What does aloe vera do for skin (face AND body)?
For thousands of years, humans have seen what does aloe vera do for the skin.
Even if people didn’t always understand the deeply rooted science of why aloe vera is so powerful, many cultures witnessed undeniable benefits of the plant.
This goes beyond using aloe as an ointment for sunburn.
The aloe vera plant has powerful capabilities for the skin and entire body. We’re about to dive further into:
Tapping into the power of aloe vera, thankfully, easier than ever. We’re going to reveal:
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The exact reasons to use aloe vera
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Who most benefits from aloe vera on face
- Why aloe vera is great for use on entire body, as well as face
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How to get all the benefits, without the messy sap or having to deal with growing the plant!
To confirm, aloe vera is a succulent
Known as the “lily of the desert”, you’ll often see this plant doing well in climates like Arizona, Southern California and other places that are warm and dry.
Why the sap is an elixir to your face
You know how there are superfoods that are incredible for a wild variety of reasons. Maybe you put spinach into your smoothies for all the boosts the leafy green veggie offers or try to munch on blueberries as a snack in place salt-covered, processed chips.
Aloe vera is similar - like a superfood for skin.
For how to use aloe vera for clear skin, let’s take a peek into the ingredients first.
That clear ooze within the aloe plant may be see-through, but there is a lot there. The gel contains:
- Vitamins A, B, C, D & E
- Anti-inflammatory properties
- Powerful antioxidants
- Potassium
- Sun-damage-fighting Zinc
- Enzymes
- Polysaccharides
The power of combining aloe’s properties
While we could go on about the incredible ways each of the elements, vitamamins and minerals above empower the best health possible, we’ll touch on only a few of the perks.
Vitamin E
This vitamin is known for helping calm down inflammation (such as that from cystic acne or eczema) as well as combat free radicals. As we walk around in pollution, chemicals that are sprayed from products or released into the air and beyond, radical-fighting elements help to relieve that damage.
This vitamin is also fantastic when looking to treat eyes for circles or aging.
Zinc
You’ve likely worn (or seen a life guard) with that blaring white of zinc on the face to protect the skin in hot, summer months. Zinc is within aloe vera and so it helps to protect skin naturally, including on cloudy days where sun doesn’t feel like it’s doing damage (even when it is!)
Potassium
We tend to think of potassium as powerful in terms of digestion. We think of it with bananas especially prime for an active day or workouts. When ingested, potassium begins to function as an electrolyte, helping to give a positive charge that refuels and energizes the body.
When applied onto the skin, like aloe vera onto a sunburn, potassium helps to nourish dry skin. In fact, potassium is even known for helping to generate the growth of new cells, which is incredibly powerful in healing blemishes and scars.
Vitamin C
This Vitamin has a wide array of incredible benefits, which is why we so highly recommend using this vitamin everyday to smooth out uneven skintone and sooth skin.
How to use aloe vera to clear skin
While hearing about the benefits of a plant or supplement is all well and good, let’s get into the everyday ways (and challenges) that’ll take the vitamin-facts about aloe vera and create real change in your life.
Acne
As mentioned above, potassium is found in aloe vera. Because potassium helps to generate new cells, aloe vera sparks the healthy regeneration of areas around scarring, acne and uneven tone.
In addition, aloe vera gel contains two hormones that make a massively important impact on acne; Auxin and Gibberellins. These two hormones provide wound healing and anti-inflammatory properties that reduce skin inflammation. Gibberellin in aloe vera acts as a growth hormone stimulating the growth of new cells. It allows the skin to heal quickly and naturally with minimal scarring. [source]
Anti-aging
While many generations have seen power of aloe vera in keeping skin youthful, science is backing up the findings.
A study conducted to test how aloe vera worked on women wanting to improve appearance of wrinkles.. The goal was to see what would happen with continued use of the plant - would there be benefits of aloe vera on the skin in as little as a few months?
In the study, there were over 30 women - each over 45 years old. The hosts had the women apply the aloe vera to their skin - and monitored the results. After 90 days, the results were in. It appeared there had been increased production of collagen - as well as improvement seen in the elasticity of the skin. Although this is a smaller sample size, the noticed benefits are still worth considering, especially if one is looking for natural solutions to anti-aging.
Deep nourishment
If you suffer from dry or flaking skin (or even oily skin, which is often a symptom of dry skin that will reduce in oils if properly hydrated), aloe vera may help greatly.
While most store products only help at the surface layer of skin, maybe one layer beneath, the natural ability of aloe vera is able to penetrate up to three layers of skin. This helps to heal at a deep level, which is especially important for cystic acne (as it sits below the regular level that blackheads and whiteheads do).
Here are other surprising ways to clear up cystic acne - naturally.
Aloe Vera also promotes the creation of cells , enabling the skin can defend itself better and recompose itself in its tone and natural structure in less time. [source]
The easy way to infuse aloe vera into everyday
To maximize the benefits of aloe vera, it’s important to nourish the skin with each twice a day, at morning and night.
In the morning, aloe vera preps the skin for the day, such as zinc with sun-damage-fighting properties.
At night, aloe vera provides healing hydration from the day’s activities
For a natural cream that has aloe (instead of breaking off a plant that gets messy twice a day!) you’ll want to look at this vegan aloe-packed moisturizer.
P.S. For more benefits and for step-by-step directions on how to apply aloe vera gel, explore these additional benefits of applying aloe vera on the face.