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Wednesday, April 23, 2008

The Itchy and Scratcy Show


Here's an issue I call Skin Primavera: The weather is acting crazy from day to day. You might start your morning using a thicker body cream than needed or you dress too heavily and find yourself sweating by mid-afternoon, or maybe you're just allergic to daffodils. An itch leads to a scratch and there you have it: red, irritated skin.

The most effective answer I've found so far is aloe vera gel. I'd shy away from the stuff with additives and green coloring and go for the pure stuff. Lily of the Desert has an organic, 99% gel that gives me six hours of relief per application. It has a light moisturizing effect (which means that sometimes I need something extra on top of it) and is instantly calming. It's a medicine cabinet essential, and I also keep a tube in my cosmetics bag. It has saved my legs on more than one occasion.

In my much younger days I discovered that aloe vera gel is also a good post-debauchery cure for the eye area. It helped de-parch, de-puff and revive a hard-partying face. I suspect that now, 20 years later, it'd take a lot more than a $4 tube of gel, but it still feels great on the skin, especially post-flight or after a workout.

I buy mine at the local Whole Foods, where there are several similar brands available. You can also order online .
Image: Top Review

1 comment:

  1. Of course you know that Aloe Vera juice is out there as well and basically does the same thing from the inside out. Best taken in small doses but after an overindulgent day (that 2 Cosmo 5pm or that trip to fast food Hell for lunch)

    Actual Aloe Vera saved me from scarring from a really bad sunburn: one that had me in bed for about a week as a teen I try to keep a plant growing just for topical applications but I would recommend that you keep it hanging; my room-mates cats would eat it down to the soil line (with great affect to them..)

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