How to Make Aloe Vera Gel at Home Easily

By Vidisha Chawla - Updated: January 11, 2019

In this Article

How to Prepare Homemade Aloe Vera?
How to Preserve Aloe Vera Gel at Home?

Aloe vera is a succulent plant that grows in the wilderness of tropical climates all around the world. It is known for its medicinal and agricultural uses. Aloe vera is also used as an ornamental house plant in many homes and can be grown easily in pots. Its leaves are thick and fleshy, and you can extract them to make a gel at the comfort of your home. It would be interesting to note that Aloe Vera is rich in Vitamin C, A, E, and B12 which are powerful antioxidants that act against free radicals. The enzyme, ‘Bradykinase’ found in aloe vera contains properties that reduce inflammation when applied on the skin.

Aloe vera contains a lot of minerals that are used to regulate a lot of bodily functions. It is rich in minerals like calcium, potassium, zinc, sodium, magnesium and copper. Its fatty acid contents are a bonus to its antiseptic and analgesic properties. Collagen and elastin fibres are the main components that reduce wrinkles and offer the skin tightness and glow. These are found in abundance in aloe vera. The amino acids found in aloe vera, help in softening the hardened cells of the skin. Zinc is an astringent and tightens the pores of the skin. Today you will find a lot of companies marketing aloe vera gel. But the one made naturally at home supersedes them all. We will talk about how you can make aloe vera gel at home easily.

How to Prepare Homemade Aloe Vera?

It is always better to make aloe vera gel at home rather than buying those packaged bottles. They require absolutely zero maintenance since they can survive with very little water. Nothing is more satisfying than growing your aloe vera plant and then extracting fresh gel from it whenever you need. There are a few things that you should remember before you try to obtain fresh gel from your homegrown aloe vera plant.

The leaves that are growing on the outer circle of the aloe vera plant are the best to extract gel. They are matured and contain healthy flesh. Leaves that are small are immature and would not have much flesh in them. Make a cut close to the base of the plant and remove the fleshy stalk.
Once the leaf is cut, place it upright in a glass jar to drain out the resin from it. Let it stand for 15- 20 minutes. The dark brown resin that accumulates can irritate the skin and should be drained out entirely before you proceed to make the gel.
Wash your hands and ensure you proper hygiene before you cut the leaf further. Check for the presence of soil and other impurities that can spoil the gel.

Now that you have carefully cut and cleaned the aloe vera leaf we will share with you the process of making aloe vera gel at home for face and hair.

Method 1

The most popular and easiest way to make aloe vera gel at home is by scooping out the pulp using a scrapper and then blending it using a blender. Make sure to put your mixer to its highest speed while mixing the pulp.

What you will Need

Aloe Vera Leaf (cut and cleaned)
Water as required
A sharp knife
Blender (high speed)
A tablespoon
Chopping board
A small bowl

Directions

Cut and wash the aloe vera leaf under running water.
Using the sharp knife cut off the spiky part of the aloe vera leaf.
Make a long incision across the length of the leaf to open up its a fleshy part.
Now, slice off the rind and stay as close to the skin of the leaf to minimise gel wastage.
Pull off the skin so that the fleshy pulp gets exposed.
Repeat this with all the other cut parts of the aloe vera leaf.
Scoop out the pulp using a spoon, and keep it in a bowl. Take care not to scoop the yellowish portion of the leaf.
Put all the pulp that you have extracted in the blender and blend it on high speed for about 30 secs.
Store the gel in an airtight glass container for longer shelf life.
Your homemade fresh aloe vera gel is ready for use.

Method 2

In this method, you can use the aloe vera gel directly from the leaf. No blending is required in this process.

What you will Need

Aloe Vera Leaf (cut and cleaned)
Water as required
A sharp knife
Chopping board

Directions

Cut and wash the aloe vera leaf under running water.
Using the sharp knife cut off the spiky part of the aloe vera leaf.
Make a long incision across the length of the leaf to open up its fleshy part.
Now, slice off the rind and stay as close to the skin of the leaf to minimise wastage of the gel.
Pull off the skin so that the fleshy pulp gets exposed.
Now use the knife to stroke the pulp gently and let the gel flow into the glass container.
Continue the process till all the gel from the leaf is extracted.
Store it in the refrigerator.
Your homemade fresh aloe vera gel is ready for use.

How to Preserve Aloe Vera Gel at Home?

Aloe Vera Gel for Skin

Let us learn about the ways to preserve homemade aloe vera gel.

Freeze the gel in the form of ice cubes: The easiest way to preserve the aloe vera gel is to freeze it in the form of ice cubes. Using a silicone ice cube tray will help you to turn the tray easily inside out. Store them up to a year.