Fun in the Sun!

That's what summer's all about, isn't it? Well...it is, unless you're "paper white" like 3/4 of my family. Actually, Daddy's skin is pretty blinding too but he doesn't have the redhead's skin that the rest of us do. "Fun in the sun" translates into "pain in the back" pretty quickly around here. And that's exactly what happened yesterday. After t-ball, we had a few buddies over for some serious splashing. And in spite of the "waterproof" spf 50 the whole family was wearing, that boy of mine ended the day looking like a steamed lobster.

It's times like these that I'm so glad I dabble in the area that I do. In my office, there's a cabinet. The second you open it, you know you've gotten into something special. Just opening the door fills the room with the most wonderful smell. That cabinet contains a little blue box. Inside the box are a bunch of little brown bottles, and inside those bottles...Mother Nature's answers to most of what ails us. It only took a few minutes to whip up an afterburn massage for my crispy boy. Here's the recipe:

1/2 ounce jojoba oil

1/2 ounce aloe vera juice

10 drops lavender essential oil

5 drops German chamomile essential oil

Stir everything together until the ingredients are blended. The oils and aloe will separate without the use of an emulsifying agent, so you'll have to stir it occasionally. Spoon a little into your palms and massage into those red shoulders, backs, noses, cheeks, etc.

Jojoba oil is a great "carrier" oil. It's absorbed easily by the skin -- which means it's very effective at transporting therapeutic ingredients, and it doesn't sit on top of your skin making you feel greasy and icky. Pure aloe juice can go bad quickly if it's not handled carefully. It's a good idea to make small recipes like this one. That way you don't have to worry about it.

This recipe is very effective -- it cools the skin, takes a lot of the red out, and prevents peeling. Even if you don't burn as badly as we redheads do, sun really does take a toll on your skin. This easy formula is very restorative. You can find all of these ingredients at your local health food store, Whole Foods, Sprouts Farmer's Market, etc. Of course, if you don't feel like investing in an arsenal of botanical ingredients (it can get a little pricey), I know someone who'd be happy to prepare a little Summer Survival Kit for you. Bet you can't guess who! ;)