Save your skin, buy an aloe plant

Alaina Malone, Staff Reporter

Everyone has skin problems. The average teenager gets sunburns and has trouble with acne at some point in their life. Aloe can not only clear up  acne, acne scars and relieves sunburns, but it also tightens your skin when applied, reducing wrinkles. Healthy and all natural, here are some tips for using aloe that your skin will thank you for.

When you get a bad sunburn, you might often be using the concentrated aloe gel from the store. Using a plant that you care for yourself works better than the concentrate version because it’s all natural, without the preservatives found in store bought kinds that sit on shelves for weeks at a time. Sometimes aloe vera concentrate will also contain alcohol, which dries your skin out even more. For best relief from burns, buy and raise your own plant.

While you should always wear sunscreen, we all know sometimes that doesn’t happen. Whether it’s an accident or not, you should never ignore your sunburns. Even if they’re small, think of them as a big deal. They can lead to melanoma, a form of skin cancer, wrinkles and blisters.

To act quickly on sunburns, start by applying aloe lotion as often as possible. I recommend buying Stelatopia. You can buy it at Target, or online if they are out.

Once you have a plant with large enough stems growing off of it, you can begin using it as needed . It’s as easy as tearing off a piece of the plant and splitting it open with something sharp down the middle. After you do this, open the piece of aloe and apply the sticky side onto the skin wherever needed.

You should begin noticing that wherever you apply aloe vera, the blemish you covered begins to disappear or heal. Aloe vera contains two hormones called Auxin and Gibberellins, both that help to reduce inflammation and can heal wounds. Whether it’s ant bite scars, sun burns, or stubborn acne that you need to be reduced almost overnight, aloe does the job.