Aloe Vera Powder

Aloe vera powder is the dried and milled leaf of Aloe barbadensis, the same succulent people keep in a pot by the back door. It stirs straight into water or a smoothie, and it rehydrates into a soft gel for homemade skin care, which is far easier to work with than a fresh leaf. Key Benefits Mixes into drinks: a quarter to half a teaspoon in a glass of water or juice. The flavour is faintly green and bitter, and disappears completely in a fruit smoothie. Rehydrates into a gel: add warm water and it swells in a few minutes, ready to use as the aloe base in a mask, cream, bath soak or after-sun. Keeps where a cut leaf does not: a fresh leaf turns slimy within days once opened. The powder sits in an airtight jar for months. Small amounts go a long way: a quarter teaspoon reconstitutes to roughly a tablespoon or two of gel, so a bag lasts. One ingredient, nothing added: milled aloe leaf and nothing else, so you control what goes in the jar with it. Certified organic: grown and processed to certified organic standards. How to Use For drinking, start at a quarter teaspoon stirred into a glass of water or juice and work up to no more than half a teaspoon a day. It never fully dissolves, so stir it well or use a shaker, and take it with food if your stomach is on the sensitive side. For skin care, mix one teaspoon of powder into two or three teaspoons of warm water and leave it a few minutes to swell into a gel. Use that as your aloe base. It sits well with Calendula in a soothing mask, Rose Hip in a facial oil or steam, and a spoonful of Slippery Elm Powder will thicken a runny mask nicely. Good to Know Aloe is a succulent, not a cactus. Botanically it sits closer to asparagus and onions than to anything in the cactus family. The yellow sap just under the leaf skin is the harsh part, and it is what gives aloe its reputation for sending people running. Good quality powder comes from the clear inner leaf with that fraction washed away. If you read cosmetic labels you have met this already. It turns up in shop bought lotions and gels as "Aloe barbadensis leaf juice powder", usually near the top of the list. Taken internally, aloe can loosen the bowels, so keep to small amounts and stop if it upsets your stomach. Not for use in pregnancy or breastfeeding, and patch test on your inner arm before putting it on your face. This information is not a substitute for medical advice. Consult a healthcare provider before use, especially if pregnant, breastfeeding, or taking medication.