DIY Aloe Vera Gel

I'm able to get cut aloe vera leaves from my yard but they are readily available at produce section at a grocery stores and definately available at organic stores or markets that cater to healthful living. You could also try a smaller grocery store that specializes in Indian food if you have one in your area.

How To Harvest The Gel from Aloe Vera

Aloe vera leaves are long and slightly curved with serrated edges. The gel is the thick fleshy part that is between the skin of the leaf.

Supplies:

• aloe vera leaf
• sharp knife
• clean airtight container for storing
• blender or immersion blender
• clean bowl (if you are using an immersion blender)

Directions:

1. Cut the leaf into sections about 8″ long. This makes it a little more manageable.
2. Cut off the serrated edge. Try to get just the edge because it is difficult to get the gel out of those pieces.
3. Cut the 8″ lengths into 2 or 3 long strips.
4. Turn your blade to its side and slide it in just under the skin on the end of one of the strips.
5. Carefully slide the knife along the bottom edge of the skin down the whole length of the leaf. Try to stay close to the skin so you get as much gel as you can.
6. Once you get the whole piece of skin off, flip the section over and repeat with the other side.
7. Cut the flesh into 2 or 3 pieces and place in a clean bowl (if you are using an immersion blender) or your blender pitcher.
8. Repeat steps 4-7 until all sections have been skinned and gathered into your blender pitcher.
9. Blend until smooth. It will almost immediately froth when you start your blender. This is normal. If you are using an immersion blender just blend it in the bowl until smooth.
10. The froth will eventually go down. You can wait or you can just go ahead and pour the gel into the clean storage container and refrigerate.
11. It will keep in the refrigerator for about a week.

Preserving The Gel

Fresh aloe vera gel will only be good for about a week in the refrigerator. This may not be a problem if you are using a smaller leaf from your own houseplant, but if you buy a large leaf you will likely end up with more gel than you can use in a week. There are other ways you can preserve it so that none of it goes to waste.

Freeze It

After you store the aloe vera gel you will use in the coming week, pour the extra gel into ice cube trays and freeze until solid. Then transfer the aloe cubes into a freezer safe container or bag. Pull out an aloe cube as needed for burns or to use in one of the above recipes. This is a great way to keep it on hand if having your own plant is not an option.

Alternately, before you blend the flesh, cut it into cubes and lay it on a parchment lined baking sheet and freeze until solid. Once the pieces are solid, transfer to a freezer safe container or bag. Pull a piece out as needed.

Add Natural Preservatives

When I get one of the large leaves I usually end up with about 1.5 cups. I place 1 cup into a clean pint mason jar. The remaining gel gets frozen as I instructed above. I waited for the froth to go down before I did this so I knew exactly how much I had.

To the 1 cup I add 2000 mg of Vitamin C and 1600 IU (1 tablespoon or 4 400 IU capsules) of Vitamin E. Powdered Vitamin C works well or you can crush the appropriate amount of tablets. Stir well until the vitamins are well incorporated. I stirred for a bit and then let it sit. When I came back to stir it again the Vitamin C was much easier to stir in.

You could also blend this with your immersion blender. This should increase the life of your gel to about 8 months if it is stored in the refrigerator.

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PS: when this is all and done you know how to make the sunburn aloe gel you always keep in the fridge 😊