Are you using Aloe Vera gel this summer ?

With this exceptional real summer weather in Ireland this year, we need to make sure to have aloe vera gel handy not only for sunburns but a great skincare product all year round for everyone in the family.

I have been asked few times by my followers how to use the aloe vera gel directly from the plant, and how to store it .

So this was a conversation with one of my fb fans ;

FB fan: I have about 20 plants (aloe ) how do I make this up. ????

Me: Lucky you that you have 20 plants of Aloe . You can certainly use the flesh of the aloe leaf on your skin however you can not store that gel as it gets oxidation pretty quickly . The aloe vera gel you buy in shops are made from concentrated and must have a preservative and other stabilizers ingredients in order to have a shelf life. But you can use a tip and freeze the flesh of your plants in ice cubes mould for ready use. Hope this info helps 🙂

FB fan: thank you I didn’t know that you couldn’t keep it. I have mixed it with coconut oil and frankincense to use as a moisturiser but I did notice it went very green in a couple of days.

Me: yes it does not gets only oxidized but have in mind Aloe vera is 96% water and 4% aminoacids and other actives, so you MUST include a preservative otherwise it goes off in days. Besides the fact that oil and water does not mixed, your recipe with coconut oil would need an emulsifier otherwise the 2 phases will separate eventually. I actually made that recipe myself a while ago to show my fans that most of skincare recipes in the Internet are unreliable and can do more damage to your skin that good. See my pic below coconut oil (solid) is on top and aloe vera gel (oxidized) after few weeks with NO preservative. And the smell of rancid. This a typical example of a skincare recipe from very popular blogger who does not have proper cosmetic making knowledge and people would end up using a product full of nasty microorganisms. 

UGH!!

Remove the skin carefully and chopped the flesh “gel” , blend it for different purposes:

Face mask

Hair mask

Body scrub mixed with sugar or sea salt and some nice plant oil that you like.

Please note that all these products above will be good to use just few days (maybe 3 maximum) if kept in the fridge, then discard it. You can not store these products without a preservative .

Freeze it in little ice cubes shapes and use it  after sun or for skin healing purposes, or just as skin refreshing . Yes you can freeze it no problem for a longer time.

Now if you are not lucky enough to have Aloe Vera plants at home .Which aloe vera gel you should buy ? This is another frequent asked question .

Buy one with the least ingredients possible, check the INCI (ingredients list) and make sure that “Aloe Barbandesis” is first on the list so that will be a good start. You might see Carbomer (synthetic thickener) or Xantham gum (natural thickener/gelling agent)  phenoxyethanol (synthetic preservative) and others . EDTA (synthetic preservative) , if it is green glossy colour , definetely has colorant, Aloe vera gel is white/transparent naturally.

Read ALL the wonderful skin benefits and uses of Aloe Vera gel in my last year post here 

Do you want to make your own aloe vera gel (like the one you buy in the stores?) ?? Yes you can make aloe vera gel and plenty of other bodycare products -professional standard – at home. YES it is POSSIBLE!!! with the right knowledge and professional guidance.

HOW? 

OPTIONS

A- Coming to my live skincare making classes in Dublin 

B- Enroll in my making skincare online course

C- Self-study notes and recipes course HERE 

Hope you find this post helpful.

La Mayca x