How To Make Your Own Aloe Vera Gel

The aloe vera plant has been known for its medicinal properties for well over 4,000 years. The Aloe Vera is a succulent whose leaves contain a gel that is thick and gelatinous.

Each aloe vera leaf has four layers:

• The rind - this is the greenish outer layer of the aloe vera leaf.


• The sap - a layer of bitter tasting liquid which lies under the rind and surrounds the gel. The sap supposedly protects the plant from being eaten by animals... I don't think our cat is put off by it though!


• Muscilage gel - this is the inner leaf area which surrounds the gel. When you make your own aloe vera gel both the inner gel and this muscilage gel can be mixed or blended together for EXTERNAL USE ONLY.


• The gel - This is the center part of the leaf is known as the aloe vera, inner gel, this is what you need to extract to make your own aloe vera gel.

Many people use an aloe vera plant to treat a burn or cut by simply cutting a piece of the leaf off and squeezing or rubbing the liquid onto their skin. Although this method is effective, it wastes most of the valuable inner aloe vera gel of the leaf.

Knowing how to make your own aloe vera gel and the correct method of preparing and storing it can provide you with a supply of gel which will last under refrigeration for a year or even longer.

When you are ready to harvest the aloe vera gel from a plant leaf, you should choose an outer leaf which is healthy and is growing toward the bottom of the plant. Pick a large aloe vera leaf which is green and thick. The thicker the leaf, the more aloe vera gel you will get from it.

To remove the leaf, cut it at an angle close to the plant's base. Plants that are too immature to harvest will not have leaves growing close to the ground.

Once you have removed the leaf from the aloe vera plant, place it upright in a container in a slightly tilted position and leave it in that position for about 10-12 minutes, this will allow the bitter sap to drain from the leaf.

Next, place the aloe leaf on a cutting board and carefully cut off the tip and the pointed rough edges on either side of the leaf using asharp knife. Make certain to cut both sides of the leaf all the way from top to bottom.

Now separate the front and back of the leaf by slicing it lengthwise from the inside.

Scoop out both the muscilage gel and the clear inner gel which looks more like a solid gel.

For most leaves, a spoon works well for scooping out the aloe vera gel.

When removing the aloe vera gel, it is important to press down lightly but firmly, being careful not to remove any remaining sap.

The aloe gel should be stored in the refrigerator in a container that is safe for food storage, a dark brown or green glass container is ideal as this helps to keep out the light.

Adding a drop of vitamin E and a small amount of citric acid powder to the aloe gel will help prevent discoloration and make the gel keeps longer. If you don't have citric acid powder, you can simply crush a vitamin C tablet into powder or use a drop of grapefruit seed extract.