DIY aloe Vera hand & body cream
What is Aloe Vera?
Aloe Vera is a medicinal plant that’s been used to treat various health conditions for thousands of years. It not only looks really good as a house or garden plant but it’s also really easy to care for and has some pretty amazing health benefits as the leaves are full of a gel substance called Aloe Vera (hence the name) that has many benefits to your health.
The plants are usually fairly easy to grow provided they have enough sunlight and warmth. In warmer climates they naturally grow outdoors but here in the UK I have pots in my home that grow well too. Aloe Vera plants need about six to eight hours of sunlight per day. Younger plants need less direct sunlight than more mature plants.
You’ll need to water your Aloe Vera plant when the soil is very dry and only feed it a little water. You can use your finger to determine how dry the soil is, when it feel really dry then add a little water. Always err on the side of less to avoid overwatering, which can cause the tips of the aloe leaves to brown.
Make sure your plant pot has drain holes on the bottom to allow any excess water to run out.
There are so many ways to use aloe Vera. …Here are my top five
Helps to accelerate the healing of burns, including sun burn.
To help with acne or to be used as a gentle facial cleanser
Helps to accelerate the healing of mouth ulcers
Helps with hair care
Improves the condition of the skin and may help with the appearance of wrinkles
Aloe Vera Every-Day Cream
I am going to share a really simple recipe for an everyday Aloe Vera Cream. It can be used to keep your hands and body feel nice and soft and can also be used as a face and body mask.
How to remove the gel from the plant.
You’ll need to make sure the plant is over 8 inches to make sure it’s mature enough to survive cutting the leaves.
Step One
Cut off one of the outermost leaves of an aloe Vera plant using a sharp knife at the base of the plant. The leaves do not grow back once they’ve been cut, but if you only cut off a leaf or two, the plant it will still be able to grow for future use.
Step Two
Once you have cut the leaf, a yellow substance will begin to ooze from the cut. This is called aloe latex (it can have laxative effects if consumed). You need to drain this liquid off before you can use the aloe vera.
After cutting you'll need to point the leaf vertically, cut end down, into a bowl to allow the substance to all come out.
Step Three
Once the aloe latex has drained, wash and dry the leaves
Once the leaves are dry cut the tops and trim the spiky edges of the leaves.
Next, finely remove the top and bottom layers by carefully running a sharp knife to remove the the green leaf.
First slice the edges
Followed by the rest of the leaf
Step Five
You will be left with a thick slab of clear aloe Vera. This is now ready to make the cream, please see the full instructions below.
To make the cream
Ingredients
A couple of big slabs of clear aloe Vera
3-4 tablespoons of coconut oil.
Few drops of an organic essential oil (optional)
Method
Add the aloe Vera and coconut oil to a clean sterile blender and whizz it all up, this will take about 4 minutes until the mixture has completely combined and formed a runny liquid.
2. Pop the liquid into a clean and sterilised bowl for mixing.
3. Add a couple of drops of an organic essential oil. This is totally optional but adds a lovely scent.
***Please check which essential oils are suitable to use by an aromatherapist or a qualified shop assistant as not all essential oils are ok for everybody to use***
4. Leave the liquid to set at room temperature for around 30 minutes to an hour.
5. Next you’ll need to give the mixture a stir and remove any watery liquid that is sometimes left underneath the solid cream. Once you’ve discarded the water keep mixing until the cream is nice and soft.
6. Store the cream in a clean sterilised jar either at room temperature if you live in colder climates like here in the uk or in the fridge if you live in warmer climates (so that the coconut oil won’t turn to liquid)
TOP TIPS
This cream will keep for a couple of months at room temperature. I have kept mine at room temperature (in the UK) for a couple of months and it was still good. If you live in warmer places then you may wish to keep the cream in the fridge.
The cream will harden if the room is freezing cold so it’s best to keep the cream somewhere cool/at room temperature so the cream will be soft each time you use it. If you live in colder climates and the cream does solidify then just warm a little in your hands by rubbing them together before applying to your body.
For warmer climates leave the cream in the fridge to prevent the coconut oil from turning into liquid.
The cream can feel quite thick and heavy on the skin so you may wish to allow it to soak into your skin for a little while and then gently remove any access oil with a dry old towel, flannel or cloth (the coconut oil can stain so don’t use your best towel)
This cream will work really nicely as a face mask once a week to help give you younger, fresher looking skin. Simply layer the cream quite thickly onto your face and neck. Leave for at least 5 minutes and wie off with a clean damp cloth.
I hope you enjoy making this cream. It really is lovely and will save you lots of money as you wont need to purchase any shop bought creams again, making it great for your pocket and for the environment too.
Love Jennifer x