Homemade Aloe Vera Gel | DIY

Aloe vera gel is a true beauty miracle when it comes to caring for dry or slightly burnt skin! Here you can find out how to make aloe vera gel yourself.

Sunburn, dry skin or mosquito bites? A remedy for these little evils has also been developed! For thousands of years, aloe vera has been considered a medicinal plant that is also used to care for our skin. The healing gel is contained in many (often not so cheap) cosmetics, but can also be extracted from the plant itself without any problems. Here you can find out how it works!

Make your own aloe vera gel: You must know that

• If you want to win aloe vera gel yourself, your aloe vera (real aloe) should be at least three years old and already have twelve leaves.
• Aloe vera leaves store nutrients and contain minerals, vitamins, amino acids and enzymes. The thick leaves consist of three layers: the outer bark, the inner gel and the juice.
• The gel has many positive properties: it can heal injuries on the plant and has an anti-inflammatory effect on us humans, promotes wound healing and strengthens the immune system. It can be used especially for sunburn, itchy skin, minor burns and insect bites.
• However, before the gel can be applied, the outer layer of leaves with the yellow juice must be removed: The leaf bark and the yellow juice contain aloin, which has a strong laxative effect and can cause symptoms of poisoning if overdosed.

DIY aloe vera gel: That’s how it’s done

You need:

• Aloe vera (plant should be at least three years old)
• Knife (sharp)
• Spoons
• Glass
• Closable container for storage

Note: Knife, spoon and container for collecting the gel must be sterile.

Instructions:

1. With a sharp knife, cut off a leaf of Aloe vera relatively far down at the base.
2. Place the leaf in a glass with the cut face down. Leave it to stand upright in the glass for about 90 minutes so that the yellow, poisonous juice runs out.
3. Then cut off two to three centimetres after the cut surface to remove the remaining aloe vera.
4. Slice the leaf lengthwise and separate it. Using a spoon, you can now carefully scrape out the aloe vera gel.
5. Pour the gel into a sealable jar and store it in the refrigerator.
6. The aloe vera gel can be kept for one to two weeks when cooled.

Application: The gel can be applied several times a day on the affected skin area.

How to preserve the aloe vera gel

• The aloe vera gel can be easily pureed or chopped in a blender. Pour the pureed gel into an ice cube container and place it in the freezer. Later you can defrost the frozen mass one by one.
• Before pureeing, add either 10 to 20 drops of tocopherol (vitamin E oil) or one gram of vitamin C powder to 100 grams of aloe vera gel. Then keep the pureed gel in the refrigerator. Both tocopherol and vitamin C powder have an antioxidant effect and thus serve as a preservative. As a result, this makes the gel stable for up to six weeks.