8 Aloe Recipes to Try This Summer (2024)

Aloe Vera is a popular houseplant that has been used for thousands of years for its health benefits and healing properties. It was referred to as the "elixir of youth" in ancient Chinese cultures and the "plant of immortality" during biblical times. Hindus believed Aloe came from the Garden of Eden, while the Ancient Egyptians believed it to be a sacred plant that could protect you from evil.

Benefits of Aloe Vera

This succulent is known for its pointy green leaves. Inside each leaf holds a slippery gel-like substance that contains water, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and antioxidants. This healing sap also has antibacterial, antiviral, and antiseptic properties.

As you can see, Aloe Vera is more than a pretty houseplant. In fact, it's one of nature's simplest first aid kits. Aloe can help to:

Of course, this sacred plant has energetic properties as well. For example, it can help with sacred protection by protecting and cleansing your home from evil Spirits and entities. Aloe can help to absorb and transform negative or dense energies. It also helps to invite a strong sense of calm and equilibrium into your environment.

The word "Aloe" in Sanskrit means "Goddess." It is considered a plant that holds the frequency of Divine feminine energies: beauty, grace, patience, compassion, love. And, because it has such deep and powerful roots, it's often used to assist in healing the Root Chakra. Keeping an Aloe plant next to you can help to realign your chakras and calm your mood.

Harvesting Aloe Gel

Aloe Vera is an easy-to-grow, no-fuss plant to keep around the house. All it needs is bright, indirect sunlight and water about every 2-3 weeks. Aloe plants are easy to find at your local greenery, but you can also order them online.

To harvest Aloe gel, simply remove a mature, thick leaf from the plant and cut it open lengthwise. You can squeeze the gel out with your fingers, or gently scrape it with a spoon or small paring knife.

You can collect your Aloe Vera gel in a jar or glass. Use it immediately after collecting or store it in a covered container in the refrigerator. Fresh Aloe gel, without preservatives, is only good in the fridge for about a week. So, it's best to harvest it in small batches and only use what you need. However, if you plan on keeping it longer, I recommend adding powdered Vitamin C or E to it, as these ingredients will naturally preserve your gel.

If you do happen to collect too much Aloe gel, you can freeze it for later. The best way that I've found to do this is to pour it into ice cube trays. Once it's frozen you can pop the Aloe cubes out and store them in freezer bags.

Aloe Gel versus Aloe Juice

Aloe Vera juice and gel are both made up of the same, oozy ingredient found in the leaves. The only difference is that Aloe juice has been crushed and pressed to form a liquid, juicy substance. Sometimes, distilled water is added to make an even thinner consistency. You can, of course, make your own Aloe juice by simply putting it in a blender and adding water to thin it out.

Store bought Aloe gels usually have thickening agents and preservatives added to them. When shopping for either of these ingredients, be sure that they contain 90% or more of Aloe as the main ingredient. Also, be careful, as most store-bought Aloes contain toxic additives such as dyes or fragrances.

For small recipes, I simply use the Aloe from my own houseplants. But, for bigger needs, my favorite Aloe Vera Gel to purchase is from Mountain Rose Herbs.

A good rule of thumb is that Aloe Vera Gel is usually designed for topical application on the skin, while Aloe juice is better for oral consumption. The juice can be ingested in very small doses. But do be careful, as too much could cause nausea or diarrhea. For this reason, you also want to keep the plant out of reach from your pets and small children.

Evidence has shown that Aloe can help slow the aging of skin by increasing collagen production and improving skin elasticity. The Aloe in this recipe can help to prevent and reverse the signs of aging while the matcha helps to treat acne, protect against sun damage, control oil, soothe inflammation, and

Aloe + Green Tea Face Mask

Some evidence has shown that Aloe can help slow the aging of skin by increasing collagen production and improving skin elasticity. The Aloe in this recipe can help to prevent and reverse the signs of aging while the matcha helps to treat acne, protect against sun damage, control oil, soothe inflammation, and eliminate toxins from your skin.

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Aloe + HONEY Face Mask

The ingredients in this mask can help your skin to retain moisture without making it oily. The added honey and vitamin E will help to fade dark spots, encourage the skin's healing process, and add a dewy glow to the skin.

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Fruit & Veggie Keeper

Aloe Vera has antibacterial and antimicrobial properties that can help to extend the shelf life of your produce by killing mold and harmful bacteria. Aloe gel also acts as a barrier, helping to keep moisture locked into your fresh fruits and veggies. Plus, the gel does not affect the taste or appearance of your food and provides a natural alternative to toxic preservatives.

Why lemon? This recipe uses lemon essential oil to further cleanse and purify your produce. Lemon contains antibacterial properties and is a natural cleaner that is safe to consume internally. If you don't have lemon essential oil, you can substitute this with 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice.

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Aloe Mouth Rinse

I mentioned earlier that Aloe Vera can help to soothe canker sores and cold sores. It's also been known to even speed up the healing process of mouth wounds while helping to reduce pain and inflammation.

Because of its powerful antibacterial properties, Aloe can also help to reduce plaque buildup when used daily. This mouth rinse can also be helpful if you have bleeding or swollen gums. I like to use it before and after having any kind of dental work.

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Skin Soother

Aloe plants contain potent antioxidants that can help prevent infections, heal wounds, and treat skin irritations such as rashes or acne. This is an all-purpose skin soother that can be used for razor burns, bug bites, dry skin, eczema, rashes, and minor scrapes.

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after sun spray

Numerous medical studies have found that topical Aloe Vera healed first and second degree burns faster than most traditional medications. It was also shown to prevent redness, itching, and infections. Therefore, it should be no surprise that Aloe is often used as a key ingredient in soothing sunburns and other minor burns.

In this recipe, we combine Aloe Vera Gel with skin-soothing oils, such as coconut oil and lavender oil. I also include peppermint essential oil for its skin cooling properties. Next, I top it off with witch hazel and Vitamin E to help preserve the spray, so it lasts longer than 7 days.

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aloe Energy Clearing Body Scrub

This body scrub has loads of skin nourishing ingredients. But I've also added sea salt to the mix, which is helpful in cleansing your energetic field of unwanted energies. The essential oils were specifically chosen for their abilities to clear negative energy and raise your vibration.

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Deep Conditioning Hair Mask

The vitamins, minerals, and lectins in Aloe can work wonders on your hair. Aloe can help with dandruff, restore natural shine, and add moisture, all while encouraging the hair to strengthen and grow.

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I hope you've enjoyed these recipes.

With Love,

Kelsey