Howdy folks,
Am putting my feelers out for idea regarding aloe vera. I have ga-zillions of plants and have been re-potting them, some big, some little. I'll probably sell some next year at our mkt, and hopefully from my Scif store (crossing fingers here) BUT have also entertained the thought of making an aloe salve or balm since I have so much of it.
Anyone out there had any experience with making such? I've come across recipes but they are only ones where you have to store the end result in the fridge and it lasta only a week or so...I'm really looking for something that will stay usable much longer. Maybe using a bees wax or other type of medium?
ideas for aloe anyone?
'Shoe... here are a couple of sites, and a couple of comments I copied. Don't know if these will help or not.:
http://w3.one.net/~wiccanc/Prep.html#aloe%20vera
http://healingtools.tripod.com/thns7a.html#aloegel
"Aloe Vera Gel - Contrary to the name, Aloe Vera Gel isn't an actual gel. The product is thick when the Aloe leaf is first cut, but after a few minutes, an enzymatic reaction causes it to become liquid. It is the consistency of water and is often used to replace water in lotion and soap recipes. Aloe Vera Gel is reputed to be an excellent moisturizer. INCI name Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe) Leaf Juice"
"Aloe Vera Gel is a pale gold color. If you want to make a home remedy, Iuse about 2 oz of Aloe Gel, plus 20 drops of lavender oil, plus 10 drops of tea tree oil to numb any pain or itchy mosquito bites. The Aloe Gel is very cooling and will be absorbed by the skin very quickly. Repeat as often as possible. We have prevented peeling on some pretty bad sunburns by using this method.
If you'd like to mix your lavender oil with another oil so it will spread over a large area, try olive oil, but I prefer comfrey oil - another cell proliferant (very good at stimulating new healthy skin cells to reproduce), or jojoba oil (very similar to human body oil), both are very healing and safe for children as well as pregnant and nursing moms.
One time we made a mixture in spray bottle of Aloe Vera Juice, plus lavender oil and tea tree oil and kept it in the frig all summer. Now I know to mix the oils with a little bit of alcohol before mixing with the Aloe Vera Juice. My daughter was on the swim team and frequently got burnt because she would forget to reapply her sunscreen after each event. We also used it before and after bug attacks and it worked really well. "
Thanks darius! Just checked 'em out! Much obliged.
Shoe,be careful when selling aloe products that you mix up.I am allergic to the aloe plant.The cut leaves will give me a rash that spreads even where the juice hasn't touched.Like it gets in my bloodstream or something...looks pretty awful.I don't have any problems with commercial products,but avoid anything that states it as a main ingredient.My MIL broke off a leaf and rubbed the juice on my hand one time when I pulled a pan of rolls out of the oven and burned myself.'Bout scairt her silly when I welped up like I did.
Thanks Mel!...A good word of caution, I appreciate that!
Like all drugs/herbal remedies I highly encouraged folks to test them out slowly. As for me making an aloe salve or ointment, I think that is not gonna happen. It's easy to make a "Home Remedy" for us here at the house, but to pkg it and make sure it stays fresh for long term use seems to require all the synthetics that we are trying to get away from. (In other words, I can make a good potion, but it will really only last a short time, and that's if refridgerated.)
Guess the best thing to do is to sell the REAL thing, eh?
I have made a "Boo-Boo Balm" for years for my family using aloe juice. I use 1 pound of petroleum jelly melted over a double boiler and add 1 cup dried comfrey, 1 tablespoon goldenseal powder and about 1/2 cup aloe juice. I scrape the inside of the aloe leaf with the back of a spoon. I heat and mix them all together for about 5 minutes and then strain through a fine sieve and jar it up. It fills about 6 empty baby food jars. I have never had to refrigerate it and it does not go bad. We have used it for burns, cuts, scrapes, bites, and severe chapping or dry skin. Each batch lasts 3 families (8 children & 6 adults) about 6 months.
Thanks, Stonebec! Now that really sounds do-able! I even grow my own comfrey so the ingredients will certainly be easy to come by! I'll try some with the petro jelly and perhaps a small batch using olive oil as the medium, just to compare.
Do you make other forms of healers? Sounds like you've come across an easy and useful recipe here.
Again, thanks!