As we begin to enjoy summer activities, we may also get something we don’t enjoy: sunburns. If you have an aloe vera plant, an easy way to relieve your sunburn is to use aloe gel on the burn.
Benefits of Aloe Gel
Aloe gel not only relieves sunburns, but it is also help moisturize skin. Aloe gel can also help with redness and irritated skin. For those of us who really want healthy skin this summer, aloe gel is a must have. It’s really easy to make your own!
All you need is:
A blender
A knife
A cup
A small spoon
Essential oils (optional)
A container to keep your gel in
First, cut the outermost leaf off of your aloe vera plant. Once you cut a leaf on an aloe vera plant, it will stop growing, so it is recommended that you cut the whole leaf off. Next, sit the leaf upright in a cup and leave for 15-20 minutes. This will drain out a yellow substance from the leaf called resin.
After the 15-20 minutes are up, wash the leaf off to make sure there is not any dirt on the leaf. Next, cut the top part of the leaf off with a sharp knife and spoon the gel into the blender. Make sure that none of the green parts of the leaf make it into the mix. Finally blend the gel and move to a container. Mix in essential oils if you choose to do so. If you are not planning on using the gel right away, store in the refrigerator. Enjoy!
When you live in a concrete jungle where dreams are made, sometimes it can be difficult to remember what nature looks like.
But you don’t have to hike your way up to Central Park to see some green. You can brighten up your space with some cute plants, which don’t have to be as expensive as your apartment. Household plants can range anywhere from a couple of dollars to around 30, making them easy to replace if you get lazy and accidentally kill them (I’m not saying that you do this, just being realistic).
However, these plants are worth the effort because they have practical uses as well. Your 2 Bros pizza tasting a little bland? Walk over to the window and snip off some basil. Your Seamless spaghetti sauce not-so-saucy? Pick off a little tomato from your plant. (I’ve heard the stereotype about New Yorkers only ordering out, so I’m saying this to appeal to our demographic.)
Here are some other common, fun household plants that you can brighten up your space with.
1. Aloe Vera
Yes, this plant isn’t just a name on your organic-free-range-market bottle of face cream. Standing strong with a maximum height of 3 feet, aloe vera can easily be grown in rooms with a moderate amount of light and only requires a temperature 65-75 degrees. These don’t need to be watered that much; once every week or two is enough. And when the leaves get big enough, you can break them off and use the gel inside to moisturize your skin, treat sunburn, and even fight aging (as I’m sure that you know from your cream).
Photo: Courtesy of wikihow.com
2. Sweet Potato Vine
Your favorite orange spuds aren’t just good for French fries. Sweet potato vines can complement your home with their pretty purplish-green leaves. Take a sweet potato, stick it in a jar (or small vase) with some water, and in a couple of days you should start to see little vines spurting out of it. If a potato sitting in water is unattractive to you, you can transfer the potato to some soil after the vines have grown enough. And if you get hungry later, I suppose you can take the potato out and try to eat it or make fries or something (to find a practical use for this).
Photo: Courtesy of houseplantsforyou.com
Spider Plant
I thought specifically about plants that would help improve air quality so I’d have a practical use to talk about, and here it is. The spider plant does look a bit like a spider with its long, thin, hanging leaves. Put them in your home in a place with indirect light and water them well. They like the temperature to be about 55-65 degrees and are very resilient plants to have. But don’t be fooled by the creepy name-in the spring; they can sprout some pretty white flowers. And again, apparently they help improve air quality, giving you a some relief from the consistent stench of your pile of take-out boxes.
Even in small Manhattan apartments, it is important to make room for life and bring vegetation into your home. A small space should not limit your garden or your imagination.
It doesn’t matter if it’s in your apartment, office or studio. By using creative ways you can play with nature, plants and flowers to add a taste of nature to your daily activities. There are easy, great ways to make a big gardening impact from the bathroom to the hallway.
A hanging planter can go anywhere you have natural light, including a balcony. In a wall planter you can mix flowers in different colors to add to the decor of the season or to brighten up a boring area. Do you want to make the kitchen a pleasurable place as well? Make a kitchen garden-in-a-box with matching herbs and peppers.
The office is also a place where you can add a little bit of green to your day by decorating with a vase or flower boxes to cheer you up and brighten the atmosphere!
Check out some of our favorite ideas and make the most of your small space with these big ideas, and prove that small size is not an excuse for not having the garden you’ve always wanted.
-Maria Zanetti and Thais Morais
Honeycomb Decorative Accent Shelf, $95 available at Uncommon Goods
