There are few things as frustrating as getting ready to go out and looking in the mirror only to find red, irritated skin that we could've sworn wasn't there a moment ago.
Well, former child actress and all-around fabulous person Drew Barrymore has the perfect hack for such situations.
The mum-of-two recently took to Instagram, saying that she had a 'giant bite or reaction on my face, right in the centre of my “try not stare” cheek'.
The director decided to take matters into her own hands, placing a chunk of aloe vera on her cheek. Aloe vera's long been known for its soothing properties, especially for sunburns.
"Then figuring I had nothing to lose, I dug out the meat of the live plant stalk, which I cut off a plant in my yard and then kept in the refrigerator to reuse, the juice you can squeeze out simply did nothing," Drew explained.
"So placed a small chunk of it right on my skin," she continued, "I left it on for about 3 hours plus maybe four."
The 50 First Dates actress then enjoyed herself in the sunshine ('with loads of sun block' she clarified).
"Just a gal doing experiments! And I noticed the piece of aloe vera meat turning red. It was actually suctioning out the red from my face," she revealed.
Now, you may not want to scroll down if you're squeamish.
Picture via GIPHY
The 43-year-old shared a photo of the piece of aloe vera after she'd used it and it had transformed, to say the least. But so had her skin!
"Don’t get grossed out, because I know it is, but it turned into this when it came off my face," she captioned the photo, "And I am not kidding you, my red mark on my face was NOTICEABLY lighter. And I did it again the next day, with a much milder impact.
"But in two days it was gone. I had even tried bleaching creams, and nothing was getting the red spot off my face until this natural remedy. Aloe vera live plant meat worked to extract the red."
That sounds pretty amazing! Drew was slightly incorrect, though, in saying that it had 'suctioned' the red off her skin.
"I wouldn't use the words 'suctioned out' to describe what happened to the irritation on her face," Dendy Engelman, a dermatologic surgeon at New York City's Medical Dermatology & Cosmetic Surgery centre, explained to Allure.
"Aloe vera does tend to turn red and wrinkle under the sun or in dry conditions, which is what happened here."
However, its anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties are renowned, Dendy notes. That may be why Drew's skin cleared up so well.
It should also be kept in mind, Dendy said, that those who have sensitive skin may find that aloe vera leads to redness or irritation.
Suctioning aside, the actress took the opportunity to sing aloe vera's praises, listing its other possible uses.
"It’s also amazing for cuts, scrapes and especially burns. It’s a must have to have around. In any form. Thank you aloe vera. You continue to amaze me with your beauty and beauty secrets," Drew wrote.
Are you an aloe vera fanatic like Drew?
