Trader Joe's Tuesday -- Oh Sunny Day!

Hey guys,

My boyfriend was just told today that he has a basal cell cancer on his neck. He's had many before. They are usually not a big deal. They get removed and that's usually the end of it. Hopefully that will be the case here. But, I'm whirling with emotions because he is very light skinned, previously red head, now just a lot of head (LOL!) and he really does not do enough to protect against the sun. When we met online, we talked on the phone for a couple of weeks because he was shooting a movie in Puerto Rico (Johnny Depp's "Rum Diary") and he was laying in the sun all the time. It's not good to be mad at someone before you even meet them, but my god, we all have to be so much more careful in the sun! Including me!

Trader Joe's has tons of great skin products including sun protection. But, if you do get too much sun, or even just to have on hand for others, please next time you are at TJ's pick up the Aloe Vera. It is pure and absolutely healing. My first bad sunburn I remember like it was yesterday. I was probably 9 years old and we were in Hawaii and a sweet old woman walked me silently over to an aloe plant growing wild, broke off a leave and lathered me up: instant relief.

It wasn't until many years later that my grandma shared that her skin care secret that kept her looking 20 years younger her whole life was a combo of aloe vera and a few drops of Vitamin E. Warning about Vitamin E though -- it makes you more susceptible to the sun! So, do not put it on your skin prior to going out in the sun.

Moral of the story: aloe vera is one of your healing friends. Always have it in your medicine cabinet, for yourself and for others!