Using aloe vera in skincare is no surprise as it’s a well-known plant that has been a successful, effective skincare ingredient for a long time. The aloe plant offers great benefits for the skin and its properties have been recognised for thousands of years in traditional medicine; its use has been recorded as early as 2,200 BC and is associated with important historical characters such as the beautiful Cleopatra who applied aloe vera to her skin on a daily basis.
Aloe is a healing plant with so much to offer. It can be used for cuts, insect bites and damaged skin tissues because aloe produces fibroblast cells that manufacture collagen.
The plant is very skin-friendly and has a low risk of causing allergies, sensitivity or skin reactions. Although, there are people who are allergic to aloe. It’s very common in after-sun products, and in facial, hair and body care.
Uses of Aloe Vera in Skincare
Among Aloe vera’s active components, it has vitamins A, C & E, minerals, enzymes, polysaccharides, phenolic compounds, flavones, and salicylic acid, which together are responsible for its properties. These properties make it antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-itching, and antioxidant. It’s excellent for all skin types, especially dry, damaged, broken, sensitive and mature skin.
Aloe Vera has exceptionally strong and powerful skin preserving and healing qualities, aloe vera heals cuts, wounds, sores, scars and burns, alleviates itching and inflammation, soothes chapped, broken and sensitive skin, reduces water loss, moisturizes and with good antioxidant qualities, it combats the early signs of aging to smooth wrinkles and fine lines.
Aloe vera gel has great moisturizing properties. On the other hand, its structure forms a protective film for the skin, which helps give it its healing properties. It also aids protection of the epidermis and the skin’s ability to restore itself.
If you are lucky enough to have an Aloe Vera plant, then you can simply break off a leaf, cut it open and apply the clear gel to your skin. But if you don’t have a plant, I have something that you may fall in love with…
My Soothing Aloe Peppermint Body Lotion
After you have been out in the sun a little too long, don’t you want to put something on your skin that is natural and made from Mother Nature? Slathering on toxic chemicals is not allowing your skin to heal, but rather making it work more to eliminate those toxins. Our skin absorbs what we put onto it, so be careful of the green ‘Aloe Vera Gel’ you can get off the store shelves. They are generally full of many toxic chemicals, parabens, fragrances and colourants that are not healthy for our bodies. Try to keep your tender skin as moisturized with natural ingredients as you can after too much sun.
Along with Aloe Vera, I’ve included an antioxidant-rich oil blend that contains multiple skin-loving oils that are powerful in quenching dry skin and promoting healing, and especially helping to soothe your dry skin. They include:
- Coconut oil has amazing moisture for damaged skin, is anti-inflammatory, reduces redness and rehydrates skin.
- Avocado oil is nourishing and rich in vitamins especially E and D, minerals and antioxidants. Full of anti-wrinkle, skin regeneration, and softening qualities. Prevents water loss, so it provides healthy hydration that your skin will love.
- Carrot Tissue Oil is very useful in after-sun products, especially for damaged, sensitive and dry skin. It improves skin cell regeneration and barrier repair, softens and smoothes the skin, moisturizes it and helps to alleviate inflammation.
- Sea Buckthorn Oil improves skin barrier function and repair, regenerates skin cells, reduces trans-epidermal water loss, retains moisture, and softens and smoothes the skin which makes it an excellent aid in the healing of wounds and cuts, softening hard tissue, smoothing out of fine lines and wrinkles, hydrating and moisturizing. An anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial agent that combats dry, sensitive, infected and irritated patches of skin makes it useful for healing burns, sunburn, as well as radiation burns.
- Shea Butter is an excellent moisturizing agent that melts on contact with the skin, protects against water loss and outside weathering (sun, snow, rain, and wind), and boosts the protective layer & barrier repair function of the skin. Locks in water and sucks moisture in from around the skin to hydrate, moisturize, soften and smooth dry, dehydrated and damaged skin. Wonderful emollient qualities and its fattiness provide good protection from the dryness in hot sunny climates. It contains vast amounts of vitamin E which is an antioxidant helping to soften the skin. Regenerating properties help to alleviate stretch marks, fine lines, wrinkles, eczema, psoriasis, rashes, and chapped, cracked and broken skin. Anti-inflammatory agents help to heal wounds, scars, cuts, and sores.
- Peppermint essential oil is a natural painkiller. It helps to soothe burnt areas by providing a cooling sensation. Also, because peppermint oil is so good at alleviating headaches, it can also help with an after-sun headache some people suffer from.
- Lavender essential oil reduces inflammation, calms sunburns, and reduces redness. Because it has antimicrobial properties, it supports the skin in its natural process of healing and restoring balance, allowing your body to recover faster. Lavender has a reputation for relaxing emotions and soothing the heart. Just imagine it bringing those qualities to a sunburned patch of skin!
To use: Apply as often as needed over any dry areas of your skin for cooling relief
If you’re looking to change up your skincare products and understand what ingredients you are using on your skin, you may want to try Rain Natural Skincare products.
If you have any questions, send those to hello@raninnaturalskincare.com
To Your Health and Beauty,
