Aloe vera : juice (internal use) vs. gel ??

[slz]

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[In2wishin]

I have run out of the aloe vera gel I use for my hair. Since I use quite a bit of it, I was browsing around the web to compare prices, and I found out aloe vera juice (to be taken internally) is significantly cheaper than aloe vera gel for cosmetic use. Which is a bit weird since usually it goes the other way around :confused:.
Could anybody enlighten me : is there any real difference ? Obviously, one is more liquid than the other, the gel contains more gelifiant, which means the fluid one is even richer in aloe vera. Maybe it's a bit less easy to use ? Not sure why it would but ...
Also it seems the edible stuff contains much less (if any) preservatives, and is sold in much larger quantities - is it a problem if I store it in the fridge ? How long can I use it in this case ? I'd suppose longer than if I'd drink it anyway. But I'm not sure I'd be able to use 1 liter in any timely fashion ...

Anyway : opinions and advice welcome from users ! Thanks a lot for the help.


ETA oops misspelled the title - if a mod can fix it, thank you :blush:


The juice is the purest form of aloe you can get unless you express it directly from the leaves yourself. The gel has carbomer added to keep it in gel form. What is it about the gel that you like? If it is the holding and smoothing power: that is the carbomer, not the aloe. If it is moisture, shine, and strength: that is the aloe.

[slz]

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[Ninika]

Aloe juice is great! I use it quite often, pure in a mister. I actually prefer it to gel, it is cheaper and gel sometimes makes my hair slightly crunchy. I store it in the fridge for months and months, that 500ml bottle lasts for ages. Whenever I need it, I fill a small amount in a mini-mister. After storing it for such a long time I probably wouldn't dare to drink it, but it shows no signs of going bad, it smells fine and it definitely works for my hair.

[In2wishin]

Yes I use it for moiture - on damp hair, I put on loads of AVG then coconut oil or my butter mix on top to seal it. I really love it, but i use a lot and figured out the drinkable stuff would be a bargain ... if I can use it at all.

Nobody here ever tried it on hair ? Really my main concern is the lack of preservatives since I wouldn'd use it as fast as if i drank it, and maybe the ease of use for liquid as opposed to gel texture, although I believe one just has to get used to it and that'll be fine.

I use it in place of some of the water when I make my shampoo and body lotion. I keep it in the fridge. I haven't tried it, but maybe you can freeze it in smaller portions .....

[slz]

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[cmg]

Thank you Ninika and In2wishin, that's exactly what I was hoping to read :D . Yep, my BF suggested I'd freeze some, I have no idea if it wouldn't alter it though .... probably not, I think I may try.
So anyway, juice (and not gel) it's going to for me from now on. Thanks again !
The juice only keeps for three months or so. An opened tube or jar with the gel keeps longer. Unless you use it all up of course :D

I have never seen a product without preservatives. Ascorbic acid for example. But it still has to be used up in time.

I'm wondering, how can you tell which products are made of dryed concentrates or the real gel stuff?

[slz]

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[Ninika]

The juice only keeps for three months or so. An opened tube or jar with the gel keeps longer. Unless you use it all up of course :D

I have never seen a product without preservatives. Ascorbic acid for example. But it still has to be used up in time.



If planning on using it internally, I totally agree about useing it up soon. But if it is just for hair and/or skin and there isn't anything yucky going on smell or consistency-wise AND the benefits are still there 100%, I really don't see why you should not use it longer :).

[oktobergoud]

Bumping into this thread!

Has anyone actually used pure Aloe Vera? As in, from your own plant?? I got a baby Aloe Vera plant (a friend had one left, I wanted to try it so I could try it for my skin and hair ;)) and it has grown bigger now, so I wanted to experiment with it. Has anyone tried that?

I also found Aloe Vera gel but it was reaaaally expensive (and I already have a big stash of hairproducts).

Also, can you just 'snap' a leaf and put the juice into a jar and keep it stored in the fridge for a while? (Let's say a week, or longer?)

I might try it to today.. will update with results :P

[cmg]

I have used the pure plant stuff a couple of times, but not in my hair. I had some big pot plants that I pinched "a leaf" from sometimes. I used it as a skin lotion when I had wounds. It works great for releaf when you get burned or a sun burn.

I dont think its a good idea storing the fresh juice in a fridge for more than one day.

[Ashenputtel]

I'm so gonna buy the juice next time. Thanks for the thread.

I was already disgusted by most of the additives in my gel and I already add water in my smt and my oil-water-humectant mix. And its cheaper too!

[cmg]

If you buy the juice, try to find some with benzoic acid as a preservative. It is very natural. The same stuff occurs naturally in lingon-berry (or cowberry). I suppose Ascorbic acid isnt too bad either, though a little more reactive to the hair.

[slz]

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[LaurelSpring]

I'd like to know how it goes. Could you post the site where you got it? I have wanted to use it as a shampoo when I saw using avg as shampoo posted in another thread. I was also wondering if the juice would make a better shampoo than the gel and it is encouraging to know that it is cheaper also.

[cmg]

AVG used as a shampoo? Hmm, it does contain saponines. I hadn't thought of this at all. I will have to try this. :)

[SwordWomanRiona]

I use pure aloe vera gel for my hair when in the shower as a routine (I apply it on my length and ends, wait a couple of minutes, rinse), but I've never heard of the juice format *takes note*.
I began using pure aloe vera gel after finding out it is used in the SMT, but I'm not sure about what the actual benefits are. General conditioning? Protecting ends against splitting?

[slz]

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[slz]

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[cmg]

I got the info about Aloe containing saponines from a pamflet someone put into my hands a few days ago. In other words not a 100% reliable source. But I dont think it is impossible, because it foams a little in my hair using the undiluted gel.

I also found this shampoo reciepe (with castile soap, whatever that is):
http://www.ehow.com/how_6124620_make-aloe-vera-shampoo.html

And here is a reference of aloe vera content of 84% in a prefabricated shampoo:
http://tinyurl.com/69ty257

No mentioning of the saponines though, nor in wikipedia. I'll have to look in my plant medicine books if I can get to them (they have been stashed away in moving boxes).

[cmg]

Some more non-scientific sources stating there are saponines in Aloe vera, probably quoting each other:
http://www.herballegacy.com/Baldwin_Chemical.html
http://aloeverabenefits.com/what-is-in-aloe-vera/

[SwordWomanRiona]

Moisturizing mainly - to me aloe vera is THE moisturizer - for skin as well as for hair, I lock it with oil, and I'm all set.

Thanks, slz! It keeps ends from drying, then...Not that my ends are dry, but I suppose my aloe vera routine will keep them from drying, then :)

[cmg]

I have noticed Aloe Vera used after wash or in sprays does not work so well in combination with protein conditioners or perhaps over-conditioned hair. It makes the hair more straw-like. Anyone else noticed this?

[LaurelSpring]

Very interesting information!! Thank you! I just ordered some so I am going to try some experimenting with it when it gets here. I may mix it with some baking soda or aritha and see what happens. I love a new project! :disco:

[Moor_tu_lyfe]

I read a brief comment about using aloe vera as a shampoo, and now can't find any info. I found some at the supermarket, and tried it- and loved it. But I bought the juice, and want to find a method of using it that isn't wasteful.

[Amber_Maiden]

Seems to last a considerable time for me. Get the juice in a glass jar- little to no preservatives. :)

[bloomingrose]

Thanks for the thread! I've had some of the juice in my fridge for about a week because I take it for acid reflux, and I've been wondering if I could use it on my hair. I'll have to try it now!

By the way, it does taste horrible. Bleck. :p

[cmg]

Just bought some aloe gel that was labelled foot gel. It had the exact same ingredients as the expensive gel in the bio shop. I could buy five of these for the same price. Anyone having experiences of cheap ones? I tried one before in treatments, seemed to work all right.

[ratgirldjh]

I've use food grade AVJ for hair washing many times. The way I do it is to put some in a spray bottle and spray my hair until damp concentrating on the scalp and then I comb it through with my tangle teezer.

I leave it on at least a few minutes and then rinse a lot and scrub my scalp with my fingertips. It does foam up a little bit so I do this til all the foam rinses out.

It works pretty good!

I've also used the drinkable gel and it works similarly. Both of the ones I have have citric acid in them.

I am going to also try mixing some juice in bentonite to mimic the Terresentials clay shampoo... but I haven't tried it yet... the aloe juice or gel works well enough on it's own.

also... I've even used Fruit of the Earth aloe gel highly diluted and this worked good too. But I worried about it building up and it was harder to rinse out.

[SwordWomanRiona]

I found aloe vera juice in a herbal sop nearby, and I've started using it! I keep it in the fridge, and use a mister to wet my ends and a bit of my length. So far, it's working great! And fortunately, because I've found out that the aloe vera gel that they have in the same herbal shop has alcohol in it!! *disgust*. No way I'm letting alcohol near my ends when I have a juice-format alternative!

And it does smell horrid :D! Even if I have chronic gastroesophagic reflux, I'm not going to drink that! :p

[Littlewing13]

Wow I'm so glad this thread is up. I saw aloe juice in my supermarket recently & thought why not? its so much cheaper & without the alcohol. Next time I shop I'm getting some.

I have an aloe plant in my yard but this summer wasn't that sunny so it didn't grow much. I'll use that a bit but I will obviously run out/kill the plant if I use it too often.

I used the gel from one leaf in an SMT modified with coconut milk instead of conditioner. My hair loved it! Also added some afterwards as a leave in. It was sticky till it dried but moisturised well, only left a slightly crunchy residue. Was also great on my skin, which was super dry at the time.

I love the idea of the spray bottle! Maybe I can mix AVJ with some rosewater.