DIY Summer Essentials

We’re feeling hot, hot, hot this month as the summer days are coming to an end. Squeeze in some last minute rays and spice up your warm weather game with these DIY Summer Essentials. As pre and post sun necessities, this beach towel and aloe vera go hand-in-hand, especially when the majority of the day is spent outside basking in the sun.

DIY Beach Towel

Let your creative soul shine through with this custom beach towel made with one common household item…bleach! Create witty summer sayings like “In need of Vitamin Sea”, “Salty but Sweet”, or “Seas the Day” on your favorite colored towel. You can also ditch the quote and create a bleach design like (splatters, polka dots, stripes, tie dye, etc.) instead! Your towel can be anything you want it to be. Get crafting and show off your towel at the beach or pool before your summer fun is over!

*We suggest adult supervision if working with children

What You Need: 

• beach towel
• 1/2 cup bleach
• 1/2 water
• rubber gloves
• card board
• spray bottle
• thick paper, card stock, or stencils

Instructions: 

1. Type out the quote you chose onto a document making sure letters are big enough so when you go to print there is only one letter per page. If you are using store bought stencils skip to Step 3.
2. Cut down the letters into smaller rectangles so when you place them on the towel they are as close together as possible. Remove the inside lettering from the rectangle to create a stencil, but remember to keep inside pieces that have holes in the center i.e. (D, O, R).
3. In a well ventilated area, set up your work surface by laying out a piece of cardboard to place the towel on. Set your stencils on the towel in the desired order. To avoid splattering outside of your stencils use extra pieces of cardboard to surround any open space that could be ruined if you want a more clean look to your towel. Also, tape any seams between each stencil to prevent bleeding in between letters (see in photo below). 
4. Mix 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup bleach into a squirt bottle. Put your rubber gloves on and begin to spray the letters evenly with the bleach mixture. BEFORE spraying make sure to twist the squirt bottle cap and test each spray until you reach a light mist. This is very important so you don’t over-saturate the towel with bleach causing your letters to bleed with one another. Stand 2-3 feet away as you spray to lightly cover the stencils. Spray no more than 15 times. From there use your judgement for how much more you should spray for your desired look. Depending on the towel some colors will change quickly, others like the one in the photo, will take a while to notice any change so be patient during this process. Once finished spraying, let the bleached towel sit for no more than 10 minutes.
5. After 10 minutes and with rubber gloves on, remove towel from work surface and rinse out the towel in a sink or tub with cold water. Wring out the towel and toss it into a washer with laundry detergent. Transfer to a dryer after it’s finished. While towel is in the wash dispose of the cardboard and stencils with gloves on.
6. Once towel is dried, take it for a trip to the beach or hit the pool and show off your summer creation!

DIY Aloe Vera Cooling Cubes

After a day full of fun in the sun your skin may be a little irritated with you. We all know the common remedy to curing sun burnt skin is aloe vera. But, before you go out and buy the store bought option create your own 100% natural aloe vera cooling cubes at home. They will relieve your skin and have it thanking you and singing “aloe you vera much”, after this extra special treatment. Chill out! Not only will this organic remedy take some heat off, it will also cool your skin to the touch since this DIY remedy requires freezing to help soothe and return your skin to its happy state.

What You Need: 

• dixie cups or ice cube tray
• lavender essential oil
• 2 Tbsp avocado oil
• 2 Tbsp coconut oil
• 2 Tbsp witch hazel extract
• 1/4 cup aloe vera gel from Medical Aloe Plant

Instructions:

1. Melt your coconut oil in a microwave safe bowl for 10-15 seconds if solid. Remove from microwave, add 2 tablespoons of avocado oil, mix the two ingredients together and set aside.
2. Remove a few stems from your aloe plant that will give you at least 1/4 cup of aloe gel. It is very important that you are using aloe from a Medical Aloe Plant as this is specifically used for topical usage. Skin the aloe gel from its outer shell until you have several clear gel strips. Dice the aloe and add to the bowl of coconut and avocado oil.
3. Add 2 tablespoons of witch hazel to the bowl and 8-10 drops of lavender essential oil.
4. Whisk together all the ingredients until you reach your desired consistency.
5. Pour mixture into dixie cups and freeze overnight.
6. Remove from freezer and rip around the edges of the dixie cup until aloe pop is exposed. Slowly move across sun burnt shoulders, arms, and legs to soothe your skin. Pop any remaining aloe back in the freezer for next time.