Can you bring an aloe plant on board??

[Laurie S.]

Yep, I used to use Noxema for sunburn, too. It does work.

[Treven]

Yep, I used to use Noxema for sunburn, too. It does work.

My mother used that on me 60+ years ago. I too am from the British Isles and very fair complected and burn easily.

[jamessemaj]

I too have used Noxema and it does work. Leave a jar in the fridge for extra cooling of sunburn.

 

As to the aloe plant, I know of it's use for small cuts and burns, but I can't understand how a plant can be used for large areas such as sunburn. How is the plant extract applied to such large areas, exactly? That's why the commercial aloe balms exist, isn't it?

[Kikimeister]

I too have used Noxema and it does work. Leave a jar in the fridge for extra cooling of sunburn.

 

As to the aloe plant, I know of it's use for small cuts and burns, but I can't understand how a plant can be used for large areas such as sunburn. How is the plant extract applied to such large areas, exactly? That's why the commercial aloe balms exist, isn't it?

 

Slice open the thick leaves, and smear on the goo. I often massage the inside area down so it gets watery, and smear more if it on. Repeat repeat repeat and by the next day the sunburn should be mostly gone or at least far less red. The bottled aloe vera is less messy, more plentiful but I find it is not as effective as straight from the plant as they also mix it with water.

[triplett]

I always have my doctor write a prescription for SSD cream, it is also called Silverdine. I use it all the time for burns (cooking, and sunburn if needed). It will ease the pain, and really speed up your healing time. It comes in little jars.... maybe an ounce or two. We have used it for years, it is wonderful.

[willow028]

What I do with our aloe (I can't stand the stuff you buy - only use straight from the plant) is cut open several leaves, scrape out the goo (that's a technical term!) and place in a canning jar in the fridge - nice cold aloe all summer long! Would something like that work? Make up some in advance and place in a travel container that you could take with you instead of the entire plant or leaves?

[mitsugirly]

Yep, I used to use Noxema for sunburn, too. It does work.

 

My mother used that on me 60+ years ago. I too am from the British Isles and very fair complected and burn easily.

 

Well it sounds like people have been using this for many years. I wish I would have discovered it a long time ago! Although we are mostly dark skinned in the summer and tan very easily, that occasional redness will appear when we are in the Caribbean...that sun down there (like if it's a different sun :D) just burns more easily. :o

 

I have used aloe for many years and while it does have a cooling effect, it has never taken the burn away for me. :( It works for about 5 minutes and then feels "sticky". I never have understood that.

[Lovemychoos]

Not to be rude, but, uh, DUH. I use SPF 100. I'm pretty fair-skinned. I still burn. The post was about whether I could bring an aloe plant onboard, not whether I should use sunscreen.

 

I figure in this day and age, sunscreen use shouldn't be a question...

 

I don't want to appear rude either, but I am very fair skinned, English with blonde hair and blue eyes, so I know pretty well how easily you can get sunburn.

 

If you are using factor 100, and still burning, something is going wrong. I use factor 50, very liberally, and never suffer from sun burn.

 

I think it's a well know fact that we all use a fraction of the amount of suncreen which is needed to give the correct protection for the factor we have.

 

I apoligise if you were offended, I was simply trying to give some genuine advice.

 

Lou

[herbanrenewal]

About sunscreens - most people don't read the directions but you should use liberally, put it on about 30 minutes BEFORE going into the sun so it has time to absorb, reapply every 1 to 3 hours.

 

Re: plants - check out your destination country's agricultural laws. Usually you can't even bring a piece of fruit into another country let alone a plant in soil.

If you are boarding the ship in your own country and discarding the plant on the ship, and never taking it off the ship you might get away with it. Or the ship's security may make you toss it. If you decide to try to bring it onboard, I would also bring some of the commercially available aloe gel just in case your plant gets trashed before you get onboard.

 

You might want to go to a naturopathic or health store and get 100% aloe gel.

While regular grocery and pharmacy stores have a watered down aloe, health food stores have 100% available.

[wwcruisers]

I grow my own aloe at home, too -- so I understand how hard it is to find good commercial aloe products. The absolute best I have ever found was in Aruba -- a locally grown/produced aloe vera gel in a tube, called "Burn Balm". I've never seen it marketed anywhere else, but it might be available online? :cool:

[Aplmac]

Blimey, if you're getting burns that you need to 'heal'

you are putting yourself at a big risk with skin cancer :eek:

 

Slap on the sunblock, and loads of it -

even if you can heal burns, you can't undo the damage they have already done.

 

Better still, use self-tan, or get a spray tan before you go, and stay in the shade - much safer :)

Why even go out in the sun if you know you burn to red

rather than tan to brown?

 

This defies logic, but what do I know?

I only live in the Caribbean where we constantly battle skin cancers! :D

 

.

[NMLady]

I grow my own aloe at home, too -- so I understand how hard it is to find good commercial aloe products. The absolute best I have ever found was in Aruba -- a locally grown/produced aloe vera gel in a tube, called "Burn Balm". I've never seen it marketed anywhere else, but it might be available online? :cool:

 

According to someone who posted on TripAdvisor, Aruba's Burn Balm is no longer available in the Aruba stores. She'd purchased some before but was now unable to do so.

 

It doesn't seem to be available online either.

[wwcruisers]

According to someone who posted on TripAdvisor, Aruba's Burn Balm is no longer available in the Aruba stores. She'd purchased some before but was now unable to do so.

 

It doesn't seem to be available online either.

 

That's too bad -- it's the only thing I've found (aside from my own aloe plants) that really works!

[MrsPete]

its not just the soil. even if they are allowed to bring it on board in that form(crystals), they will NOT be allowed to bring it off the ship at the end. and those plants take a while to cultivate.

 

its easier, simpler and less hassle to just buy a tube or three of the gel. any Homeopathy store has them, right next to the pure juice. Trader Joe's, Whole Foods also carries it.

I wasn't thinking of cultivating a whole new plan. Rather, I was thinking it'd take about five minutes to remove a plant from the soil, rinse the soil off the roots, and replant it in the water crystals. And I didn't hear the OP say she had any interest in taking a plant OFF the ship -- just on.

 

I do agree with you that the storebought stuff is the way to go.

[mapsmith]

Well it sounds like people have been using this for many years. I wish I would have discovered it a long time ago! Although we are mostly dark skinned in the summer and tan very easily, that occasional redness will appear when we are in the Caribbean...that sun down there (like if it's a different sun :D) just burns more easily. :o

 

I have used aloe for many years and while it does have a cooling effect, it has never taken the burn away for me. :( It works for about 5 minutes and then feels "sticky". I never have understood that.

 

 

Just as a FYI. The sun in the Caribbean is more intense, AND people spend more time in the sun than they do at home, AND when you throw in Salt Water you can get a severe burn before you realize it.

 

It seems that when in salt water and you get out, the water dries and leaves a salt residue on the skin. This salt residue works as a magnifying glass and can cause burns to happen more quickly.

 

The best solution is to use at least 35 SPF sunblock (more than 35 is not really more effective) with block for both UVA and UVB. Use Zinc Oxide if you burn easily. Zinc Oxide will block 99 % of harmful rays. (It is the white stuff that lifeguards use on their noses) Limit the time in the sun to 30 minutes or less, before reapplying sunblock. This time limit is important! Any longer and the burn starts, even if you are already tan. Wear head covering, Ball Cap, Tilly hat. scarf. Guys, a burned scalp is painful, you may look dorky, but a hat is a must.

Don't forget to sunblock your feet if wearing sandals, too. The gaps in the sandals can get sunburned.

 

And if going to Orient Beach at St. Maarten/St. Martin, apply your sunblock in private so you don't look like a pervert. And those parts of the body that do not get sunlight will burn more quickly than you expect.

[Aplmac]

Although we are mostly dark skinned in the summer and tan very easily,

that occasional redness will appear when we are in the Caribbean...that sun down there

(like if it's a different sun :D) just burns more easily. :o

You have noooo idea how many thousand times

we repeat repeat that advice/warning to know-it-all tourists!

 

 

Those of us who live 13 degrees North of the Equator...

many of us simply don't go out in the sun, on purpose.

Don't need to!

Just live here, walk on the shady side of the street,

you'll get a tan. :)

 

 

I'm still trying to get over your mad 'necessity' to expose yourself

to a source of nuclear radiation albeit ninety-three million miles away.

 

 

If you burn so badly that you know you'll need all sorts of healing remedies

what on earth are you doing to yourself? :confused:

 

.

[Lovemychoos]

You have noooo idea how many thousand times

we repeat repeat that advice/warning to know-it-all tourists!

 

 

Those of us who live 13 degrees North of the Equator...

many of us simply don't go out in the sun, on purpose.

Don't need to!

Just live here, walk on the shady side of the street,

you'll get a tan. :)

 

 

I'm still trying to get over your mad 'necessity' to expose yourself

to a source of nuclear radiation albeit ninety-three million miles away.

 

 

If you burn so badly that you know you'll need all sorts of healing remedies

what on earth are you doing to yourself? :confused:

 

.

 

 

Amen to that - the voice of reason

 

Lou

[alicam]

Thanks for the quick replies! Will find another way to get my aloe on board.

A novel idea would be to purchase it before you get on board