The weather in Pa is crazy. It has steadily climbed from a chilly 45 degrees a week ago to a blistering 90 today. My backyard feels like a sauna. Don't get me wrong - I LOVE hot weather. It just happened so quickly, I need time to adjust.
One of the things I like most about sunny days is what they do to my skin. I turn an even toned, brick red with a nice "glow" thanks to my (small amount of) Cherokee blood. No need for foundation in the summer. Without foundation, I don't have to worry about melt downs in the heat.
I also get to enjoy my favorite facial spritzer - aloe vera juice.
Aloe Vera face spritzers give a quick relief from the summer heat while also nourishing the skin (I use it in my hair, as well!) The Aloe juice (or gel) hydrates the skin and relieves the pain from sunburns. As a matter of fact, several sunscreens on the market contain Aloe Vera, as does many of the higher-priced skin care lines.
Pick up a bottle of preservative-free, organic Aloe Vera juice (my personal favorite is Lily of the Desert) from a health food store. Make sure it's in a dark brown bottle (it keeps better) and it's not a gel. If purity and potency are important to you, skip the clear bottled, chemical-laden choices offered at big box stores like Wal-Mart.
Place your Aloe Vera bottle in the fridge. When you're ready for a cool, refreshing facial spritzer, pour a small amount into a spray bottle. Close your eyes and spritz away. It feels fantastic.
I tried to do this the totally back-to-nature way. I bought a real Aloe Vera leaf from the farmer's market. I came home and sliced it open and plopped it in the blender. The idea of using a fresh plant really appealed to my "granola" personality, but I couldn't get the tiny Aloe gel balls down to a liquid.
Maybe I have a crappy blender. My entire batch of Aloe Vera juice had little "jelly fish" in it. Being as determined as I am sometimes, I tried to mash the balls out and then poured the liquid into a spray bottle. It simply clogged my bottle.
I ended up pouring the juice over my hair. But then I had little jelly fish in my hair - for 3 days - even after washing it. Sometimes it's best to go the convenient route.
Do you have a simple, natural product you love to use in summer?
