How to make and use Aloevera Oil
Aloe Vera is a magic herb with many medicinal properties. Aloe Vera also has cosmetic properties which is highly beneficial for the skin and hair growth. Aloe Vera oil is prepared to impart the medicinal properties to the hair and skin.Aloe Vera oil is the oil that is obtained from Aloe Vera plant by the processing it in some base oil.Those who are suffering from intense hair fall ,dandruff and other skin diseases can use Aloe Vera oil to get relief. Aloe Vera oil provides brilliant health benefits for the skin, just like the Aloe Vera gel. Since it is turned into oil, this product has a longer shelf life and can be used even when fresh Aloe Vera plant is not available. Aloe Vera oil is good for treating skin wounds and for scalp conditioning. Check out our post on Aloe Vera to know more about the herb HERE
Properties of Aloe Vera Oil
Aloe Vera Oil is prepared by mixing Aloe Vera gel along with carrier oil or base oil. The base oil can be selected as per the health condition.As a result the Aloe Vera oil get the medicinal properties and nutrients of the carrier oil also.
Following are the properties of Aloe Vera oil
1. Aloe Vera Oil is a brilliant moisturizer for the skin.
2. Aloe Vera Oil has Anti-Inflammatory properties,thus it reduces inflammation and other signs related to it.
3. It has anti-bacterial properties, thus has the ability to kill certain bacteria.
4. Aloe Vera Oil has Anti-Viral actions. This property makes it suitable for use on herpes and shingles rashes.
5. Aloe Vera Oil is also Anti-fungal. This oil can be used to kill fungi that cause conditions like ringworm.
6. The Anti-oxidant property of the oil helps to keep skin young and glowing by protecting the skin from free radical damage.
7. Aloe Vera Oil speeds wound recovery.
8. Aloe Vera Oil reduces skin irritation.
9. Aloe Vera Oil shrinks the skin and makes it taut.
10. Aloe Vera Oil provides minor sun protection, especially in a base oil like Sesame oil.
11. Aloe Vera Oil is a good massage oil. Aloe Vera oil has been identified to be an excellent carrier oil. It penetrates deep into the skin layers quickly . This makes it a wonderful carrier oil for massage therapy. Because of its powerful skin penetration property. it can carry other products into the skin quite fast, like essential oils.
Health Benefits of Aloe Vera Oil
Because of its healing properties, Aloe Vera oil is used in many applications for personal use. One can make use of it as a home remedy for certain conditions.
1. Massage Oil
Aloe Vera oil can be used as a massage oil. It penetrates well and feels soothing to the skin. One can use essential oils with this oil as an aromatherapy massage.
2. Healing Skin Wounds
Aloe vera provides wound healing nutrients to this oil. One can apply it on a wound, cut, scrape or even a bruise. It prompts the skin to heal faster. It also helps in reducing the scar. However, for burns and sunburns, the pure Aloe Vera gel can be more effective as it is much more cooling and soothing. It is good for healing post surgical scars.
3. Dermatitis
Aloe Vera oil is an anti-irritant. It also provides some nutrients to the skin, especially amino acids as Aloe Vera gel is rich in them. One can apply this directly for relief from conditions like eczema and psoriasis.
4. Pain Relief
Aloe Vera oil is used in compositions for pain relief. One can use it as a home remedy to alleviate pain by combining with essential oils of eucalyptus, lemon, peppermint and calendula. One can use few drops of each essential oil in about 3 ounces of Aloe Vera oil. This forms a nice home-made pain relief gel.
5. Hair Care
Aloe Vera oil can be used for scalp and hair care. It reduces dry scalp condition, dandruff and conditions the hair. The ghritkumari oil is believed to assist in hair growth, keeping hair strong and also in improving the faculties of the mind through the scalp massage of that oil. It also helps in psoriasis of the scalp. Adding a few drops of tea tree oil to Aloe vera oil makes it a powerful ingredient for dealing with fungal scalp infections.
6. Cold Sore
Apply a small amount of Aloe Vera oil or gel onto the cold sores. It aids the body in drying out the sores, like witch hazel. This prevents the blisters to weep and become more painful if used early on. This works because of the compound Aloe emodin, which has been proved to exhibit anti-viral effect against herpes virus . Aloe Vera oil also helps in healing herpes and shingles lesions.
7. Facial Oil
One can use Aloe vera oil is a soothing oil for the face. It moisturizes the skin and keeps it strong and supple. Aloe Vera oil provides many nutrients directly to the skin. However, it might not be good for acne prone skin as the carrier oil may be comedogenic. In that case, one should look for Aloe Vera oil prepared in a non comedogenic oil like jojoba oil.
8. Insect Bites
Because of its anti-inflammatory effect, it reduces swelling and inflammation caused by insect bites, like that from bees and wasps.
9. Dental Care
Aloe Vera nutrients have been identified to aid in periodontal disease. One can use Aloe vera oil as a massage oil for the gums and teeth to keep them healthy and lower the risk of dental problems like caries, plaque and gingivitis.
Steps to make Aloe Vera Oil.
1. The leaf of Aloe Vera is used for preparing the oil.Good healthy leaves are selected from the plant as per requirement.
2. Cut Aloe Vera leaves into small pieces and grind it in mixer grinder without adding water until it forms a paste with slimy consitstnecy.
3. Chose your base oil. Coconut oil is commonly taken as the base oil because of its anti bacterial and anti fungal properties. It also soothes the skin. Try to use organic coconut oil or which is locally milled. You can also other base oils like Sesame oil, almond oil or Soybean oil as per your requirement.
4. Quantity of Base oil. Coconut oil can be taken in the same or half the quantity of the crushed Aloe leaf.
5. Pour the oil in a pan and mix the crushed Aloe and keep stirring under a low moderate flame.
6. After some time you can see the moisture drying up within 30-45 minutes and the clear oil starts to be visible on the top.
7. After the moisture is fully dried up and only brown colored aloe residue will remain in the bottom of the pan.
8. The residue is then filtered and oil is squeezed out from it.
9. Oil is then cooled down and then poured into a clean glass container.
10. You can also add Vitamin E into the oil for more soothing and anti oxidant effect after pouring into the glass bottle.
The oil can be made more medicinal by adding other herbs as per your condition. Please contact us to get a personalized formulation. Send your queries to mail@ayushvedah.com
Kotakkal Ayurveda - Mother land of modern ayurveda