ALOE GEL D.I.Y.

THERE ARE SO MANY WAYS TO USE ALOE…

Aloe vera is one of my favorite soothing plants, when I’ve really damaged my skin (sunburn, beach day, camping or if I have a reaction), if I’ve had stomach issues (indigestion, acid or ulcer pain), and when I get a dry irritated scalp - essentially, Aloe is a savior.

A list of it’s uses:

Drink - Aloe is alkaline which helps to neutralize acidic foods in your stomach, and in your blood. It supports the stomach lining as well, helping to repair ulcers and prevent them from getting larger or more inflamed. Drinking aloe vera 1-2x per day for a week can help ease stomach ailments, or re-alkalize the body. Drink this when youre feeling sick, on a light detox or have ulcer pain. I like to add aloe gel to a chlorophyll slushie (ice + lemon + chlorophyll drop + aloe) or a green juice!

Skin - For topical use, it’s gentle, anti-inflammatory, supports collagen production and it’s moisturizing. I add aloe to masks for repairing / calming / soothing, or as a topical moisturizer for the face + body, and it’s especially useful for healing cuts (only cuts that have already formed a dense scab!) - add it to the Soothing Botanical Gel Mask Base with green tea / matcha powder or spirulina for a post-beach day mask.

Hair - My scalp gets super dry in the middle of summer and then again in the winter. I use an aloe based hair mask when there’s an extreme change in temperature, a sunburn or i’ve excessively used products that dry my scalp - or just to add extra moisture to my dry frizzy italian hair! Aloe soothes the scalp, repairs dead skin cells, and adds natural shine + moisture!

I make a mask with aloe gel + rosemary + 5 drops black seed oil or water based extract

D.I.Y. ALOE VERA GEL

Use the giant Aloe stalks you find in the grocery store - or use your own, but avoid tiny leaves since there won’t be too much of the fleshy middle in them!

Carefully cut / peel the top green layer off - be careful not to cut too deep into the flesh, the peel is very thin.

You can use a spoon to scoop out the flesh - or cut the bottom peel too - this will reveal the clear, goopy and slimy aloe flesh. This is the good stuff!

Toss all the goop into a blender / food processor and blend until a gel forms.

*** This is NOT preserved, so it will go back in about 1 week, refrigerated. You can freeze aloe into ice cubes and melt when you want to use them - or make herbal recovery packs - especially for women who are expecting, pour it into pads and freeze for post baby recovery!