Aloe Vera Benefits for Skin and Hair

Amazing Aloe Vera Benefits for Skin and Hair You Need to Know!

Aloe vera benefits for skin and hair are numerous. This inexpensive gel can be used to promote healing and moisturize the skin. It also makes the hair stronger and shinier with continued use.

Aloe vera isn’t a commonly used ingredient in skin care and hair care, but it has many beauty benefits.

It’s a mild moisturizer that can help add moisture to the skin without making it oily. It also dissolves oil from the skin, so it’s suitable for oily skin, too.

Aloe vera can be used by most skin types. It moisturizes dry skin, dissolves excess oil on oily skin, and strengthens brittle hair with vitamins.

Aloe Vera Benefits for Skin

Probably the most common of the aloe vera benefits for skin is to use it on burns. For generations, people have been using gel from the aloe plant for burns, sunburns, and other skin irritations.

Wound Healing

Your mother and grandmother knew what they were doing when they told you to use aloe vera gel on burns. Aloe vera has a polysaccharide called glucomannan and a growth hormone called gibberellin.

Both of these substances help boost collagen production when they are applied topically to the skin. This can speed up the healing process in both burns and wounds.

Antioxidant

Aloe vera can also protect the skin with antioxidants. Antioxidants reduce free radicals in the skin. Free radicals can cause signs of aging like fine lines and wrinkles.

Aloe vera has metallothionein, which is a strong antioxidant. When you apply it topically, they lend extra oxygen to the free radicals to make them stable.

Anti-Inflammatory

When applied topically, aloe vera is a natural anti-inflammatory. This helps reduce inflammation from bug bites, sunburn, and more.

Itch Relief

Aloe vera can also relieve itching naturally. It has antipruritic properties that can stop itching and dry skin when it’s applied to the skin.

How to Use Aloe Vera for Skin Care

You can apply aloe vera gel directly to your skin without diluting it. Apply on sunburned skin, burns, or wounds to promote healing.

Related: DIY After Sun Spray Recipe

You can also mix ¼ cup aloe vera gel and ½ cup sugar to make a simple sugar scrub. Use to exfoliate your hands, feet, and body. Don’t use this on your face because it can be too harsh for your delicate facial skin.

You can also apply it to your face as an oil free moisturizer. Dab it lightly on your skin; you don’t need to massage it or rub it in. Leave it on for 10 minutes and rinse well. It can dry out your skin if you leave it on too long.

Aloe Vera Benefits for Hair

Although aloe vera is probably more popular for your skin, there are many aloe vera benefits for hair.

Scalp Health

Since aloe vera has so many benefits for your skin, it’s no surprise that it also has benefits for your scalp. If your scalp is irritated, inflamed, or dry, you can use aloe vera gel to reduce these symptoms.

Hair Growth

Many people claim that aloe vera can boost hair growth, but this hasn’t been proven. Aloe vera does have enzymes that exfoliate dead skin cells off of the surface of the skin.

These dead skin cells can clog hair follicles, which could lead to hair loss.

Aloe vera could lead to thicker hair indirectly by clearing the hair follicles, but it doesn’t directly lead to thicker or fuller hair.

Some conditions like seborrhea can contribute to thinning hair. Seborrhea can cause sebum to accumulate on the scalp, which again clogs hair follicles.

Aloe can break down the sebum, which encourages hair growth.

Aloe can also help balance the scalp’s pH balance. This can also promote hair growth, and it can also help the hair and scalp retain moisture.

Dandruff

The enzyme in aloe vera gel that sloughs off dead skin cells can also help break down dandruff and flakes due to dry skin.

Dandruff is caused by a fungus on the scalp. Aloe is naturally anti-fungal, so it can kill this fungus and reduce dandruff flakes.

Softer Hair

Aloe vera is an excellent natural treatment for softer hair. It has a similar chemical composition to keratin, which is a protein that is naturally found in the hair. Since it’s so similar, it can penetrate into the hair shaft.

Oily Hair Remedy

Aloe is great for oily hair, too. It can dissolve sebum, which is the oil that your skin and scalp produce and what causes oily hair.

Unlike other treatments for oily hair, it won’t strip your hair or make it dry.

Strengthening

Aloe vera is a great source of vitamins A, C, and E for your hair. These vitamins promote cellular turnover and add shine to your hair.

It also has folic acid and vitamin B-12 to strengthen the hair.

How to Use Aloe Vera for Hair Care

You can put aloe vera gel directly on your hair as a deep conditioning treatment. It’s also a good idea to massage it on your scalp.

Let it sit for at least 30 minutes before rinsing and washing.

You can also make a simple hot oil treatment by combining 2 tablespoons of aloe vera gel and 1 tablespoon of coconut oil, shea butter, argan oil, or hemp seed oil.

Mix it well and apply it to the hair for at least half an hour. Rinse and wash as usual.

Use this once a week for healthier and shinier hair.

Where to Buy Aloe Vera

Most aloe vera gel sold in stores has alcohol added to it, so be sure to read the labels. Aloe vera gel is water based, so it often has a preservative added to prevent contamination.

Look for a gel with citric acid for a non-toxic preservative and potassium sorbate to prevent mold growth like this one.

Organic Aloe Vera Gel with 100% Pure Aloe From Freshly Cut Aloe Plant

Most aloe vera gels sold in stores are between 98 and 99.75 percent pure aloe due to the preservatives and thickeners.

You can also use an aloe vera powder. This is a dry powder, so it doesn’t need a preservative or thickener. Here is the aloe vera powder I use.

Aloe vera powder is either 100 or 200 times concentrated. To make aloe vera gel, add 1 or 2 parts of the powder and 99 parts water.

You can use the powder to make DIY beauty recipes, but keep in mind that it isn’t oil soluble, so it has to be added with water or in the water phase.

Any DIY beauty recipes made with aloe vera powder will have to be used immediately or they will need a preservative.

100% Organic Aloe Vera Powder – 227g /0.5 LB USDA Organic Certified (Aloe Barbadensis)

Do you know of any other aloe vera benefits for skin and hair? Feel free to add to the list in the comment section.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This article is for educational and informational purposes only and does not intend to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or health condition. It is always recommended that you seek the advise of your private medical doctor.