essential vitamins, minerals and enzymes it contains, as well as restoring vital amino acids your body needs.It has been said to help reduce blood sugar levels in diabetes, with claims of a 45% reduction.It has also been claimed that aloe vera can repair elastin and collagen in the skin and joints.

There’s been a wide variety of potential internal use of aloe vera to help with ailments and diseases ranging from arthritis, to dental problems, on down to cancer, but aloe vera is mostly recognized and used for it’s internal benefits to both the digestive and immune system.

If you are considering using aloe vera as an alternative to potentially harsh medicines, you should take caution when using it straight from a plant, and always consult a physician, especially if you are pregnant or considering the alternative for a child or pet. There are different processes for aloe vera and it’s very likely you will not benefit at all if using improper extracting methods for internal use. I strongly advise against it since ingesting improperly will cause various problems like diarrhea, and worse.

There are aloe vera juices on the market, but most cannot tolerate the taste at all, or the juices are watered down, which greatly reduces the benefits as well. My suggestion would be to use an aloe vera natural whole herb supplement that you can easily swallow if the aloe vera juice isn’t pleasing to your tastebuds.

Here’s to your health!

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Aloe Vera for Minor External First Aid

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.

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Soothing Aloe Vera Facial Mask

I’ve extremely sensitive skin and needed to look into something that worked well, particularly with my face, because all the products I’ve used are simply much too harsh.
If you’ve that same overly sensitive skin, you may want to try this aloe vera facial mask as well. It may sound a little gross at first, but your sensitive skin will love it!

You’ll need:
4 tbsp of PURE aloe vera gel (as in, get it from the plant!)
2 tbsp of PLAIN yogurt
6 tbsp of FRESH cucumber juice. (note: if you don’t own a juicer, you can grate a peeled cucumber onto a fine net cloth, or muslin cloth – fold the cloth around the grated cuke, and ‘wring’ the cucumber juice into a bowl)

Mix all ingredients well and gently apply to your face and neck, and leave it there for about 15-20 minutes. Rinse with lukewarm water, (don’t scrub it or anything!) and then a final rinse with colder water to close the pores. Pat face dry with a towel, and you’re good to go!
The yogurt and cucumber cleans, and the aloe vera moisturizes and soothes. I, personally, do this once a week. More than that, certainly will not hurt.

Give it a try!

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Aloe Vera Fingernail Strengthener

Are your fingernails looking not-so-healthy, dried out, brittle and cracked? Aloe vera can help as a nail strengthener to aid in holding the beauty of your fingernails and looking healthy and strong.

Ultimately, a good diet rich with protein, calcium and vitamin C, plus drinking plenty of water, is very important. This very simple aloe vera solution, along with a proper diet, will help particularly if you work with your hands a great deal, or for during those bitter cold winters!

What you will need:

2 tablespoons aloe vera gel2 drops witch hazel

In a small bowl, stir the two ingredients using a fork or wire whisk until blended completely. With your fingertip, gently rub a small amount of the aloe vera and witch hazel gel on your entire fingernail, wiping off any excess gel with a clean tissue.

The witch hazel mixed with the aloe vera gel is for lifting excess oil while keeping your nail healthy and conditioned.

You can use the aloe vera and witch hazel gel mixture as often as you feel you need to.

Posted in Aloe Vera Beauty Tips

Jul 7, Aloe vera and eye problems

About aloe vera and eye problems asked the following question a fellow visitor Ibrahim:

"Good day. How can I use aloe vera to treat my brother's eye problems? He always complains of seeing like smoke."

Strato's answer:

Hello Ibrahim, thank you for your question. I'll try to answer it, hoping that I'll give a nice chance to all the readers of this page to find answers to similar problems.

At first, my advice is that your brother should be examined by a Ophthalmologist (Ophthalmologists are physicians who diagnose and treat diseases that affect the eyes) the sooner the better! Indeed aloe vera can help and benefit our health, but at least we must first know exactly our health's condition.

General, most of the times an eye problem is part of an overall health problem. In the other hand, the lack of certain vitamins and other nutrients that are essential for our body's nutrition from the food we eat, is the common root of the most health problems.

So, enhancing our nutrition with natural supplements like aloe vera drink and bee caps that are full of vitamins, minerals, aminoacids, antioxidants and other healthful elements, is a natural way to prevent the expand of a health problem because our body's immune system has been reinforced and is ready to face it.

From my research I found that there are several reasons for someone to complain of seeing like smoke.

Cataracts is a reason for blurred vision or decreased vision. The lens of our eye in normal condition is clear. If the lens becomes cloudy, this condition is known as cataracts. It is like seeing behind a waterfall -- cataract is the Greek word for the waterfall -- and thus the name.

Cataracts develops faster if there are some environmental factors, such as extensive exposure to excessive ultraviolet light or sunlight, other toxic substances, smoking areas, automobile exhaust etc. that cause oxidation. Oxidation is the major reason of why the lens of our eye becomes cloudy.

Diabetes is a condition that affects many organs in our body and can cause blurred vision. Diabetic retinopathy is damage to the eye's retina that occurs with long-term diabetes and is caused by damage to blood vessels of the retina. The retina is the layer of tissue at the back of the inner eye. It changes light and images that enter the eye into nerve signals that are sent to the brain.

Retinal detachment is another reason for blurred vision or decreased vision. Often occurs on its own without an underlying cause. However, it may also be caused by trauma, diabetes, an inflammatory disorder. It is most often caused by a related condition called posterior vitreous detachment.

The retina is a transparent tissue in the back of the eye. It helps you see the images that are focused on it by the cornea and the lens. Retinal detachments are often associated with a tear or hole in the retina through which eye fluids may leak. This causes separation of the retina from the underlying tissues.

The retina is normally red due to its rich blood supply. An ophthalmoscope allows a health care provider to see through your lens to the retina. If the provider sees any changes in the color or appearance of the retina, it may indicate a disease. That means that the more blood goes to retina the better.

Eye injuries is also a reason for blurred vision.

Consist of taking Vitamin A, (Beta-Carotene), C and B2 (Riboflavin). The principal antioxidants in the lens of the eye are Vitamin C and E. Both are needed to activate glutathione. (Glutathione is a protein fragment which protects the eye from damage produced by free radicals.) It has been found that the absence of these vitamins encourages the growth of cataracts.

We can supply our body with all these vitamins in a natural way, adopting Aloe Vera Gel in our daily routine. Another nutritional supplement specially for our vision is the Forever Vision from Forever Living Products.

Jul 9, Aloe Vera Causes Weight Loss?

Yes, slowly but steady, as a tortoise!

Aloe vera causes weight loss and this is not so weird. I was always in good shape, but a certain age and then began to show concentrations of fat on my stomach and my waist.

Not a big deal and I had ignored it until a discussion with a friend of mine. He said to me that drinking aloe vera juice, my body will be detoxified. So the extra fat will be dissolved by my detoxified and enchanced body easily. That's how aloe vera causes weight loss!

I knew that aloe helps and protects the skin and strengthens the immune system, but I had never seen this big picture described by my friend.

I started drinking some aloe vera juice three times a day, before eating something. At the same time I started to do a few push ups, two - three times a day.

At the first week I did less than 15 push ups each time. At the second week I went up to 20. At the third week 25 to 30 and the fourth week 30