How to use an aloe vera plant for skin care

Today’s post is going to be about the benefits of aloe gel for the skin and how you can extract pure aloe gel from the plant.

Photo from: en.mr-ginseng.com

Aloe gel comes from the aloe vera plant which is cultivated and can be grown and kept in the home. This plant has been used for skin care for many years and is a natural remedy for many skin ailments. Let’s review some of the wonderful benefits of aloe.

Benefits of aloe gel

*Anti-oxidant properties including beta carotene, vitamin C and vitamin E

*Reduces the appearance of blemishes

*Improves skin’s firmness

*Reduces visibility of stretch marks

*Moisturizes the skin

*Can help treat acne

*Antibacterial properties, helps treat: insect bites, burns, rashes, blisters and abrasions.

*Regenerates skin cells

*Soothes the skin

*Promotes healing

*Reduces the signs of wrinkles, age spots, eczema and sun damage

What I use aloe for

Aloe gel is gentle on the skin and can be combined with face creams and serums, in fact it can be found in many skin care products on the market. I add aloe gel into my DIY face serum recipe which you can find by clicking- HERE. I also use aloe gel over my eye cream before bed to help reduce any puffiness, visible fatigue and darkness. On top of my moisturizer, serum and spot treatment I pat on some fresh aloe to help with acne, blemishes and to moisturize. Aloe gel also works wonderfully on mosquito bites and helps stop itching and swelling. This is a handy plant to keep around the house to use for topical relief.

Benefits for the hair and scalp

*Helps treat hair loss

*Reduces dandruff

Benefits for the body

*Helps ease muscle pain and strains

*Provides relief from stomach and kidney ailments

*Aids in digestion

*Helps with sinus inflammation

*Soothes gum pain and periodontal diseases

Aloe can also be ingested and you can purchase fresh aloe vera juice for consumption.

How to extract pure aloe gel

You can purchase an aloe plant or an aloe leaf from grocery stores and health food stores. I got a large aloe leaf at my local grocery store.

This is what the aloe leaf looks like

And here you can see the gel inside of the plant

Directions

1. Cut off a portion of the aloe leaf and wrap the severed end of the remaining leaf in plastic wrap to store in the fridge and keep fresh.

2. Using a knife, peel back the green outer skin of the plant to reveal the gel. This is about the size of the portion I cut off.

Remove the entire green outer layer of the plant. Your gel should look like this

 3. Using a fork, mash up the chunk of aloe and crush all the lumps into a smooth jelly.

4. Transfer the gel into a clean container with a lid and store in the fridge to keep fresh. 

The crushed gel you prepare and the rest of your aloe leaf should be stored in the fridge.You can extract the gel from the leaf weekly a little at a time to keep each batch fresh. When the gel begins to turn color from clear to brown discard it and make a new batch. Aloe gel is very slimy and thick in texture but it doesn't feel slimy on the skin once it dries. You can pat this gel onto clean dry skin or on top of your moisturizers and other skin products but not on top of makeup. I prefer to only apply the gel to my face at night before bed.

(Sources: ehow.com, mindbodygreen.com)