Make your own aloe vera gel and be ready for the summer sun!
Aloe Vera gel is God’s gift to skin…especially for those of us who get sunburned the moment we step on to the beach! Isn’t it just so relieving to apply a glob of aloe vera gel onto sunburned skin?
But when you buy your gel from the store, there’s no telling what other harsh chemicals might be in that bottle of aloe. There’s no telling what you might be putting on your skin! Never fear, use this DIY aloe vera recipe to make your own gel and you’ll never have to wonder about it again.
How to make aloe vera gel
To make your own aloe vera gel, here is what you will need:
- Live Aloe vera leaves (Trader Joe’s always has some, as does my local grocer)
- Airtight container (for storage)
- sharp knife (for skinning the leaves)
- immersion blender (a regular one works fine, too!)
- A clean bowl to put your gel in.
Step One
Use your knife to divide up your aloe vera leaves into pieces that are 8 inches long. Aloe leaves are massive, and trimming them down will make the recipe easier to manage later on in the tutorial.
Step Two
Cut off the serrated edge of the aloe, and then cut your 8 inch pieces into long strips.
Step Three
When the serrated edge is removed, you should be able to see the aloe gel inside. Turn your knife on it’s side, and slide it under the gel to free it from the leaf. You can get a ton of gel out, so make sure you flip each leaf over after you’ve done one side! When I did this at home, I felt like the gel just kept coming. It was insane!
Step Four
Place your gel into your immersion (or regular) blender. Repeat these steps until all of your gel is in the blender.
Step Five
After all of your gel has been added to your blender, blend it until smooth The gel will appear frothy, and this is normal. The forth with dissapate after you have stopped blending.
Step Six
Once the froth has gone down, place your gel in a clean, airtight container.
**It should be mentioned that homemade aloe gel doesn’t “keep” as well as the store bought stuff does. Keep it in the refrigerator, and plan to use your aloe gel within a week, or it will go bad. Additionally, if you want to keep the gel on hand for longer periods of time, pour it into ice cube trays and store in the freezer. Pop one out and rub on irritated skin whenever needed! You’ll wonder what you did before you made your own.
To prevent sunburns, try this homemade suncreen.