Freezing aloe vera, and more particularly, its gel, is one method you can fully benefit from this plant. It's an ideal skin care solution and can also be used to clean your digestive system. The plant has a gelatinous inside, indicating it can be hard to conserve properly. And here is where freezing comes in play. It's a basic procedure with many skincare and basic health benefits.
How to Properly Harvest and Freeze Aloe Vera Gel?
Aloe vera is a popular balm for treating small burns, sunburn, and hydrating skin and hair. While it is best understood for its external use on dry or charred skin, aloe is also edible. You can easily include fresh aloe to a smoothie, blend it into a glass of juice, or stir it into any food to use its mucilaginous characteristics internally to relieve the digestive system.
The aloe that you find offered in plastic bottles is useful, but you can also easily harvest and freeze aloe gel from a healthy houseplant! Aloe is easy to grow indoors practically anywhere in the world. In fact, it can grow to a very big and healthy size. They can grow up to three times a year. Pruning the leaves is also a fundamental part of taking care of the aloe plant.
How to Harvest Fresh Aloe Vera Gel?
Step 1: Trim the aloe
Make sure the plant you want to harvest is strong and healthy. Select a thick, long leaf from the bottom of the plant. Using a sharp knife or a pair of sharp, clean scissors, cut off the leaf as near the trunk as possible.
Step 2: Allow the aloe to drain
In a container, put the leaf in such a way that the cut side faces down. This will allow a red or yellow-colored liquid to slowly drain from the leaf. This substance is called aloin. This mucilaginous gel can trigger stomach discomfort and diarrhea, therefore, give it about 15 minutes for all of the aloin to drain out.
Step 3: Collect the aloe gel
Take the leave and put it on a clean surface. Using a sharp knife, carefully trim the spiked edges. Then, carefully cut the green peel off to expose the clear aloe flesh. Repeat this on the other side of the leaf, just turn it over. What you will remain with now is a clear, gooey, but solid slab of aloe.
You are now done. You can use your fresh aloe gel right away to relieve burns or to make a smoothie, or even add to homemade shampoo. If you find that you have extracted more aloe leaves than you currently need, you can freeze aloe vera gel to preserve it.
How to Preserve Aloe Leaves?
How can I preserve aloe vera in your home?
Aloe vera can be preserved at home and used whenever the need arises.
Method 1 of preserving aloe vera leaves
Freeze the aloe vera leaves
This is the best method for storing and protecting your aloe vera leaves. You can put them in an airtight Ziploc bags and put them in the freezer. If frozen, the aloe vera can last indefinitely. However, it should not be defrosted when the time to use comes. It should rather be kept at room temperature for some hours.
Method 2 of preserving aloe vera leaves
Pickle the aloe vera leaves
Scrub and clean the aloe leaves. Properly wash a jar(s), you can use a dishwasher on high temperatures, then dry it completely. Put the aloe leave in the jar. Next, pour some apple cider vinegar in the jar and tightly close it. Put the pickled aloe vera in the fridge. They can last for many months like this.
Method 3 of preserving aloe vera leaves
Keep planting or replanting the aloe vera leaves
Lots of people plant aloe leaves in dry soil in order to constantly have fresh aloe leaves. Keep the aloe leaf in a warm place with partial sun to encourage rooting and general health. Make sure to only use little water as aloe is a desert plant and flourishes in environments that are mainly dry. This technique will work best with leaves that have some stem or root attached to them.
Why you need to be freezing aloe vera?
Aloe vera has numerous fast-acting beneficial characteristics. However, when exposed to cold, dust, UV rays, wind, and other components, the gel can lose its effectiveness. Hence, the importance of freezing the aloe vera gel.
How to Freeze Aloe Vera Gel?
First, follow the correct harvesting procedure as described above. After successfully getting the clear aloe gel put it in a plastic container. You can use the ice cube tray as its small multiple compartments is perfect for the gel. It will simply take the shape of frozen ice cubes. Once you've used all of the gel, place the tray in the freezer. By doing this, you can protect the gel for as long as you desire.
For how long does fresh aloe vera last?
Aloe Vera Leaf can be kept cool for a couple of weeks and in the freezer in airtight bags for as longs as to 6 months. As soon as the gel extracted from the leaf, Aloe Vera gel is at its best used right away, but it can be kept in the fridge. In the fridge, it can last for at least ten days. Add some lemon juice, and you can keep it fresh for longer.
In the freezer, Aloe Vera gel can last for a much longer time. Freezing the fresh gel in ice cube trays or ice cube bags and using a cube when required is the best way to preserve if you are not using it immediately after extracting from the plant.
To make the freshly extracted Aloe Vera gel last longer, add Vitamin E and/or Vitamin C to the blender in the proportion of about 0.2%. Anti-bacterial and antioxidant essential oils such as Rosemary, Tea tree, Lavender, Lemon likewise help to preserve the Aloe Vera gel. Do not use the essential oils if you plan to consume the aloe vera.
Can aloe survive a freeze?
Can Aloe Vera Recover After a Frost or Freeze?
Frost Damage to the Aloe Vera Plant
Frost can kill the aloe vera plant as it cannot survive under 40 degrees F. However, aloe will not necessarily die if its leaves are exposed to some frost. The leaves might shrivel and turn brown, however, unless the entire plant turns brown, it will likely recover and even grow brand-new leaves.
Freeze Damage to the Aloe Vera Plant
Freeze damage is a lot more serious than frost damage, and succulents that stay for long under freezing temperatures will not survive. Freeze results in the blackening of leaves, which ultimately shrivel and end up being crisp. The plant, however, can miraculously make a come back from the damage if the freeze it not that extreme.
Avoid planting the aloe vera in places where the temperature at night can go below 50 degrees F. In some situations, a cotton sheet wrap around the plant in low temperatures can protect the plant from extreme cold. In addition to this, a light bulb can also be used to provide extra warmth.
Recovery of the Aloe Vera Plant
The suggested pruning time for aloe is May, after the flowering cycle, which takes place in March or April outdoors and seasonally inside your home. However, if your aloe has a great deal of frost- or freeze-damaged leaves, you can prune them off first. If the frost or freeze was extreme, a lot of the leaves might be damaged, do not take them all off at once. Just care for the plant until it resumes normal growth and after that prune off leaves.
The benefits of frozen aloe vera
Aloe Vera Helps With Minor Burns
Aloe vera includes antibacterial substances that accelerate the recovery process. It also helps new cells to form.
Aloe Vera Deals With Skin Problems
Aloe vera is loaded with anti-inflammatory properties and is among the best treatments to deal with sunburn and other skin issues. The gel in aloe vera contains two hormones namely, Gibberellins and Auxins. These help with recovery and likewise lower skin inflammation.
Aloe Vera Helps to Prevent Wound Infections
Aloe vera is enhanced with anti-bacterial properties and helps with the circulation in the skin's blood vessels. Additionally, it kills bacteria and prevents infections on the wound.
Aloe Vera Helps Eliminates Blisters
There are phytochemicals in aloe vera that counteract the skin's reaction to heat. This helps in providing relief from irritation and blisters.
Aloe Vera Helps To Treat Varicose Veins
Aloe vera is rich in analgesic properties. This makes it a prime candidate to deal with varicose veins.
Aloe Vera Helps to Relieve Heartburn
Aloe Vera is a remedy for heartburn. Frozen aloe vera which has a lot more health advantages is loaded with anti-inflammatory properties, vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. It increases the digestion, eliminates toxins from the body and thus eliminates heartburn.
Aloe Vera Keeps The Skin Hydrated
Aloe vera contains a host of anti-oxidants like beta-carotene, vitamins C and E that helps maintain the skin's firmness and keeps it hydrated.
Aloe Vera Helps Get Rid Of Fungus
Aloe vera is filled with vitamins and nutrients that help to get rid of fungi attack. Frozen aloe vera can be applied directly to the area in question to provide relief instantly.
The general benefits of aloe vera
Can Aloe Vera soothe the skin?
You've probably aloe gel on a sunburn. Simply as aloe relieves the sting of sunburn, it can likewise soothe a host of other skin inflammations consisting of acne. Acne treatments can make your skin dry. Inflamed aloe vera gel, or a moisturizer including aloe, can be especially handy. Your skin will be comfier, so you will most likely get rid of your acne medication.
Can Aloe Vera Boost the Effectiveness of Acne Medications?
The benefits of aloe vera may exceed simply relaxing irritated skin. Some research has actually revealed that aloe vera might boost the effectiveness of acne medications. Aloe vera also has antibacterial properties. Due to the fact that acne is, in part, caused by bacteria called propionibacteria acne, it's believed that aloe can reduce these bacteria. This has actually not been proven, though. It is possible that aloe has no impact on propioni acnes.
Can Aloe Vera alone clear up acne?
Although there is some exciting preliminary research study, we're still a long way from saying that aloe vera is an efficient acne treatment. The research, as of yet, is extremely limited. Up until now, it does not appear aloe does far more than decrease redness and inflammation. This, clearly, can be useful in calming inflammatory acne.
But acne isn't caused by swelling alone. It's likewise triggered by an accumulation of dead skin cells, overactive oil glands, hormonal agents, and even genes. Aloe vera will not do anything for these factors. What's more, every pimple starts as an obstructed pore. Aloe vera doesn't avoid pores from becoming obstructed, so in the long run, it won't stop acne from developing.
Can aloe vera clear dark Dark Spots?
Dark areas on your face are often caused by pimples that have burst, leaving a scab, and after that a small scar after they have dried and healed up. While the very best way to avoid scars is by not selecting at your pimples, it can be difficult to handle, as often they can burst while cleaning.
Aloe vera can take a while to eliminate your dark spots brought on by pimple scarring, but the healing procedure can go much faster than merely doing nothing at all. The upper layer of your epidermis needs around two weeks to slough off, and another six weeks refreshen completely. If the scarring on your face is extensive, it might be best to see a skin specialist, as they have special treatments for radical cases. However, for many people, they'll begin to see improvement within the month.
