An easy recipe to make your own aloe vera facial wash at home and do away with polluting (and expensive) tubes and other plastic containers on the market!
Aloe vera gel has many virtues and daily uses. If it is often known for its cosmetic use (soothing & restorative for the face, body or hair), it is also consumed as part of a balanced diet . The advantage of making your own aloe vera gel at home is primarily financial. In the trade , single-use plastic tubes are more or less expensive . In addition, the aloe vera gel contained is often diluted and not always 100% pure . Last but not least, you also avoid the plastic waste associated with the packaging of these products. Here is an easy recipe to make your aloe vera gel at home, with a branch of your houseplant or one you find already cut in the store.
Making your aloe vera gel at home, child’s play!
The recipe for homemade aloe vera gel is not complicated, but there are a few steps to follow. In particular that which consists in eliminating the sap , this orange liquid is likely to be poorly tolerated by sensitive skin.
Ingredients :
A beautiful branch of aloe vera (or several) of the aloe barbadensis variety
Of agar if you want to thicken the gel (a little liquid) – optional
Utensils to provide:
A sharp kitchen knife
A salad bowl
A steel tablespoon
A blender
A sieve (Chinese)
Steps:
1 / Take a branch of your aloe vera at the base if you have one at home, or buy it in a store.
2 / Using your kitchen knife, cut the damaged (blackened) parts, the root and the tip.
3 / Remove the sap (the yellow liquid), which can be toxic and not well tolerated by all skin types. To do this, place your aloe vera branch upside down in a bowl for about 10 minutes so that the liquid runs out.
4 / Then cut the pins of your branch which are at the 2 ends, in the direction of the length.
5 / Cut your aloe vera branch into several pieces, crosswise. This will make it easier for you to extract the gel.
6 / Remove the part of the flattest branch with your knife, and repeat the operation for each piece.
7 / You can now scrape the gel contained in each section using a spoon. Scrape well so as not to spoil the product. The texture of the extracted gel is quite compact, and is in the form of gelatinous blocks. Do not throw away the bark, you can reuse it.
8 / Place your gel blocks in the bowl of an efficient blender or blender and mix.
9 / Using a sieve, filter the mixture obtained over a bowl. Again, do not throw the gel residue that you collect in your sieve.
Thicken & keep your aloe vera gel:
10 / The aloe vera gel that you will obtain will be a little runny. If you want to find the texture of commercial aloe vera gels, you can add a little agar-agar to the preparation , after mixing, then leave to stand in a closed container until thickened. Xanthan gum also acts as a natural thickener.
12 / Transfer your gel to a glass container, preferably tinted, and use fresh or store in the refrigerator for about 3 weeks (more if you use a natural preservative *).
Don’t throw away your aloe vera waste! Here are 2 tips for reusing residue and bark
1 / A regenerating scrub for the face
With the residues that you collected in your sieve during the filtering operation of the aloe vera gel (step 9), you will be able to offer your face a very gentle exfoliation! To do this, apply the gel lumps using a clean brush on your face. You can also use the branch like a sponge, as long as you use the side opposite the bark and massage gently.
2 / A fresh and soothing exfoliant for the body
You can scrub your body with the pieces of bark that you left out for your aloe vera gel recipe. Use the bark like a horsehair glove (and softer) on your body, gel side (and not bark).
How to use aloe vera gel at home? Discover its many uses
The advantage of aloe vera gel as a cosmetic treatment is that it can be used on all types of skin and hair. In the bathroom, but also in the kitchen! Here are the different uses of aloe vera gel :
Soothing gel for sunburns
Regenerating hair mask before shampoo to redefine curls or give a boost. (Application on roots, lengths & ends).
Detangling for hair, soothing & purifying
Moisturizing and restorative lotion for the body or face
Soothing for mosquitoes
Natural hair gel
Reduces dark spots on the face
Base alcoholic home frost
Anti-aging face serum
Base deodorant natural
Mouthwash against dental plaque & gingivitis
Canker sore remedy
Promotes digestion …
As you discovered above, it is possible to reuse the waste from the production of aloe vera gel (lumps & bark) to gently exfoliate your skin.
Where can you find an aloe vera branch if you don’t have a plant at home?
Namely : there are more than 250 species of aloe vera , of which only 15 varieties are known for their medicinal properties. It is in particular the aloe barbadensis which is used in the products of beauty, care and food. Check the origin of your branch!
You will find aloe veras in pots in most garden centers, which are easy to maintain at home as a pleasure plant. You can also find branches already cut in organic stores and grocery stores. Control their variety well and favor organic aloe veras.
Tips, advice for use & contraindications
Again, the yellow liquid that drains from the cut branch should not be used on the skin. Get rid of the sap by placing your aloe vera branch upright in a bowl to collect it. Apart from its sap, aloe-vera has no contraindication for external use.
* If you have not taken all of its gel, the leaf of your aloe vera will keep for a week in the refrigerator. If you want to keep your aloe vera gel longer in a container, you can add a few drops of vitamin E or cosgard preservative . The gel will thus keep for 2 months out of the refrigerator , and a little longer in the fridge . You can thicken the preparation with vegetable oil (sweet almond, olive, argan…), xanthan gum or agar-agar .
No blender? You can very well use the aloe vera gel directly on your skin, or roughly chop it with a knife. It will not lose its virtues, on the contrary!
Read More: Some Important Tips to Care for Your Hair Naturally