Cosmetic and medical products with components of aloe vera can be found in every drugstore and pharmacy. But you can make homemade aloe vera gel easily with our guide.
The aloe-vera gel contains numerous anti-inflammatory, wound-healing and immunostimulating agents that provide relief for ailments such as sunburn, insect bites or even dry scalps, and general skin care.
Unfortunately, high-quality aloe-vera products are relatively expensive. In addition, you would have to buy many different creams and medical devices to take advantage of the diverse effect of aloe.
Instead of putting many individual plastic tubes and pots in your bath and throwing them in the garbage later, you can easily make and preserve the universal aloe vera gel from the leaves of the plant. In this article you will find out how to do this.
The Real Aloe and its Valuable Content
The Aloe vera (Real Aloe) is a desert plant that stores water and numerous nutrients in its thick, fleshy leaves that the barren desert soil cannot give it. The gel inside the leaves contains vitamins, minerals, enzymes and amino acids, among others.
However, in order to protect itself from predators, the plant also contains aloin, which has a disconductive and skin-irritant effect and is even toxic in larger quantities. Therefore, it is important to separate the gel-like interior of the leaf from the alo-containing outer leaf layer.
Homemade aloe vera gel: Easy step
1. Separate one of the lower leaves of a plant at least three years old (more on this below) near the base with a sharp knife or just scribble and turn off the plant if other parts of the plant are otherwise injured. 2. Place the leaf upright with the cutting surface down in a glass for about an hour so that the yellowish, aloin-containing juice can run off. 3. Cut about one centimetre of the leaf additionally to remove remnants of the dripped-out aloin. 4. Peel off the outer layer of the leaf on one side with a peeler or knife or halve the leaf lengthwise, and scrape out the gel with a spoon. It is best to work over a small bowl or screwglass so that nothing is lost from the valuable gel.
The fresh gel, as it is, can already be used, for example on mosquito bites and sunburnt or needy skin. In a closed container in the refrigerator it can be kept for about one to two weeks. Alternatively, further processing is possible, for example, to a care lotion. For this purpose, it is best to puree the gel with a puree stick or blender to a homogeneous mass.
Make Aloe-vera-Gel durable
To increase the shelf life of the gel and the toiletries made fromit, there are several ways. For a cooling emergency aid for itchy insect bites or an acute sunburn, you can freeze the gel in handy portions in an ice cube bowl. A preservative can further increase shelf life in the refrigerator. Before mixing, add about one gram of vitamin C powder per 100 grams of gel. Alternatively, 10-20 drops of vitamin E oil (tocopherol) can be added to 100 grams of gel. Both vitamins have a strong antioxidant effect and prevent rapid spoilage by oxidation, which extends the shelf life to four to six weeks.
To achieve a shelf life of several months, you can use Wine Spirit with 95% Vol. add the amount of alcohol. For this, about 15-20 percent of the wine spirit in the mixture is necessary.
Aloe on the window sill
To have aloe-vera gel at hand at all times in small amounts, a single plant is sufficient for the beginning. It forms offshoots by itself, so that you have several plants in a short time. You can even speed up propagation by pulling new plants from pieces of leaf. However, the plant is particularly rich in active ingredients only after about three years, so you should preferably harvest leaves of your older plants. The offshoots also do not cope so well with the loss of a leaf. The care of the aloe vera is not difficult, only Frost does not tolerate it, so it is best taken care of on a window sill.
Tip: In addition to its varied healing effect, the Aloe vera is also an ideal bedroom plant. As it is one of the few plants that also produce oxygen at night, it improves air quality and promotes a restful sleep.
