The gel of the aloe vera plant is a great home remedy for sunburn and insect bites. In just 3 steps you can make your own aloe vera gel. I'll show you how to do it!
Aloe Vera is one of the oldest medicinal plants in the world. Because of its nourishing properties, aloe vera is and has been the perfect skin care product, straight from nature. It is considered a true beauty miracle when it comes to skin problems such as itching, dryness or burns.
The gel of the leaves is particularly moisturizing, without burdening them with artificial additives.
In addition, this pleasantly cools the skin. And that makes Make aloe vera gel yourself especially in the summer months so interesting.
Because a sunburn can happen quickly. Often the best sun protection does not help.
Is your skin dry, red or irritated? In all these cases, your skin wants something now: plenty of moisture to speed up healing, and that's exactly what the medicinal plant can provide.
Instead of buying expensive cosmetics, you can extract aloe vera gel directly from the plant. It is quite simple.
Table of contents
What you need to know if you want to make aloe vera gel yourself
- If you want to win Aloe Vera Gel, you have to make a real plant have. There are many ornamental plants that are not harmful, but also not very helpful. The real plant is called: Aloe Barbadensis Miller.
- The plant must be at least 3 years old to be able to produce enough money. Only then has the medicinal plant had enough time to form minerals, vitamins, enzymes and amino acids. If you cut plants that are too young, they can perish.
- The plant must be at least 12 sheets have. The leaves are composed of three layers: the outer bark, a layer with the juice and the inner gel core.
- The gel can heal injuries on the plant and immediately closes the "wound". For us humans it acts anti-inflammatory, promotes the Wound healing and is even said to strengthen the immune system.
- Before you get to the gel, you need to remove the outer leaf layer and the lower part of the leaf. Both contain aloin, which is used as a very effective laxative and turns the gel yellow. It protects the plant from predators and is toxic in large quantities. We need only the beautiful clear gel from the inside of the leaf.
- Use a very sharp knife. With a smooth cut you ensure that the plant is not injured more than necessary. This will allow it to recover more quickly.
All you need is an aloe vera plant. It is relatively undemanding, thrives even in the office and can be cut regularly. It will forgive you if you forget to water it and needs almost no care.
I will now show you how to make homemade aloe vera gel in three easy steps.
Tip: Make cosmetics yourself
In the book, The Glow - Naturkosmetik selber machen, you will find many great instructions for DIY cosmetic projects. From creams, shampoos, scrubs, oils you will find many step-by-step instructions with photos.
When I started to look into the subject, I stumbled across this book. It offers a lot of great instructions for beginners and also advanced. And for every skin and hair type. I can highly recommend it to you and regularly prepare natural cosmetics with the book myself.
How can I make aloe vera gel myself?
To extract the gel is not difficult. You need to cut off a leaf from the plant. Cut it lengthwise and scrape out the aloe vera gel with a spoon. Put the gel in a jar and store it in the refrigerator.
But let's take a closer look at it step by step. This is how easy it is to get healthy aloe vera gel.
By the way, I noticed that the gel from small plants turned greenish, and the gel from my large plants at home almost transparent. But the color is beside the point. What matters is the content.
The larger and thicker the leaves, the easier you can extract the gel. In organic markets, by the way, you can also buy very large leaves from time to time.
You need:
- Aloe vera plant
- Sharp knife
- Board
- Spoon
- Glass with screw cap
1. cut off one leaf
Cut a large leaf from the aloe vera plant. To do this, take a sharp knife and cut it very close to the base. Be careful not to damage the plant more than is absolutely necessary.
Already you should notice that a yellowish juice runs out of the leaf. This yellow yellow we need not to make aloe vera gel yourself.
2. put the sheet in a glass
Grab the cut leaf and put it in a jar. Leave it for at least one half hour until no more yellow juice is visible. In the meantime, you can also wipe it with a kitchen towel every now and then.
Cut off about 1-2 inches of the leaf now so you can be sure there is no more aloin in the plant.
3. halve the leaf with a sharp knife
Often you read that you should peel the leaf with a peeler. But it's also much easier. To make aloe vera gel yourself, you only need a sharp knife and a board.
Cut the leaf in half lengthwise. You can already see the gel.
4. scrape out the gel with the spoon
The best way is with a dessert spoon. Either directly above the glass or on the board. Fill the gel into a jar with a screw cap. And the project is already completed.
If you like, you can now puree gel very finely with a blender.
No more dry skin with DIY Aloe Vera Cream.
How long does homemade aloe vera gel last?
The fresh gel will keep for about one to two weeks if stored properly. It is important that you put it in a dark and cool place. Aloe vera gel keeps well in the refrigerator. To prevent it from drying out, put it in a jar with a screw cap. A Tupperware box is also suitable.
Do not forget to sterilize the knife, spoon, board and the storage container. How to do it and why it is important, you can read here: "How to sterilize jars and bottles correctly„.
Can I make it last longer?
Yes, you can make the gel in larger quantities and preserve it. Fill it into ice cube trays and freeze it. For pain, burns, insect bites or sunburns, the extra coolness of the gel is good.
The great advantage of the ice cube molds is that the quantity is optimally portioned. You can store it in the freezer for half a year without any loss of quality.
Important: Do not place the ice cube directly on the skin - this can cause frostbite. Allow the cube to thaw before applying the gel.
Alternatively, you can add a little vitamin C or vitamin E to the gel. This ensures that it will last longer. The aloe vera gel will last for three months if you add 15 drops of vitamin C or vitamin E to 100 grams of gel. Vitamin E to it. Or 1 gram Vitamin C powder.
Both vitamins prevent the gel from oxidizing and spoiling. If you wish, you can also add spirit of wine with 95 % alcohol by volume. This requires a 15-20 percent alcohol of wine per aloe vera mixture.
Can you apply aloe vera directly to the skin?
Yes, freshly extracted aloe vera gel can be applied directly to the skin. It is suitable for a wide range of applications. Most often, it is smeared on dry or irritated skin. Clean the skin with water and pat it dry. Then apply the gel and let it work.
It is very abundant, so usually one teaspoon is enough for a whole arm. The gel is quickly absorbed and leaves a cooling effect. Sometimes the skin may feel slightly sticky afterwards, but this usually goes away quickly. If the skin is still sticky after 20 minutes, you can simply wash off the gel - the important ingredients have already been absorbed.
What do I do with aloe vera gel?
From fresh aloe vera gel you can make a lot of cosmetic products, but you can also use it pure. The uses range from the tips of the toes to the ends of the hair.
Use aloe vera gel:
- at Sunburns and insect bites
- for body lotions
- for light burns and abrasions
- for itchy skin and neurodermatitis
- As a face cream or face mask
- as an ingredient in DIY moisturizers
- for dry hair
- as a make-up remover
- as an ingredient for scrubs
- at Blemishes and pimples
The effect and ingredients of aloe vera
Did you know that Aloe Vera is a desert plant? Its thick and very fleshy leaves can store a lot of water. And besides water, also important nutrients, so that it can survive at all in the barren desert.
It stores all this in the form of gel in the leaves. Aloe vera gel contains vitamins, minerals, amino acids and enzymes.
The plant defends itself against enemies with aloin, which has a laxative and skin-irritating effect. This protective mechanism of aloe vera is located on the outer leaf layer. Therefore, one must take good care to separate the outer aloin-containing leaf layer from the gel.
How to properly care for your aloe
In order for you to have enough aloe vera gel available at all times, the plant must be doing well. Basically, the care is anything but difficult. The aloe vera likes it bright, even sunny.
And it can also cope if you water rather rarely. After all, it lives in the desert and is used to a harsh climate.
The only thing that she does not like at all is frost. Too cool temperatures kill the plant in a very short time.
Once you have found a suitable place, things really start to get busy in the flower pot. Within a very short time, your aloe vera will form many offshoots.
For care products of all kinds, it is important that you use leaves that come from a plant that is at least 3 years old. This is because it contains a particularly large number of active ingredients. This is not the case with young and very fresh leaves and plants. Small plantlets often cannot yet tolerate the cutting off of leaves so well. They wither.
How to propagate your aloe vera plant easily!
Our conclusion
So Vera gel make yourself goes quite quickly. If you freeze the gel, you have enough of it for the whole summer. So sunburn and insect bites can be soothed quickly and easily.
Have fun making them!
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