Helpful Aloe Vera

Aloe Vera for Your Mouth and Lips

Cordelia — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 05:30:32 +0000

On the health and first aid side of aloe vera for your mouth:
Are you plagued by persistent mouth ulcers? Well another one-up for aloe vera gel, as research has been showing, it is effective for helping to ease the painful stinging and burning associated with mouth ulcers, as well as the ulcers themselves. Aloe vera has been used as an herbal remedy for mouth ulcers and easing the pain of those that suffer from it for quite some time, but some backup with a study is welcomed news!

For some relief and to speed up healing of mouth ulcers, try aloe vera juice as a mouthwash three times a day.

And on the beauty side of aloe vera for your mouth, is a great moisturizing, homemade recipe for lip gloss!

Ingredients you’ll need:

2 tsp petroleum jelly
2 tsp aloe vera gel
8 drops of your favorite flavored oil (coconut, mint, etc)

Mix all indredients well in a small microwave safe bowl, and heat for 1 1/2 - 2 minutes in the microwave. Remove bowl and stir again, then pour into a small container with a lid. Let it cool completely before using.
Note that this is lip gloss, and not a lip balm. If your lips are chapped, use some olive oil to help those lips first, as it works very well on chapped lips. Petroleum jelly is not the best to use, and this recipe does have it.

Soothing Aloe Vera Facial Mask

Cordelia — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 20:00:00 +0000

I’ve extremely sensitive skin and needed to look into something that worked well, particularly with my face, because all the products I’ve used are simply much too harsh.
If you’ve that same overly sensitive skin, you may want to try this aloe vera facial mask as well. It may sound a little gross at first, but your sensitive skin will love it!

You’ll need:
4 tbsp of PURE aloe vera gel (as in, get it from the plant!)
2 tbsp of PLAIN yogurt
6 tbsp of FRESH cucumber juice. (note: if you don’t own a juicer, you can grate a peeled cucumber onto a fine net cloth, or muslin cloth - fold the cloth around the grated cuke, and ‘wring’ the cucumber juice into a bowl)

Mix all ingredients well and gently apply to your face and neck, and leave it there for about 15-20 minutes. Rinse with lukewarm water, (don’t scrub it or anything!) and then a final rinse with colder water to close the pores. Pat face dry with a towel, and you’re good to go!
The yogurt and cucumber cleans, and the aloe vera moisturizes and soothes. I, personally, do this once a week. More than that, certainly will not hurt.

Give it a try!

Photo ©Vasina | Dreamstime.com

Aloe Vera for Minor External First Aid

Cordelia — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 19:00:00 +0000

Everyone knows aloe vera is a welcomed, soothing remedy for burns, but it’s also useful in a variety of ways, when minor external first aid is needed.
Here’s just a few:

For sunburn, or minor burns (where there is redness only) simply snapping off a leaf and dabbing the gel onto it will soothe wonderfully.
Because of it’s antifungal, antibacterial and antiseptic qualities, aloe gel will harden into a natural bandage and can be used for minor abrasions, grazes and bruises.
Many have reported it will greatly reduce the appearance of scars when applied.
After shaving legs, bikini area, face, etc., applying aloe gel will diminish razor burns and heal minor cuts very quickly with no scarring.
Aloe vera has done wonders for people with acne, and helps reduce the redness and scarring when applied to face.
Aloe vera has also been known to relieve and/or improve other external skin discomforts such as eczema, psoriasis, ulcers, stings, bites, bruises, sprains and frostbite.

Please note: Aloe vera should never be used in place of an antiseptic. Once an injury is cleaned and treated as necessary, aloe gel can be applied to help protect the wound and speed the healing process.

Photo © Imarin | Dreamstime.com

Aloe Vera Internal Health Benefits

Cordelia — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 19:00:00 +0000

Aloe vera has always been considered the “Wonder Plant” through history, due to it’s external healing abilities, but it is also a wonderful herbal alternative for internal health as well.

Due to it’s anti-inflammatory traits, as well as increasing the ability to absorb nutrients in the digestive system, aloe vera has been used through time to greatly relieve constipation and IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), help with heartburn and soothe peptic ulcers. Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis treatment is also a possibility with use of aloe vera.
Aloe vera has also been used to strengthen and improve the immune system because of the essential vitamins, minerals and enzymes it contains, as well as restoring vital amino acids your body needs.
It has been said to help reduce blood sugar levels in diabetes, with claims of a 45% reduction.
It has also been claimed that aloe vera can repair elastin and collagen in the skin and joints.

There’s been a wide variety of potential internal use of aloe vera to help with ailments and diseases ranging from arthritis, to dental problems, on down to cancer, but aloe vera is mostly recognized and used for it’s internal benefits to both the digestive and immune system.

If you are considering using aloe vera as an alternative to potentially harsh medicines, you should take caution when using it straight from a plant, and always consult a physician, especially if you are pregnant or considering the alternative for a child or pet. There are different processes for aloe vera and it’s very likely you will not benefit at all if using improper extracting methods for internal use. I strongly advise against it since ingesting improperly will cause various problems like diarrhea, and worse.

There are aloe juices on the market, but most cannot tolerate the taste at all, or the juices are watered down, which greatly reduces the benefits as well. My suggestion would be to use an aloe vera product that has been tested and made to pharmaceutical standards so you know you’re getting what’s needed and required.

Here’s to your health!

Photo ©Sibear | Dreamstime.com

Soothing Sunburn with Aloe Vera

Cordelia — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 20:00:00 +0000

Those summer months are just around the corner, which means… potential SUNBURN.

By now, everyone is aware that aloe vera does wonders for burns. For sunburns, it’s especially good for soothing relief and to speed healing. Because I’m very fair skinned, I’ve pretty much used aloe vera all my life, and was chased around as a kid to have it applied to me after getting those nasty sunburns, and have never found a product that compares.

You should, of course, always use a good sunscreen when you’re going to be in the sun even for short periods, (especially if you’re fair skinned!) but sometimes we end up in the sun unexpectedly, or we missed areas when applying the sunscreen.

Here are a few things you can do to soothe that nasty sunburn with aloe vera.

If most of your body is covered in sunburn, the best way to soothe it is not always possible because more than likely you won’t have a sufficient amount of aloe gel around. But if you do keep large quantities of fresh aloe gel on hand, you can draw a cool bath, adding a large amount of the aloe gel to the bath. Soaking in the aloe vera bath will draw heat from your skin and soothe the pain greatly. (and will also make your skin oh-so soft, but when in pain, you won’t care about being baby soft, of course)
You can also, of course, apply the aloe gel directly to your skin. Just apply the aloe gel and allow to dry.
Another thing you can do is make an aloe vera “spray”. If you have a decent amount of aloe gel, then in a bowl, add very small amounts of water to the aloe gel, and mix as well as you can. Keep adding a wee bit of water if needed, until it’s mixed thin enough to be able to be sprayed through a spray bottle. Pour the aloe vera mixture into a spray bottle, and keep it in the fridge. You can spray your sunburn for relief as often as you need to.

Whenever using the aloe gel for any of the above, be sure to avoid any of the yellow “sap” underneath the skin of the aloe vera plant!

The aloe vera “spray” option comes in very handy when your back is burned, because you can’t always reach all of your back to apply aloe gel directly. (and that cool, refrigerated aloe spray feels sooooo good on a sunburned back!)

For my sunburned face, (especially the bridge of nose, and cheekbones that end up burned worse) I always apply the aloe gel directly, instead of using the spray. Majority of the time, I just apply the aloe gel directly to the worst areas, and use the spray everywhere else, or for the areas I can’t reach.

Are You Allergic to Aloe Vera

Cordelia — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 17:58:35 +0000

If you want to be sure you’re not allergic to aloe vera before you begin using it for beauty and first aid reasons, here’s what you can do.

Take a very small amount of aloe gel and rub it on an inside area of your forearm and keep an eye on it. If you notice no irritation at all, then your skin can tolerate it.
However, if you feel any burning, or see any irritation, wash it off right away with warm water.

An allergy to aloe gel is rare, but of course, it exists. If there’s an allergy, it’s more likely from either the skin of the aloe vera plant, or the aloe latex (the yellow ’sap’ just under the skin) and possibly was mixed with the aloe gel to cause any irritation that may have developed.