A common use of Aloe Vera is applying on sunburnt skin. It helps the burnt skin to cool and reduce the burning impact of the sun rays. Typically Aloe Vera gel is applied on the burnt skin.
Aloe Vera comes with a lot of benefits for our skin and body. Besides applying Aloe Vera on the skin, we can be benefitted by consuming Aloe Vera as juice or other form of food or drink. But you should maintain the limit.
In fact, consuming Aloe Vera as any form of food may cause kidney issues.
But today, the topic is the use of Aloe Vera as a moisturizer. There is a common question- can Aloe Vera gel be used as a moisturizer. Right now, we’re going to talk about that.
Can Aloe Vera Gel be Used as a Moisturizer?
The single word answer to this question is- YES. You’ve got your answer. But if you want to know the reason, continue reading.
Aloe Vera comes with hygroscopic properties. As a result, it absorbs and retains moisture from the outside environment. This absorbing and retaining property has helped it to be a good moisturizer.
When it is applied on skin, it takes moisture from the environment and retains that on your skin. As a result, your skin gets enough moisture to avoid being dry.
Moisturizers made commercially also works in the same way. But those come with an inorganic greasy substance to stick the moisturizer to your skin. As a result, when it dries, in maximum cases, it leaves a sticky feel.
The thing that has made Aloe Vera a better moisturizer is- Aloe Vera doesn’t need any inorganic grease to stick to the skin. As a result, it doesn’t leave any irritation or sticky feeling.
Also, sometimes, the inorganic greasy substance blocks the pores of skin and causes breakouts. Aloe Vera doesn’t do anything like this unless it is applied at an excessive amount.
So, now you know that Aloe Vera is really well as a moisturizer. Just in case you want to make natural Aloe Vera gel at home, let’s see the process.
How to Make Aloe Vera Gel Moisturizer at Home
This is a very easy process. For this, you’ll need these things below.
- An Aloe Vera plant
- A spoon
- A vegetable peeler
- Blender
- Airtight storage bottle
- Powdered vitamin E or C (if you want to preserve for long time)
When you have all of these, you can start the process.
Step 1
Cut a leaf from the plant. Make sure you’re getting an outer leave because these are comparatively matured than the inner leaves. If you don’t have an Aloe Vera plant, you can buy leaves from the market. But cutting from your plant just before making the gel ensures fresh gel.
Aloe Vera gel typically doesn’t last for a long time. So, having 1-2 leaves is enough to make enough gel for you.
Step 2
After you have the leaf in hand, wash those properly with fresh water to remove any type of dirt. Then keep it upright standing in a bowl or cup for 10-15 minutes.
This will drain the yellow resin out of the leaves. This is important because the latex in the resin will irritate your skin.
After the resin is drained out properly, wash the leaves again.
Step 3
Take a leaf and peel the green outer part of it. Reach to the thick gel portion by peeling properly. Properly peel a side of the leaf.
Step 4
Use the spoon to scoop out the gel and store it in a clean bowl. Scoop out the entire clear gel portion from the leaf until you reach to the other green side.
Step 5
Take another leaf and redo step 3 and step 4 again.
Step 6
Put the gel in a blender and blend it for a few seconds. Don’t blend for more than 4-5 seconds.
Step 7
The gel is ready to use. Until this step, you can keep and use the gel for a week. If you want it to last longer, probably up to 2 months, you need to add natural preservatives like vitamin C and/or vitamin E.
The rule of thumb is- for every 1/4 cup, add 500 mg powdered vitamin C. If you want to use vitamin E, you need to mix 400 IU with every ¼ cup.
Simply add the powder to the gel when it is in blender and blend for another few seconds.
Step 8
Store the gel in a bottle and keep it in the refrigerator. In this way, you can store the gel for 2 months and use regularly.
There is another way to store. You can freeze the gel in ice cube tray. By keeping these frozen, you can store these for around 6 months.
Final Verdict
Aloe Vera comes with a lot of benefits for us. As a moisturizer, it works brilliant. You can use Aloe Vera in a lot other ways too. See some more uses of Aloe Vera gel that you make at home.