Aloe Vera is a succulent with prickly leaves. The gel contained in the leaves of the plant offers incredible benefits. The gel has skin healing properties as the gel consists of antibacterial and antiviral contents.

Though there are several products that contain Aloe Vera available in the market, it is better to use Aloe Vera gel in the pure form to get maximum benefit from it.

Things you will need

  • Fresh Aloe Vera leaves
  • Sharp knife
  • Water in a pitcher
  • Cutting board
  • Spoon
  • Clean container for storage

Here is the step by step procedure to extract the gel from the Aloe Vera plant.

  1. Select the leaves carefully
  • You need Aloe Vera leaves from a mature plant to extract the gel.
  • Select the outermost leaves from the mature plant which are at least 8 inches in length.
  • The larger outer leaves of the Aloe Vera plant will have maximum gel content.
  • Make sure that the leaves are fresh and green in color if you are getting it from the grocery store or an organic store.

If you are cutting off the leaves from the plant, make sure you are not cutting the entire leaf so that you can harvest more leaves in the future.

  1. Cleaning the leaves
  • When you cut Aloe Vera, the leaves yellow-colored latex will start to ooze out from the cut end. As the latex can contaminate and spoil the quality of the gel extracted, place the leaf in a container with the cut end in the water. You need only the thick clear gel for your hair and skin. Clean the leaf using your fingers and water.
  1. Prepare the leaf for extraction
  • First, remove at least two inches of the top thin, pointed part of the leaf.
  • Removing the gel from this part will be a waste of time.
  • Rinse the leaf to remove the latex oozing out at the top end of the leaves are very long cut the leaves along its width into pieces.
  • Rinse the pieces to avoid latex oozing out.
  • Now you need to remove the spines on the edges of the leaves.
  • Make sure that the leaves are dry before cutting off the spines as the slippery gel may cause accidents.
  1. Remove the gel
  • Place the leaf flat on the cutting board.
  • Place the sharp knife below the thin green outer layer and the thick gel layer and run through the length of the leaf piece.
  • Flip the leaf to reveal the bottom green layer and run the knife as the above step.
  • If there are any gel remains attached to the skin, use a spoon and scrape the skin gently.
  • Now you will have thick slabs of Aloe Vera gel.
  • You can slice the slabs further to store it conveniently.
  • Rinse the gel slabs two or three times to remove any residues of aloe latex.

Storing Aloe Vera gel

Aloe Vera gel can be stored in different ways according to the use and how long you want to store it.

  1. Refrigerate
  • You can keep the pure extracted Aloe Vera gel in the refrigerator without adding any preservatives for one week.
  • Can also store the leaves bought from the market in the refrigerator for a few days before you extract the gel.
  • You can blend the gel slabs in a blender and store it in airtight containers in a refrigerator.
  • If you want to increase the shelf life of the refrigerated gel it is better to add some honey to the gel before keeping it inside the refrigerator.
  • Add at least one tablespoon of honey to every ¼ cups of gel.

You can use the blended gel as a health drink or use it as face masks to improve skin tone.

  1. Freeze

When you need to store the gel for months, you can use the freezing method

  • You can make small pieces of gel slab and put them in a zip lock pouch to freeze them.
  • You can pour the blended pulp into an ice cube tray and freeze it to form gel cubes.
  • To use the frozen gel, take out the number of cubes needed and thaw them overnight in the lower shelves of the refrigerator.

You will be able to store the Aloe Vera gel for up to 6months by keeping it frozen.

  1. Preserve with vitamin E

If you are extracting Aloe Vera gel for hair treatments or facial, you can add vitamin E oil to it to make it last longer. Blend the gel and vitamin E oil in a blender and store it in a container with a lid inside a refrigerator.

Aloe gel with vitamin E oil is more effective in treating hair problems and skin problems.

Uses of Aloe Vera gel

The important uses of Aloe Vera gel include healing the skin and treating hair fall.

  1. Aloe Vera for skin
  • Is effective in treating tan and sunburns on the face and other parts of the body.
  • Aloe moisturizes the skin and provides nutrition to the skin as it contains Vitamin C and E.
  • Rubbing Aloe Vera gel helps to reduce the stretch marks on the skin.
  • The antibacterial and anti-oxidant properties of the aloe vera gel help in preventing acne and to keep the skin smooth younger.

You can apply aloe vera gel directly on the skin or you can add other ingredients like milk, honey, yogurt or rose water to the gel according to your skin type to make the face pack. You need to apply the Aloe Vera Face pack at least for 20 minutes to get the best benefit.

  1. Aloe Vera for hair
  • Aloe Vera with vitamin contents provides the nourishment for hair growth.
  • When applied on the scalp and hair it works as a hair conditioner and keeps your hair healthy and shiny.
  • It soothes the scalp and prevents itching.

So, if you want the pure Aloe Vera gel for your hair or skincare regime extract gel according to the procedure given here.

How do you extract aloe vera gel and preserve it?

Extract the aloe vera gel and transfer it in a blender. Add lemon juice in it as it is a good source of vitamin C and acts a natural preservative. After blending it together, pour the mixture in a container and store it in the refrigerator.

How do you store aloe vera gel for a long time?

If you plan to keep it longer, you need to freeze it or add a preservative in the form of powdered vitamin C or E. To make aloe vera gel, you need some common kitchen items, an aloe vera leaf, and — optionally — powdered vitamin C and/or vitamin E.

How long does aloe vera extract last?

If you’re extracting your own fresh gel from a plant at home, Dr. Aragona advises that raw aloe vera products will only last 24 hours when kept at room temperature and 5-7 days when refrigerated.

How do you store fresh aloe vera?

Store in a Cool, Dry Place

Generally, it’s always good to keep your store-bought aloe vera gel in a cool, dry place, and away from direct sunlight. Anywhere in your pantry, if you have one, or a spare drawer in your kitchen would be a perfect place to keep your store-bought aloe vera gel.

Does fresh aloe vera gel go bad?

When properly stored per the label’s instructions, Aloe Vera gel has a normal expiration date of two years. It isn’t necessary to keep refrigerated but stored in a cool, dry place free of natural sunlight is a good idea. If the gel dries out, it loses its active ingredients and will no longer be effective when used.

What can you do with fresh cut aloe vera?

You want to keep your Aloe vera leaf as moist & fresh as possible. What I do is simple: wrap the cut end in tin foil, tie it with an elastic band, put it in a large plastic shopping bag, wrap that tightly & then tie with another elastic band. I’ve found that cut Aloe leaves stay fresh for about 2 weeks or so.

What happens if you use aloe vera on your face everyday?

Aloe vera is a common household plant known for its skin healing properties. Using aloe vera on the face can help moisturize skin. Regularly applying a small amount of aloe vera to the face can help treat various skin conditions, including acne, eczema, and sunburn.

Can we apply aloe vera on face daily?

For best results, apply aloe vera gel twice daily to the affected area of skin.

Is the yellow liquid in aloe vera poisonous?

The yellow substance in aloe vera is a latex which contains the anthraquinone glycoside ‘Aloin’. In a small amount, this substance is not toxic but can potentially cause skin sensitivity. If ingested, however, it can cause intestinal pain and severe laxative effect.

Why is my Aloe yellow and stinky?

If an aloe vera is stinking and oozing, it often means it is rotting. Because it comes from an arid Mediterranean climate, aloe vera does not take well to wet soil. If you don’t want a smelly, unhealthy aloe vera, take care to give the right amount of water and provide good drainage.

Why is my aloe vera going yellow?

Overwatering

When Aloe vera plants are overwatered, the leaves will fade in colour, yellow, brown off and eventually rot away. Testing for overwatering is quick and easy: If the plants are in the ground, push a garden hand trowel into the soil and check if the soil is waterlogged.

Is there poison in aloe vera?

Aloe is not very poisonous. Treatment is usually not needed. However, if you swallow it, you will likely have diarrhea. A small number of people have an allergic reaction to aloe, which can be dangerous.

Which part of Aloe vera is poisonous?

Can you use aloe vera straight from the plant?

It’s very important to choose leaves from the aloe vera plant and not from other aloe species, as these may be poisonous and therefore unfit for human consumption. It’s generally safe to eat the gel inside the aloe vera leaf, as well as the skin.

How do you eliminate aloe vera poisoning?

What are the side effects of aloe vera?

Aloe vera is a medicinal plant that’s been used to treat various health conditions for thousands of years. It’s usually safe to use also vera directly from the plant or you can buy it in gel form. These products can be applied topically to treat various skin conditions.

How long do you soak aloe vera in water?

Is the yellow part of Aloe Vera bad for skin?

How to Remove the Gel from an Aloe Vera Leaf
  1. STEP 1: REMOVE THE BASE OF THE LEAF. First, use a sharp knife to cut the base off the leaf off at a slight angle.
  2. STEP 2: DRAIN THE ALOIN FROM THE LEAF.
  3. STEP 3: REMOVE SERRATED EDGES.
  4. STEP 4: REMOVE THE TOP OUTER LAYER.
  5. STEP 5: HARVEST ALOE GEL & STORE.