Healing your face, stomach and hair with Aloe Vera
You've probably passed by this plant at the grocery store or your friend's parent's house. But did you know that aloe vera is SOOO MUCH more than a house plant? Aloe Vera was known to be used by ancient civilizations including Egyptians and Mesoamericans for healing wounds, detoxes, and beauty products. TODAY you can see aloe vera mixed in with drinks and infused in many gels, polishers and other hair products. I'm going to tell you 3 ways you can use the aloe vera plant to heal wounds, acne and blemishes, constipation and promote hair growth! Healing FoodFully is all about using foods and plants to naturally health the body, so these tips will be geared toward using the plant in its NATURAL FORM. Keep in mind there are different types of breeds of the plant, try sticking to the breed that has the most flesh inside the leaf.
How to pick out an Aloe Vera leaf at the store: The most common Aloe Vera that is sold in stores is a leaf like the one in the picture above minus the spots. It is the length of your arm or longer and it usually found in the produce section in the non-refrigerated section. Think tomatoes, onions, plums, peaches..etc. If you can't find it, ask a worker that can help you! Once you find it, carefully LOOK through a few of them and pick out the one that MOSTLY GREEN with few scratches, or bruises (dark green=ready now, light green=ready now or later). To get the most out of your money choose the LEAF that looks THICKEST all around, that way you'll have MORE PRODUCT. You can find them at Walmart, International Food Stores, or at plant stores of course. They usually range from $1.50-2.79 each...Not too bad because it will last you a while.
Another option is to buy the aloe vera plant, using the same tips. The important thing is that the leaves are fleshy. You can find them in many stores and the plant will probably have smaller leaves with white spots which is fine, as long as you can feel and see thick leaves (this will hold the fleshy gel inside).
How to cut and prepare Aloe Vera: Look at my insta post for a tutorial on how to cut the aloe leaf.
Healing Wounds: Aloe Vera has properties that allow your body to heal at a faster rate. Applying the aloe gel on the surface of a clean wound can help the body heal and repair a wound. Applying the gel on the surface of sunburns can soothe and heal the broken skin at a faster rate.
Healing the Stomach: The aloe vera plants that I use are known to be natural laxatives and help with constipation. Laxatives are commonly used by people that consume dairy when they are very lactose-intolerant. Everyone is LACTOSE INTOLERANT, but some people are just more sensitive than others. Many people will get ACNE or ECZEMA as a reaction to consuming dairy foods, but other people will have digestion problems feeling CONSTIPATED and not being able to go #2. Drinking Aloe Vera, specifically the yellow part of the gel inside, is a NATURAL LAXATIVE. Taking daily table spoons or mixing RAW ALOE to your juice or smoothies will help your digestion. This does the same thing as a LAXATIVE you buy at CVS or WALMART.
The properties in the aloe gel are also known to get rid of parasites and the bad bacteria in our gut, so drinking the aloe vera raw or juices helps detox your gut.
Healing the Face: Using the aloe as a FACE MASK is probably one of the best masks you can use for your face! Leaving it on your face for 10 minutes a few times a week, will REDUCE acne inflammation , CLEAR ACNE, reduce acne scars, SMOOTHEN and MOISTURIZE your face and helps to SLOW AGING. What more can you ask for right! Aloe Vera might be a hidden secret in this part of the world but many tropical and southern countries have been using this for THOUSANDS OF YEARS.
Healing Hair: I use aloe vera for my hair ALL the TIME. I use it after shampooing 2-3 times a week as a conditioner leaving it my hair for 20min. The BIGGEST CHANGE I've seen is NO MORE hair BREAKAGE. Every time I would comb my hair my hair ends would break and would be all over the counter. I did this aloe treatment 3 times a week for a month and after that my hair no longer breaks and I have LESS SPLIT ENDS! My hair is also STRONGER and becomes immediately SOFTER after applying and rinsing. It also DEFINES my CURLS more. Since Aloe is also anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, and anti-inflammatory, it is easy and SOOTHING on the SCALP and helps REDUCE DANDRUFF and balance OVER-OILY HAIR.
The Science: Aloe Vera has many properties that allow it to treat and heal. Some of them include special anti-oxidants, enzymes, proteins, beta-carotene, and vitamins. For more read here and here.
This is one of my most used PLANTS FOR HEALING. Let me know in the comments if you use aloe for anything else!
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