At first glance, an Aloe Vera plant is peculiar looking, and frankly not that pretty when it comes to plants. But after consideration of all its medicinal benefits, the looks of the aloe plant become secondary. The aloe plant is actually a relative of different types of cacti which I'm sure you can notice just by looking at the leaves. This odd looking plant has a lot of really useful and beneficial uses. After learning all about this plant you'll wonder why you haven't been using it all along.
Without getting too much of a boring chemistry lesson, the reason why aloe works so well for our skin is the organic chemical compounds which exist within the plant. The most important of these compounds is the natural sugars (technical term: mucoploysaccharides) that make up the gel inside the spiky leaves. The gel quickly hardens when exposed to the air, so when it is placed on the skin it creates a bandage of sorts. Along with the sugars (also called MPS's) the Aloe Vera gel is chock full of other healing elements from nature like vitamins E and C, organic chemicals that work as a pain killer, and enzymes that work as an anti-inflammatory. The Aloe Vera plant is truly is an amazing piece of nature.
The benefits of the Aloe Vera plant have been widely known for thousands of years when ancient Greeks discovered the benefits while treating wounds and healing infections. Today there are many cosmetic products readily available which boast aloe as a main ingredient and most people have heard about the healing powers of Aloe Vera, especially to help soothe sunburns. This strange looking plant from the desert has a ton of uses and can be quite beneficial to a daily skin care regiment and healthy life style.
To give just a sampling of all the things aloe can do, here is a list of the top five uses:
Eczema sufferers can use aloe to soothe and heal the skin.
Eczema is a common skin condition characterized by extremely dry and flaky skin. Sometimes the skin can become so irritated that severe breakouts occur. A topical application of aloe gel or aloe lotion can soothe the irritation and the medicinal aspect of aloe will promote healing of the affected skin.
Use aloe as a wrinkle cream.
In the quest to find the fountain of youth, people spend a lot of money on expensive cosmetics which claim major wrinkle reduction. Instead, try applying Aloe Vera gel to wrinkles. Aloe actually stimulates the growth of new collagen and elastin in the skin which helps the appearance of younger looking skin.
An effective acne treatment.
Forget harsh acne topical treatments. Because of its antibacterial benefits, aloe is an effective facial cleanser and astringent. There are specially formulated acne soaps and gels made with aloe. The healing benefits of aloe help get rid of existing blemishes while the cleanser properties prevent new breakouts. Also, using aloe lotion on acne-prone skin will allow nourishment without an oily residue.
Use as an all-purpose moisturizer.
Again, because of its known healing properties, aloe is a popular ingredient in over the counter lotions and moisturizers. It is perfect as an all-purpose moisturizer because it is inexpensive, hypo-allergenic, natural, and has added benefits such as the anti-inflammatory and analgesic aspects.
Reduce the potential of burn scarring.
Most people are aware that applying aloe gel on a sunburn helps soothe painful skin, but they are unaware that by applying aloe on a burn from a hot stove (or curling iron, etc), it will actually minimize scarring on the skin. Keeping a burn consistently covered with a thin layer of pure aloe gel has been shown to heal a burn faster and reduce the appearance of a permanent scar. As stated above, the aloe gel (directly from the plant's leaves) works like a bandaid and medicine all in one to help the skin heal itself.
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