How to Use Aloe Vera Ice Cubes to Treat a Sunburn

Anyone with a painful sunburn seeks relief the minute redness (and sometimes blistering and swelling) appears. While taking ibuprofen can eventually help with the pain, you’ll need to wait up to an hour before you can feel its effects. For immediate relief, turn to the power of aloe vera. The properties of this plant not only provide pain relief but also project a cooling sensation that allows for instant comfort. Take its use to the next level by freezing the solution in ice cube trays to numb painful areas while the aloe vera goes to work.

Preparing the Aloe Vera Cubes

Purchase aloe vera gel. Select natural aloe vera gel that contains close to 100 percent aloe vera. Some sunburn relief formulas have added ingredients, which may interfere with the freezing process.

Visit the local health food store to find a natural product. Read product labels to ensure the product you buy has the most aloe possible.

You can also extract aloe vera gel from an aloe plant. However, this may not produce as much lotion as you will need for freezing. You could enhance what you pick up at the health food store with material extracted from your plant.

Fill each reservoir of the ice cube tray three quarters of the way with aloe gel. If youonly have a limited amount of gel, consider adding a small amount of water to each reservoirto beef up each cube.

Allow the Ice to Freeze. Depending upon your freezer setting, this could take anywhere from 30 minutes to a few hours. If you can freeze the cubes overnight you’ll obtain the best result.

Using the Aloe Vera Cubes

Apply one cube to the affected area the minute (or even before) you feel pain. Try to work with only one or two cubes if possible, to avoid having them melt all over the place.

Consider holding each cube with a clean washcloth. As the cube melts, it will be absorbed by the washcloth, reducing further mess.

If you plan to use the entire tray, dump the cubes into a separate bowl you can maintain in the freezer. Then refill the tray and freeze so you have another round on hand.