What are the benefits of the Aloe Vera plant?

Do you know the Aloe Vera plant?

The aloe vera plant is a member of the cactus family. It grows effortlessly. All you need to do is simply water it occasionally and make sure that it gets a fair amount of sunlight.  I have a plant near a window in my home. I love the green-ness of this plant and of course its natural medicinal value.

It has been traditionally used as a medicinal treatment for all sorts of ailments for the skin, the digestive system, and the hair. It has antiviral and anti-bacterial properties. The translucent gel is made up of approximately 96% water, some organic and inorganic compounds, a type of protein which contains 18 of the 20 amino acids found in the body and lastly, Vitamin A, B, C and E.

This article will highlight some of these values. You can get aloe vera in its natural plant form, as a gel, or as a juice.

4 Great Uses for the Aloe Vera Plant

1/For the hair

One of the main uses of the aloe vera plant is its use in manufactured hair products as well as in natural homemade products. Aloe vera is known to help the ph balance of the hair as well as the skin.

Aloe vera contains something called proteolytic enzymes which repair dead skin cells on the scalp or anywhere on the body that you use it. It also acts as a great conditioner and leaves your hair all smooth and shiny. It promotes hair growth, prevents itching on the scalp, reduces dandruff and conditions your hair.

Diane Gage, author of  Aloe Vera: Nature’s Soothing Healer says, “Keratin, the primary protein of hair, consists of amino acids, oxygen, carbon, and small amounts of hydrogen, nitrogen, and sulphur. Aloe vera has a chemical make up similar to that of keratin and it rejuvenates the hair with its own nutrients, giving it more elasticity and preventing breakage.”

It is commonly used as a moisturizer for the hair. It can be used as a mask, conditioning agent, or a rinse.

Mask

You can cut a leaf from your aloe vera plant and scoop out the inner jelly-like substance in a bowl. You can then add some coconut or olive oil to the jelly and mix thoroughly with a Hand Mixer. It will appear frothy. Apply it to freshly cleansed hair and cover with a plastic cap. Let this mixture remain on the hair for about 15 minutes, rinse and style as usual. You will feel an instant difference to the texture of your hair. A sort of full and soft feel.

Rinse

The best way to use aloe vera as a rinse is to apply some of the Aloe Vera Juice to freshly cleansed hair and leave it on the hair for about 5 minutes, covering the hair with a plastic hair processing cap. You do not have to rinse it out. Just style as usual.

Leave-in Conditioner

I usually make my own leave-in conditioner using aloe vera I change up the mixture occasionally, however, I keep aloe vera as my key ingredient. A very basic mix is to use some Aloe Vera Gel, add some olive oil, and your favorite conditioner, then blend or whip the ingredients together to produce a smooth creamy end result. Apply this mixture to freshly cleansed hair and then style as usual.

2/For The Skin

 Using the aloe vera plant for skin, especially for people with very sensitive issues, can be a life saver. It acts as a sort of cooling effect for the skin. This can certainly come in handy when treating:

• sunburns
• insect bites
• dry itchy skin due to wash products or drying skin soaps
• acne sensitive skin
• minor cuts and bruises
• burns (carpet burns or actual burns)

Easy aloe vera skin paste

You can make an easy paste for sensitive skin using aloe vera. Get a few spoonfuls of aloe vera gel, cucumber juice, plain yoghurt, and rose oil or olive oil. Blend together to form a paste. Apply to freshly washed skin and let it saturate for about 15-20 minutes. Rinse off and feel rejuvenated!

Of course, you can just use the natural gel from the leaf itself and apply it to the skin or area that needs care.

Dry skin mask

Take some aloe vera, a pinch of turmeric, a teaspoon of honey, a teaspoon of milk and a few drops of rose water. Mix to create a paste. Apply to freshly washed skin and allow it to penetrate for about 15-20 minutes. Rinse.

Aloe Vera Scrub

Using a half cup of fresh aloe vera gel, a cup of sugar and two tablespoons of lemon juice. The sugar acts as an exfoliate and scrubs off the dead skin cells; the aloe vera will deep clean the skin, and the lemon will help reduce scars. Mix the three ingredients together and use it to scrub both face and body. Your skin will thank you for the care and attention.

Aloe Vera for Acne

Take some aloe vera gel, blended walnuts with a flour-like consistency, and honey. Make enough for a one time use, so maybe a tablespoon for each ingredient. Refrigerate any leftover product. Aloe vera’s healing properties combined with antioxidants from honey will leave you with smooth and clear skin.

3/For general health

There are quite a few ways that the aloe vera plant can help your health. It can be used as:

• detox agent
• weight loss agent
• rich in anti-oxidants which reduce free radicals in the body
• protein source helping in muscle development
• energy booster
• boosts your immunity

You can use aloe vera juice as an internal detox agent. The natural juice tends to be slightly bitter in taste. However, there are various product mixes on the market which tend to make it taste a bit better for the taste buds.

You can drink the aloe vera juice as a detox agent as your first beverage after you wake up. Drinking it on an empty stomach will improve digestion and help make any stomach trouble better, naturally.

Using aloe vera for weight loss would meaning being consistent usage over the long term to see results. Because the natural taste of aloe vera is bitter, you can camouflage the taste by adding fruits and vegetables to the fresh pieces when making drinks. You can also use the leaves of aloe vera, blend them, strain and drink. If you find it too bitter then you might add honey and lemon juice.

4/Other uses for Aloe Vera

Aloe vera is used in facial tissues where it is promoted as a moisturizer and anti-irritant to help reduce chafing of the nose. Cosmetic companies commonly add sap or other derivatives from Aloe Vera to products such as makeup, tissues, moisturizers, soaps, sunscreens, incense, shaving cream, or shampoos.

Other potential uses for extracts of Aloe vera include:

• the dilution of semen for the artificial fertilization of sheep
• as a fresh food preservative
• or for water conservation in small farms
• it has also been suggested that biofuels could be obtained from Aloe vera seeds

 

I hope that you have found this article informative and I welcome your feedback.  I also wrote an article as a Guest Writer on another site about the Cactus Plant, a member of the cactus family of which Aloe Vera is also a member. Feel free to vist and read the article as well, it is chock full of useful information. You might also be interested in visiting this website where it highlights more information about the wonderful aloe vera plant Click Here!