Aloe Vera: A Must-have Herb for Skin and Hair Care

One of the most beneficial plants for skin and hair health is aloe vera. Easy to make your own and inexpensive to buy, aloe vera gel should be a key component in every skin and hair care routine.

Benefits of Aloe Vera

The plentiful benefits for skin and hair arise from aloe vera’s many nutrients and therapeutic properties:

• Smooths fine lines by stimulating collagen production—vitamins A and C

• Softens skin by preventing moisture loss—vitamins B12 and E

• Promotes healthy skin cell growth and recovery—vitamin B12

• Improves the elasticity of skin—antioxidant properties

• Unplugs blocked skin pores—salicylic acid

• Reduces dandruff—selenium

• Eases an itchy, flaky scalp—anti-inflammatory properties

It is easy to make your own aloe vera gel if you have a plant and I give directions to do that below. One of the limitations of a home-made gel is the short shelf life. Once the gel is exposed to air, the oxidation process starts and nutrients start to lose potency. It lasts only about a week in the refrigerator and up to two months if you add a preservative. It’s a lot of work to go to for a daily routine, so if you’re not into that, purchasing a high-quality gel is the best option.

Use caution when selecting a commercially-produced aloe vera gel, as the gel you find in most stores has a low percentage of aloe vera and has added alcohol to preserve it. Look for high quality aloe vera in health food or vitamin stores or online that is at least 90% aloe vera. The other 10% of the ingredients will be antioxidants that help preserve the gel and add to its benefit.

I add a touch of aloe vera gel to most of my skincare products, but the product that features it most prominently is Lavender Mousse, made with lavender-infused jojoba oil and aloe vera gel. Lavender is a classic skin herb that calms inflammation and stimulates collagen production, while jojoba is so close to our own skin’s sebum that it is readily absorbed and acts as a protectant and cleanser. In addition to being a lovely face cream, it can also be used for sunburn relief, as aloe’s anti-inflammatory properties helps to cool minor burns.

DIY Aloe Vera Gel

To make your own aloe vera gel, follow these steps:

1. The plant should be a few years old before you harvest the leaves. Choose thick leaves from the outer sections of the plant and remove no more than four leaves at a time.

2. Cut the leaves close to the stem. Most of the beneficial nutrients are at the base of the leaves.

3. Wash the leaf, removing any dirt.

4. Cut off the tip of the leaf and stand it tip-side-down in a cup or bowl for 10-15 minutes to drain the latex-containing resin which is irritating to skin.

5. After draining, wash off any resin that remains on the outside of the leaf.

6. Cut off both of the leaf’s serrated edges, then using a small knife or vegetable peeler, peel off the thick outer skin on one side of the leaf.

7. Scoop the gel out of the leaf, being sure not to include any pieces of the skin.

8. If you want a smooth gel, blend it until frothy and liquified. It will keep for up to a week in the fridge.

9. To keep it for up to two months in the refrigerator, add a preservative—either powdered vitamin C or E. For every 1/4 cup of aloe vera gel, add 500 mg of powdered vitamin C or 400 iu of powdered vitamin E directly to the blender.

Sources:

Gladstar, Rosemary, Medicinal Herbs: A Beginners Guide, 2012

Healthline.com, “How to Make Aloe Vera Gel”, https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-to-make-aloe-vera-gel, 2019

Beautiful Skin with Calendula

Do you want to reduce wrinkles? Soothe an itchy rash? Calm sensitive skin? Then look to Calendula, the best herb for skin that is virtually unknown to many people.

Calendula is a cheerful flower with bright yellow and orange blooms that grows enthusiastically in Northern Wisconsin and throughout the world. It is my favorite herb because of its beauty and its bountiful benefits.

Packed with Collagen-Stimulating Vitamin A

Calendula is known as a “nutritive herb” because of its high amount of vitamin A—100 times more vitamin A (by weight) than a sweet potato! Consuming calendula through a tea or tincture can improve your eye, bone, and skin health as well as boost your immunity. Topically, vitamin A stimulates collagen production, reducing fine lines and plumping sagging skin.

Good for Sensitive or Irritated Skin

In addition, calendula contains powerful anti-inflammatories, making it the perfect herb for itchy skin, irritations, and rashes. Calendula is a member of the daisy family, however, so anyone with allergies to daisies should avoid it.

Calendula blooms in the dehydrator

Growing Calendula

Calendula grows from seed planted in the cool months of spring. It reseeds itself readily, so you should get a bountiful crop every year without having to replant. It is also drought-resistant, so requires little maintenance other than weeding to achieve those beautiful blooms. The only problem I’ve had is bugs that eat the leaves and flowers. I use the hose to knock them off and encourage beneficial insects to come eat them by not using pesticides. (I would also not be able to use the plant if it was treated with pesticides or herbicides.)

Calendula Products

Wrinkle Reducer takes advantage of the collagen-stimulating abilities of the vitamin A packed into calendula’s flowers. I infuse the flowers in jojoba oil, the oil that most closely resembles our own skin’s sebum, then combine it with thyme-infused jojoba oil. Thyme has large amounts of Vitamin C which also stimulates collagen production and lightens dark patches. I add a dash of skin-loving lavender essential oil for scent.

Calendula Mousse highlights calendula’s anti-inflammatory properties in this cream for sensitive skin. It also works well for those experiencing itchy, irritated skin, including babies with diaper rash. Once again, I infuse the flowers in jojoba oil, then combine it with hypoallergenic candelilla wax and shea butter to create a creamy consistency.

Sensitive Skin Lotion consists of three ingredients: calendula, jojoba oil, and aloe. It is designed for those with extremely sensitive skin that would not be able to tolerate the candelilla wax and shea butter in Calendula Mousse.

Calendula Soap for sensitive skin is created using calendula-infused olive oil. Calendula’s anti-inflammatory properties combined with emollient-rich olive oil soothes sensitive skin and keeps it soft and moisturized.

If you would like to make your own calendula-infused oil, see my article on making an infused oil.