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Even when you think you’ve put on plenty of sunscreen, making sure to cover every exposed area of yourself from head to toe, somehow, someway, at the end of the day you notice a bright-red, warm-to-the-touch patch of skin you accidentally missed. Thankfully, as much as sunburns suck (because, let’s be honest, they do), there’s a solution for quick sunburn relief. And it’s not just squeezing a little room-temperature aloe onto your skin and calling it a day.
Instead, Beauty Hacks—a beloved TikTok account dedicated to sharing creative solutions to everyday beauty problems with its over 700,000 followers—has the ultimate fix. Enter: frozen aloe cubes.
On its own, aloe is known to be an exemplary anti-inflammatory agent, hence why it’s such a popular ingredient in so many after-sun products. But pair aloe’s redness-reducing effects with an ice-cold temperature and…by gosh, the minds behind Beauty Hacks are nothing short of genius, as the added benefit of cold therapy helps to reduce inflammation even further.
The best part? This sunburnt-skin trick is so easy. Simply fill an ice cube tray (we recommend a silicone option, like this one or this one, to make it easier to pop the frozen cubes out) with the aloe product of your choice—you can’t go wrong with Sun Bum’s Cool Down Aloe Vera Gel or Banana Boat’s cult-classic Aloe Vera Gel—and pop it into the freezer to make magic happen.
While the Beauty Hacks video doesn’t say how long to freeze the aloe vera for, one can expect that it will take a few hours to fully solidify the gel. With that in mind, be sure to assemble your trays and pop them in to chill out prior to any sun-filled summer adventures. That way, when you come home your soothing cubes will be waiting for you.
A final word
As grateful as we are for such an innovative after-sun hack, the fact remains: The best way to overcome a sunburn is to prevent one from occurring in the first place. The most effective means of doing that is to always use SPF of 30 or higher and to remember to reapply it every two hours—or sooner if you’re engaging in water or ultra-sweaty activities.
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