Cecilia Torres
If you look at most commercial moisturizers, you may see a common ingredient: aloe vera extract! That’s because aloe vera has moisturizing properties.
Can you use aloe vera gel directly as a moisturizer? Yes, you can, there are a few ways to use it.
In this article, I’ll explain how to use aloe vera gel as a moisturizer.
Contents
What Is Aloe Vera Gel?
Aloe vera gel comes from the Aloe Vera Barbadenis plant which is quite a common house plant. It looks spikey and prehistoric — and beautiful! It has thick leaves where the gel is stored.
The gel is the inner part of the leaves and is made of mostly water. However, apart from water, it contains lots of nutrients and chemicals that have various beneficial uses.
It contains vitamins, minerals, amino acids, phytosterols, and polysaccharides. Those all help soothe the skin, which is why it is found in sunburn gels. Additionally, it helps prevent the transepidermal water loss of the skin, which is helpful when you have sunburns.
Aloe vera is a good ingredient for a moisturizer.
Due to its high water content, aloe vera could be used as a lightweight moisturizer. However, pure aloe vera may not be enough for very dry skin. Other ingredients would help moisturize the skin plus add a barrier so that the moisture is trapped in the skin and doesn’t easily evaporate.
Due to its high water content, aloe vera could be used as a lightweight moisturizer.
How To Use Aloe Vera Gel As A Moisturizer
Aloe vera is a great natural product with many uses. It is mainly used for soothing irritated, sunburned skin, but could be used as a moisturizer, particularly at night.
To use as a moisturizer, you should first harvest the gel directly from the plant. All you have to do is to cut a few fresh aloe vera leaves. You need to wash these thoroughly to make sure they are clean.
Split them vertically using a knife and scrape off the gel in the middle of the leaves. These should be stored in a sealed bottle to prevent oxidation. This freshly harvested aloe vera can be used as an ingredient in various moisturizing products.
Here’s a short video of how it’s done:
If you don’t have an aloe vera plant where you can harvest the gel, you can get ”pure commercially.
1. Moisturizing Face Mask
You can use your aloe vera gel to create a moisturizing face mask. Here are simple recipes that you can create.
Aloe Vera with Cucumber Juice
To create this, you need to grate the cucumber and then squeeze out the juice. Mix this with the aloe vera and use it on your face. Leave it for about 30 minutes before rinsing.
Aloe Vera with Lemon Juice
Instead of cucumber juice, you can substitute lemon juice and combine it with aloe vera.
Aloe Vera with Yogurt
For this, you would mix equal parts of yogurt with aloe vera. This is not only a moisturizing mask but it is also great for clearing the pores due to the lactic acid content of the yogurt.
Aloe Vera with Honey
Honey can be combined with aloe vera to create a moisturizing mask. This is not only moisturizing, but it smells great too. A good way to just relax with your DIY mask.
2. Moisturizing Cream
Aside from the masks, you can create moisturizing cream by combining aloe vera gel with a few ingredients.
For this you will need the following:
- ¼ cup of Aloe Vera gel
- 1 tbsp of sweet almond oil
- 1 tbsp of jojoba oil
- ½ tbsp of beeswax
- A few drops of essential oils.
To create the cream, the first step would be to mix the oils and melt the beeswax in a double boiler on medium to medium-high heat.
You don’t need to stir the mixture as the oils will combine on their own.
Once the beeswax is melted and your oils are mixed, remove it from the heat and transfer it into a bowl for it to cool for about an hour or until it’s about at room temperature.
In a separate bowl, mix the aloe vera gel with the 5 drops of your preferred essential oil. You can select essential oil for the fragrance or add more moisturizing ingredients to your cream.
Add this mixture to your bowl of mixed oils and beeswax then gently mix together to get to your preferred consistency.
Store this in a sealed container. You can use this for your face or for your body.
3. Hair Moisturizer
Aloe vera can be used as a moisturizer not only for the skin but for the hair too. It is gentle on the hair and when applied, it is easy to wash off.
For this, you can use plain aloe vera gel on dry and rough hair. Smoothen it from the scalp to the tips of your hair and let it soak for about 30 minutes before washing it off.
Aside from plain aloe vera, you can combine it with olive oil or honey for better hair moisturization.
Side Effects Of Using Aloe Vera
Aloe vera can be a good ingredient in various moisturizing products. However, some people could have allergic reactions to it. It is important to try out using products containing aloe vera in a small area first to make sure you are not allergic to them.
Apart from that, some people may be using aloe vera too much as a moisturizer. Aside from moisturizing properties, it also has exfoliating properties due to its enzyme content. That could be why excessive use could lead to dryness.
