Fresh Aloe for Oily and Acne prone skin

Before discovering Lime Juice treatment for acne and bacne, I have tried many methods, including using fresh Aloe on my skin. It actually worked really well for me and I would recommend this as another highly effective treatment.

If you never heard of Aloe or Aloe Vera, this article on Wikipedia sums it up nicely:

In a nutshell, the use of Aloe Vera is first recorded in ancient Egyptian history. The plant is believed to be an effective treatment for different skin conditions, such as osteoarthritis, burns, sunburns, and psoriasis. Although it is said that there is no scientific research to back up the use of Aloe in treating wounds, it is seen as a very popular home remedy.

When I use fresh aloe vera gel on my skin, I did notice that it can work as a great moisturizer. The plant is 90% water, so it keeps your skin hydrated. You can test it out yourself. I noticed that if a piece of aloe is peeled, and then the clear gel piece is left unrefrigerated for a couple days, it will shrink noticeably to a tiny, dry piece. This is because it's mostly made of water, and when the water content evaporates, there is nothing left!

The natural soothing gel didn't cause me any allergic or unwanted reaction. I used it on both breakouts and bug bites, and found that it calms the spot nicely. 

Granted, I usually buy the aloe fresh and keep it in the refrigerator. So it might be the cold temperature that sooth my acne or bug bites, much like ice cubes. But overall, I still recommend it, at least to use as a natural moisturizer.

Another nice thing I noticed is that with bug bites, if I left them untreated, they will leave a scar on me. When using Aloe Vera, they just go away completely! I don't know if the Aloe gel prevents itching and scratching, or it really prevents scarring. In the end, what matters is that I have no scars!

This is how I used Aloe vera gel.

Take a stem and cut out a small piece of it.

Use a small knife, just slice and peel of the green skin. You will have a piece of clear gel.

Rub this gel on your skin, wherever you needed the treatment. When rubbing, try to press your nails into the gel to help extract the juice easier.

The gel feels very slimmy/sticky at first. Don't worry though because once it dries up, your skin will feel smooth and not sticky at all. Remember 90% of its content is water!

You will also see that it releases quite a lot of juices. I usually cut out a piece of about 1x2 inches in size, and that is enough juice for my entire face and back.

The only reason I stopped using fresh aloe vera is because in the winter, it is hard to find fresh ones where I live.

A good alternative is to buy bottled Aloe vera gel. I still think fresh aloe vera is the best, but if you can't find it, a store bought one will still do the work nicely and perhaps more conveniently.

So have you tried using Aloe vera before? And how did you find the result?