The ancient Egyptians used to call Aloe Vera the plant of immortality. Studies have shown that Aloe vera gel does have several properties that are effective in treating a variety of skin conditions; for instance, it can help treat dry or flaky skin, soothe skin from sunburns, reduce wrinkles, vanish stretch marks, heal wounds and it can even treat acne. Yes, you heard it right! Aloe vera can help you get your acne under control and replace the scars with brighter, softer, and clearer skin.
In this blog, I have shared some of the simple aloe vera recipes for skin that are a part of my regular skincare routine. You can get a top-class store-bought aloe vera gel or the raw gel directly from the plant to prepare these recipes.
1. Aloe Vera as an Exfoliant and Moisturizer Pad
Slice a piece of the leaf open and sprinkle a bit of sugar onto the flesh (gel). Then use it to rub over your body. Your skin will feel sticky and moist with no exfoliating effects at first. But after a while, once you’ve rubbed all the gel on the leaf, the exfoliating effect will start to take place. You can apply all over your body and I like to do this an hour or two before having my shower for a good moisturizing effect and exfoliating fix. Then wash off the remnants during the shower.
2. Aloe Vera to Treat Sunburn
You can use this gel as a sunburn remedy and I’m sure a lot of people buy Aloe Vera gel product for this kind of remedy. You can also use organic aloe vera gel for face straight from the plant, which is really cheap and easy. Just slice a leaf and chop the flesh little bit so it becomes more potent. Rub it over the damaged area to reduce the inflammation and have the cooling effect.
3. Aloe Vera as a Face Mask
The gel from this amazing aloe species can also be used as a plain face mask. Simply take a big fat scoop of this gel and apply it all over your face, making sure there is a thick layer of the gel. Leave it on the skin from 20 minutes to an hour or you can even use it as an overnight face pack. There are many benefits of aloe vera on face overnight, for example, this can help treat uneven skin tone, bumpy skin, dry patches, eczema, and irritated skin. This can even help remove your suntan to a certain extent. There is one more benefit you can expect – this will help you get rid of black or whiteheads if you have any and prevent their further growth.
You can also prepare the aloe vera recipe for skin mask in different ways. You can try a DIY aloe vera face mask by mixing yogurt and honey and pouring a dollop of aloe vera gel as a part of your face mask or you can blend with a little bit of avocado or any other stuff that you like to add in your mask. You can even mix it with a clay mask or any other mask to make it more effective. I personally prefer cutting an aloe vera cube through the flesh in half and slicing the flesh in a checkerboard pattern, leaving the other side attached to the skin. Then I add some jojoba oil directly onto the flesh and rub it on my face.
4. Aloe Vera as a Makeup Primer
You can use Aloe Vera for face as a makeup primer if you don’t have a primer or a primer that doesn’t suit your skin type. You can also prefer this option if you live in a hot humid climate and don’t want to add an extra layer of a primer or you just don’t want to waste extra money on a primer. You can actually use this as a face primer before applying your makeup. Aloe Vera gel will leave your skin slightly tacky and it’ll really hold on the foundation or whatever makeup you’re going to apply. On top of that, you can also use it as a skin serum if you have oily skin.
5. Aloe Vera for Rashes and Itchy Insect Bites
Aloe vera gel benefits for face and skin are simply endless. Whenever I was beaten by bug in my childhood, my parents used to apply the gel from this plant to treat the rashes and itchiness. If your skin is itchy or if you have developed a rash, just apply Aloe Vera gel over the infected area to soothe your skin instantly.
6. Aloe Vera to Treat Acne
Aloe Vera can be used for acne prevention because it has antimicrobial properties. It helps kill harmful bacteria and keep your skin safe from other infectious particles. I like to use the gel after exfoliation because it opens up the skin pores. You probably know that open pores or any little wounds and scars often result in an acne breakout. When Aloe Vera dries out, it acts as a protective layer and doesn’t allow anything like bacteria to get into your skin which is great for preventing acne. So, is aloe vera good for acne scars? Yes, you can use it after the initial acne breakout has been healed to improve your skin appearance and diminish any scars. For better results, apply Aloe Vera gel for acne over your face every night.
7. Aloe Vera as a Heel Softener
Heels are the least important body part in the eyes of many. If you have dry or cracked heels, rubbing Aloe Vera will help keep it moisturize and will soften your feet. Your feet will look more beautiful and you won’t hesitate to have a great foot massage.
8. Aloe Vera as a Supplement
You can also take Aloe Vera as an oral supplement for a wide range of remedies for skin and for other benefits. It has over 200 active components, such as minerals, vitamins, enzymes, amino acids, fatty acids, and polysaccharide. It contains vitamins such as choline, vitamin A, B vitamins (e.g. B1, B2, B3, B6, and B9), vitamin C, and vitamin E. Very few plants actually contain vitamin B12 and surprisingly Aloe Vera is known to be one of them. There are around 20 minerals found in Aloe vera, including magnesium, calcium, chromium, zinc, sodium, selenium, iron, copper, potassium, manganese, and many more.
It is so good that many people like to have it in salads or by making a drink, but I personally like to gulp it straight from the plant. Wondering how to extract aloe vera juice from the leaf? Well, after skinning the leaf, cut the flesh into small cubes and swallow them with water. This way you won’t feel its bitter taste. If you do not like the raw form, you can always find the goodness of Aloe vera in a dietary supplement. You can drink straight from the bottle or you can add the juice to your favorite drink.
Store-Bought Gel or Natural Aloe Leaf – Which Type of Aloe Vera Gel to Use?
You will find different types of aloe vera gel in the market. But the problem is that a lot of these products are nothing but a mixture of chemicals and other ingredients, some of which could be harmful to your health. Whereas if you’ve ever scraped out the actual gel from an aloe vera leaf you’d know the difference- it is clear and thick. But there are some brands which boast about the naturality of their products even after adding color, fragrance, and other ingredients to make those more appealing to the consumer. It is also contradictory to the fact that you would want something more natural.
So, when considering aloe vera for your skin care, you would not want those bunch of chemicals to harm your skin when you’re just trying to treat it naturally. Be aware of those brands that may give you side effects rather than the actual aloe vera gel benefits for skin you deserve. However, there are few good brands which we have reviewed and shortlisted that you might be interested to look into.
