The gel found inside each aloe leaf is the plant's way to store water. It is naturally infused with soothing agents that aid in tissue regeneration. You can harvest leaves from a fully grown plant or make the gel from a single leaf you’ve purchased.
Use one leaf at a time, as this gel will only last up to 10 days in an airtight container in the fridge. You can also make a big batch and freeze it.
If you’re harvesting from your own plant, you can cut it once you see a light red hue at the base of the leaf. A freshly cut leaf will release a yellowish liquid from its opening. This is a mildly irritating substance that should not come into contact with skin, nor should it be ingested. To dispose of it safely, let the leaf rest with the cut side over a plate or a bowl for at least an hour.
For both homegrown and store-bought leaves, wash the leaf and dry it. Slice off the prickly parts on each side of the leaf first. Then peel off the skin on one side using either a small knife or a vegetable peeler. If you’re using a knife, your movement should be similar to filleting fish. You want to remove the skin only and leave as much of the gel as possible.
Once peeled on one side, you can easily scoop out the gel using a spoon. If you’d like, you can run the resulting gel through a sieve or a blender to make it liquid.
Place the gel in a sterilized container and use it to your heart's desire. You can put it directly over burnt skin, use it as a body moisturizer or a hair conditioner, or even use it to make drinks that soothe the digestive system.
Related: all the benefits and recipes for aloe vera
HealthLine offers a natural method to prolong the shelf life of your homemade gel. In our opinion, fresh is best, but we will share the method with you so you can choose for yourself. They claim it can lengthen shelf life to up to 2 months in the fridge:
"For every 1/4 cup (60 ml) of aloe vera gel you make, add 500 mg of powdered vitamin C or 400 International Units (IU) of powdered vitamin E — or both.
Simply add the powdered vitamins directly to the blender and mix the gel once more until the additives are fully incorporated."
H/T: MentalFloss
Why Buy Candles When You Can Make Your Own at Home?
Why spend money on expensive candles when you can easily make your own? This guide will show you how.
10 Homemade Face Masks For All Skin Types and Problems
No matter what kind of skin you have; dry, oily, lifeless or burned, read this article and you'll learn how to make simple masks to nourish it!
This Soothing Eczema Cream Is Homemade, Natural & Amazing!
This natural herb infused home made skin cream will remedy your eczema better than anything you can buy from the store.
What an Amazing Laundry Whitening Solution This Is!
It's always hard to get stains from white fabrics, isn't it? Not any more! Check out this brilliant whitening solution for your laundry you can make at home!
This Yummy Ice Cream Is Made with Only 2 Ingredients!
You'll never believe that you can make ice-cream with only 2 ingredients, that is until you watch this video and then try to make this yummy dessert yourself!
You Can Make these Tasty Chips Using Just a Microwave!
This recipe will teach you how to make your own delicious potato chips. All you need is a potato and a microwave.
40 Common Tourist Traps to Avoid on Your Next Vacation!
If you're planning a trip abroad, please be aware of these 40 common tourist scams!
29 Psychological Tricks that Make You Spend More Money!
What are the psychological tactics used by salespeople, marketers, and retailers that make us buy more?
Keep Your Garbage Disposal Clean with This Neat Trick
If your sink's garbage disposal has started to smell, this is how you can eradicate it.
7 Common Bank Scams and How to Avoid Them
Banking scams continue to evolve with time, but with proper knowledge you can learn to avoid them.
DO NOT Make These Mistakes When Frying an Egg
For a quick lesson in frying an egg, just watch this vidoe guide.
You Can Do a Lot More With Milk Than Just Drinking It...
Milk is a basic ingredient in any household, but it's a waste to use it just for drinking, when you can put it into many more uses that will make your life easier while also saving you money!
16 Useful Inventions That You Never Knew Your City Needs!
These cool and awesome inventions have been designed to make the world a much better and easier place.
14 Little Known Ways to Save on Gas While Driving!
If you take heed of these 14 easy pieces of advice, you will end up saving hundreds of dollars each year on gas.
Ten Golden Mantras for Growing Old with Grace
Ten golden mantras for those who wish to grow older with style and dignity to make life after retirement more pleasant, to enjoy and treasure the elder years of wisdom and intelligence..
8 Things You Need to Do With Your A/C to Save on Money
Not looking after your AC properly will decreases the efficiency of your system, meaning you’re losing a lot of money.
14 Surprising Foods You Can Indulge Without Gaining Weight
Here are 14 nutritious foods you can eat as much as you want without feeling guilty or afraid that you’ll gain weight. Enjoy!
9 Ways to Use Coffee to Make Your Hair and Skin Shine
Caffeine, a familiar component of coffee, can stimulate blood circulation, leading to radiant, healthy, and bright skin.
How to Use Your Iron to Get Crisp Shirts, Pants, and Sheets
Your ironing skills make a much bigger difference in the appearance of your clothes than you think!
20 Incredibly Useful Matchbox Tips from a Century Ago
Did you know that matchboxes used to contain a bit of handy advice? Here are 20 tips from our ancestors.
10 Ways to Get Rid of Black Circles and that Puffy Look
Had enough of looking tired? Try our natural recipes to rid yourself of that tired look.
20 Gardening Tips That'll Turn Your Thumb Green
This video will help you grow just about anything.
7 Fantastic Ways to Use Tea Bags in Your Garden
Before you dump your tea bags you should be aware that they can come in handy in the garden. Here are 7 great ways you can use tea bags in your garden.
These Tips Will Help You Keep Your Car In Order
These hacks will help you get shinier headlights, organize your interior, and provide a nifty hack to help you remove a small car dent and lots more.
The Trick to a Perfect Flower Arrangement is Amazingly Easy
Sometimes, the simplest ideas yield the best results - A simple trick that makes flower arrangement as easy as pie!
LIFE HACKS: 30 Practical Uses for Olive Oil!
3o things you can use olive oil for other than cooking with it.
Stunning! The Evolution of Beauty From 1952 to Today
Our definition of beauty may change as years go by but these pictures prove that true beauty is timeless.
8 Crucial Car Tips Everyone Should Know About
Learn 8 great car tips that are useful even after years of sitting behind a steering wheel!
These Aromatic Oils Will Do Wonders For Your Sleep
I've suffered with sleep problems for years, and no treatments seemed to work until I stumbled across this one. Take a look.
All About Women: 24 Facts About the Fairer Sex
These fascinating facts will probably surprise even our female readers. We gathered 24 facts that we best you've never heard about, and each of them will make you understand yourself and women a bit better.
The Best Way to Clean Your Oven Racks
Let's dive into this clever solution that is set to make your kitchen life a lot easier!
You Won't Be Old AND Vulnerable After Reading This
Just because you're elderly, it doesn't mean that you're incapable of defending yourself. Read this complete guide to find out exactly what you should do.
9 Ingenious Q-Tip Hacks for Surprising Daily Uses
We bet you never thought cotton swabs could be so handy around the house!
Everything You Wanted to Know About Coffee...
Is coffee healthy? Is it addictive? Is there any way to reuse coffee grounds? Find the answer these question in this coffee themed collection
Do This to Revive a Drying Houseplant
Whenever one of your houseplants suddenly looks ill, do this trick.
7 Mistakes You Should Avoid When Maintaining Your Car
Seven mistakes we make with the car that cost us money.
10 Everyday Home Hacks To Make Your Life a Breeze
These terrific life tips will make you wonder why you've never thought of them before...
DIY Corner: A Cool Technique for Christmas Decorations!
This is how you can use packing tape to make a sticker out of anything. Sounds too easy? It truly is!
You Definitely Should Try These Amazing Cleaning Hacks
If blotches and stains are putting an dampener on how the interior of your home looks, be sure to learn these 20 unusual but super neat hacks.
Make Your Home Smell Amazing with These 2 Ingredients
You can make your home smell absolutely amazing by using just these two ingredients. This video will show you how to make your own air freshener.
29 Facts That Show Truth Can Be Stranger Than Fiction
History is rich in plot twists and these amazing stories are strange but true, proving history is sometimes stranger than fiction. Which one of these will blow your mind?
If You Wear These Shoes Often, You Are Damaging Your Feet
Wearing these shoes often can damage your feet!
There's a Reason Our Grandmothers Stored Bacon Fat
What are the uses for bacon fat? You'll be surprised what you can do with it.
Easily Create These 8 Natural Sprays
Eight wonderful recipes to make eight natural sprays that can make your life easier and healthier.
Vicks Has So Many Different Uses. Here Are 8 of Them!
Vicks can be found in households across the globe. This is a very useful ointment which has many unique uses. Check some of them out here.
Know the Signs: The Complete Guide to Body Language!
You can learn a lot about a person’s intent by reading his body language, so find out just what that wink meant with this helpful guide.
Get Rid of Mosquitos in 5 Minutes with This DIY Recipe!
Let us help you significantly reduce the number of mosquitos in your home and garden with a simple 4-ingredient recipe of a mosquito trap