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
