SUMMERTIME
Summer brings vacations, pools, beaches, fishing, golf, picnics, 4th of July celebrations among a ton of other things. It also brings sun burns, mosquitoes, sand in your shoes and your house, hurricane season, and just one or two more irritants.
Summer ailments don't have to be expensive or complicated. Some home remedies to treat and soothe a sunburn include plain white vinegar. It eases the pain and itch of a recent burn, and many times keeps blisters from forming. If the burn is on your body, such as your back, shoulders, etc. use a washcloth, saturate it in the white vinegar and leave it in place for about 15 minutes. If your nose, or other parts of your face are burned, soak cotton balls in the vinegar and dab it on the areas.
Many of our summer fruits have healing properties. The inside white part of a banana peel helps relieve an itchy bug bite. Apply the inside of the peel directly to the bite for 2 - 3 minutes. Papaya has enzymes that help smooth and remove rough skin. Think about your heels that sometimes get cracked skin. Mash up chunks of papaya in a large bowl, rest your feet in the fruit for about a half hour, and then rinse. Apply moisturizing lotion. Avocado with all its healthy fats can help strengthen and nourish hair that's sun and chlorine damaged. Mash up a ripe avocado and apply it as a prewash treatment. Leave it on your hair for about 30 minutes. Rinse and shampoo. And, all that citric acid in a lemon helps dissolve dead skin cells, thus eliminating some of those faded sun or age spots. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze out the juice. Dab on skin with a cotton swab. Leave on for 1 - 2 minutes, then rinse. Do this at night. Don't do this in the am, since citrus can cause darkening when exposed to the light.
Green tea bags are incredible. The tannins and caffeine in tea bags help reduce swelling. Green tea works best since it also contains EGCG, an anti inflammatory compound. Refrigerate your used tea bags for at least 30 minutes, then place on the swollen area. The tannins in tea will also help clot blood fom a small cut or scrape.
We outdoor folks have learned to carry our homemade poison ivy antidote when we go hiking/ walking in the parks or woods. The poison in poison ivy that causes the painful rash is an oil called urushiol, and rubbing alcohol helps keep it from spreading into a big huge mess. Put 2 parts water and one part 70% rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle. Spritz it onto skin that might have been exposed to the ivy. Let it air dry.
The sun can dry out and chap you lips, also. Olive oil is a great source of moisture since it contains omega-3 fatty acids, which our cells easily absorb. Dab a little on your lips every few hours until they fell smooth again. Even works for the tops of our ears that are exposed to lots of sun also.
You can catch a wart-causing virus in the summer from walking around barefoot in pool areas. Duct tape has been used by some to get rid of warts. The glue in the duct tape softens the wart. Cover the wart with duct tape for six days, remove the tape and soak the wart in warm water for about 15 - 20 minutes. Rub the wart with an emery board or pumice stone and leave it uncovered overnight. If the wart doesn't come off, repeat the six day cycle. Think of some of the wild colors duct tape now comes in if you want to try this.
Hydrogen peroxide can whiten your nails. Mix 1 tbsp 3% hydrogen peroxide with 2 tbsp baking soda. Soak a cotton ball in the mixture and apply to nails. Repeat dail until the yellow color goes away.
Cell-repairing veggies like tomatoes and broccoli can help counteract the effects of ultraviolet rays on your skin, according to dermatologist A. Shamban, M.D., author of Heal Your Skin.
