How To Make Aloe Vera Gel At Home

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How to Make Aloe Vera Gel at Home

Aloe vera gel is great to have around the home. You can use it to soothe minor pain and irritation from sunburns. It’s also an outstanding addition to natural beauty products to help hydrate your skin and hair.

Although you might think you have to go to a specialty store to buy it, you can learn how to make aloe vera gel by following the simple steps detailed below.

Growing an Aloe Vera Plant

The important thing to keep in mind when growing an aloe vera plant is that it’s a succulent. Just like other succulents, aloe vera likes things a little on the dry side and plenty of warm sunshine.

As you can see, I keep my aloe vera plant outside. However, I live in Florida, so I have the right climate for it.

The only water it gets is what nature provides. All I do is pluck the occasional weed that sprouts up in its pot. This plant truly can’t get much more low maintenance than that!

Even if you don’t live in an area that has a year-round warm climate, that doesn’t mean you can’t keep your own aloe vera. That’s because it makes a great houseplant.

In fact, aloe vera is one of the best houseplants for clean air because it requires little maintenance and it removes formaldehyde from the air.

You can kill an aloe vera plant by giving it too much water. When you do water your plant, give it a good drenching. However, make sure the soil has had a chance to completely dry out before you water it again.

How to Harvest Gel From Aloe Vera

When you’re ready to make your own aloe vera gel, you’ll have to harvest it from inside the long leaves.

As you inspect your aloe vera plant, you’ll notice the leaves grow out from the center. Therefore, when you’re ready to harvest a leaf, it’s better to trim one from the outside because it’s one of the older leaves.

The leaves do have serrated edges, so take care not to cut yourself when you’re trimming. You can use a knife or scissors to trim the leaf you want.

Once you have your leaf, gather the following supplies: