Reblogged from thelivewellnetwork: Aloe Vera’s reputation for healing, soothing and rejuvenating is evident in the many products now on the market. But it is just as popular to apply the sap directly to the skin, which is why more and more people are opting to grown their own.

“It’s always best to have a fresh cut it will heal better that way. When you are going to remove a leaf to use from the Aloe Vera the best thing to do is use a sharp knife and cut it at the base of the leaf — where the soil line meets the leaf. To store it, after you’ve used it, you can put it in a sandwich bag, wrap in foil and put in the fridge that way. It will last 4-5 days. You can reuse it. As you take it out, it will be callused out, just scrape the leaf and release the gel again and there you go.”

Aloe Vera Recipes:

Soothing Ice Cubes:

Directions: Cut the epidermal area – the top area – off of the plant. Cut the long stem into 2 inch pieces. Set on a plate and put in the freezer. Once frozen, remove the pieces and place them in a zip top bag, place back into the freezer. When you have a sun burn, use the piece of frozen aloe Vera to put directly on the skin. The cool, soothing nature of the Aloe makes for instant sunburn relief!

Mouth Rinse:
1 ounce of Aloe Vera gel
1 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1 ounce of water
lemon

Directions: Mix all the ingredients together and add a squeeze of lemon. Use within about 10 minutes for best mouth rinse results

Aloe Vera Hand Sanitizer:
2/3 cup rubbing alcohol
1/3 cup Aloe Vera gel
10 drops of essential oil – we used Lavender

Directions: Mix all the ingredients together and place into an empty pump container. Hand sanitizers can be really drying and the Aloe Vera helps moisturize the skin.

Thanks Bobbie