If you are looking for an inexpensive natural product that will provide benefits to your skin and help you stay beautiful, don’t sleep on aloe vera. Aloe vera is also often used to soothe sunburned or irritated skin. You may have childhood memories of your mom clipping an aloe leaf to soothe a skin injury you had. Aloe vera contains vitamins and minerals that can help eczema and psoriasis flare ups. It is ideal if you want to use a natural alternative to assist you with these skin conditions. However, aloe vera gel has numerous benefits for your skin in other ways, too.
Aloe Vera Benefits for Skin
1. Aloe vera is an excellent toner. Use aloe vera after you wash your face to tone your skin. It will help keep it tight, but it will not over dry your skin. Because aloe vera has ingredients that brighten the skin and prevent acne breakouts, it is a great product to use before applying your moisturizer.
2. Removing makeup can be a pain. But, with aloe vera, it is much easier. Apply aloe vera gel on a cotton ball and wipe away your makeup. Your skin will feel refreshed and most importantly you can avoid using makeup removers which contain harsher chemicals that can cause your skin to become drier.
3. Don’t have any shaving cream? Use aloe vera gel instead. Aloe vera is an antibacterial which helps if you get some nicks when you are shaving. It allows for a closer shave because of its slippery texture and also acts as a moisturizer as well.
4. Exfoliate with aloe vera for glowing skin. Aloe vera helps to make your skin softer and provides oxygen to your skin cells. It aids in strengthening the tissue which makes your skin more vibrant. Apply aloe vera to the drier areas of your skin such as your knees, arms, elbows or heels.
5. Aloe vera gets rid of bad breath. Have a bad taste in your mouth or lingering bad breath? Try this aloe vera recipe. Mix 1/4 cup of aloe vera and ½ cup of water or apple juice as a natural alternative to mouthwash. Aloe vera has an anti-inflammatory compound, b-sitosterol which helps with acid indigestion, the culprit of bad breath. Keep the doses low, as to large of a dose can act as a laxative.
6. Trying to keep those brows together until your appointment? Aloe vera can keep your eyebrows tidy. Apply some aloe vera gel to your eyebrow brush and sweep it across your brows to keep them in place. The best part is your eyebrows won’t be too sticky, clumpy or hard.
7. Aloe vera can be used as a hand sanitizer. Sometimes hand sanitizers can have a drying effect on your hands because of the high alcohol content and all of the ingredients in them. Use aloe vera instead. Mix ½ cup of aloe vera gel, ¼ cup of alcohol and add 20 drops of your favorite essential oil. Use a spritz bottle. The aloe will soothe your skin and eliminate that over-drying effect that regular sanitizers can have on your hands.
8. Keep your skin wrinkle free. The Annals of Dermatology conducted a study and found that 90 days of drinking aloe vera helped to reduce wrinkles and increase elasticity in the skin. I’m sure you would agree that aloe vera juice is a less expensive and natural option than many of the skin products on the market that offer a similar benefit.
9. Emergency treatment alternative for acne breakouts. Aloe vera helps to reduce skin inflammation, the cause of many a skin breakout. Aloe vera also helps reduce the redness as well. Because of aloe’s antibacterial component, when you apply aloe vera gel to that breakout you will notice immediate results.
10. Keeps your mouth healthy. Aloe contains polysaccharide which helps to reduce oral ulcers and the pain you experience along with them. Aloe vera can also help with gingivitis when you use it topically. It reduces swelling, inflammation and bleeding of your gums.
If you are looking for some natural beauty and skin benefits, aloe vera is your plant! Using aloe vera will not only help you to have additional skin benefits, but it has fewer chemicals in it versus traditional beauty products and can be utilized in a multitude of ways. Try it out. You have nothing to lose!