The common medicinal plant, aloe vera, has a function that sets it apart- to treat skin issues. The versatile product will help your skin rejuvenate and restore moisture. Furthermore, the benefit of aloe vera to face makes it a sought-after ingredient for natural and product use.
If you’ve been into aloe vera for a while, you know what I am talking about. And if you haven’t been into the ingredient but want to get more information, you are in the right place to get the facts and benefits of aloe vera to the face.
You’ll get to know all about the plant and what it does for your skin.
What Is Aloe Vera?
Aloe vera is a water-based plant mostly grown on the drylands in Northern Africa, neighboring islands like Cape Verde and the Canary Islands, and parts of Southern Europe. However, the plant can be homegrown.
It has a gel-like substance in the leaves, which is over 90% water to hydrate and moisturize. This makes it a humectant that provides moisture to the skin. Additionally, aloe vera is rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties. This makes it a highly nourishing and medicinal ingredient.
Whether as a base ingredient or natural plant extract, aloe vera works in several ways to give your skin the nourishment and rejuvenation it needs. Your face is one of such that actively benefits from aloe vera.
What Are the Benefits of Aloe Vera on the Face?
1. Hydrating Properties
Aloe vera contains more than 90% water in its gel. As a result, it is moisturizing to the skin. It contains hydrating properties to keep your face supple, especially if it’s dry or scaly. The natural plant is a humectant that draws moisture from its surroundings to keep your skin in a soft-textured state.
Similarly, it keeps your skin relaxed and soothed, maintaining your vibrant look.
2. Anti-inflammatory Properties
For easily irritated skin types, aloe vera helps to soothe the skin, reducing skin inflammation and flare-ups. The properties will help to calm your skin from reactions and side effects. Therefore, your face stays free of irritation and other side effects of other potent ingredients or products.
3. Antibacterial Properties
Aloe vera is also rich in antibacterial properties that clean the pores and refreshes them. Consequently, the properties treat bacterial and fungal infections on the face.
It is also key in treating infections and skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, and ringworm infections.
SEE: Aloe Vera for Eczema: Benefits and Best Treatable Conditions
3. Helps With Acne
The antibacterial and moisturizing properties of aloe vera make it an ingredient suitable for treating acne. Aloe vera gel prevents cysts from forming by removing acne-causing bacteria in skin pores. Then it moisturizes the pores, keeping them refreshed.
This, in turn, reduces acne breakouts on the face. Accordingly, natural and aloe vera-based product benefits acne-prone face.
4. Reduces Sun Damage
The antioxidants in aloe vera help to reduce the effect of the sun on the skin. When exposed to ultraviolet rays, the skin cells begin to break down. This causes the rapid appearance of dry skin, wrinkles, age spots, fine lines, and other blemishes.
However, by applying aloe vera to your face, you can repair and prevent further damage to the skin by the sun.
SEE: Bursting the Myth – Is Sunscreen Good For Dark Skin Tones?
5. Treats Burns
While burns from irritation, sunburns, product burns, and skin burns are uncomfortable, aloe vera gel treats the burns by soothing your skin with its moisturizing properties. If you experience these burns often, you can treat them by using aloe vera.
6. Speed Collagen Production
Another benefit of aloe vera on the face is improving collagen production in the skin. The hydration aloe vera provides enhances faster regeneration and production of collagen, which builds the skin’s firmness and tightness.
7. Reduces Signs of Aging
Due to its collagen-enhancing properties, aloe vera minimizes the appearance of aging signs such as wrinkles, fine lines, age spots, and other blemishes. Whether natural or as a product base, aloe vera works to rejuvenate your skin and stimulate a youthful glow.
8. Heals Wounds and Cuts
Aloe vera also uses its hydrating properties to enhance faster wound healing on the skin. The gel also helps to minimize scarring from cuts and bruises, thereby making it the perfect after-treatment or soothing relief to cuts and wounds.
9. Cleanses Your Face
Another benefit of aloe vera on the face is that it cleanses the face of bacteria. Having identified the ingredient as bacteria-fighting, it removes the bacteria from the skin pores, leaving only clear and clean skin behind.
SEE: How to Shrink Pores on Face [11 Skincare Secrets]
How to Apply Aloe Vera on Face
If you want to apply aloe vera gel on your face, it depends on what you are using it for. The method of application. For aloe vera products, apply as prescribed or how you would the product. Meanwhile, when it comes to natural aloe vera gel, follow the simple ways:
For cleansing
- Wash your face with soap and water
- Apply aloe vera gel to face
- Massage the gel thoroughly
- Then rinse with water
For acne treatment
- Wash and cleanse your face
- Apply toner if necessary
- Apply a sizeable amount of aloe vera gel on your face
- Dab lightly on your problem areas
- Leave aloe vera on your face
- Apply the aloe vera gel on your face twice a day
Note: You can also mix aloe vera with lemon juice to enhance the efficacy of the gel on your skin. However, wash the mixture off after 15 minutes.
For burns
For sunburns and other skin burns, do the following:
- Gently cleanse your skin to remove dirt or residue
- Then apply aloe vera gel on the tender part of your skin
- Leave the gel on your skin for about 15 minutes, then rinse off
- Continue to apply on affected area two to three times until the inflammation wears off
Note: For wound burns, you can apply the aloe vera gel before wrapping up the wound in a bandage.
As a moisturizer
You can use aloe vera gel as a moisturizer by simply mixing it with honey and applying it to your face. Then rinse off after 15 minutes. You can also leave it in overnight for optimum moisturizing effects. But this is not safe for dry, sensitive skins.
Similarly, you can enhance your face moisturizer with aloe vera. This helps to improve the moisturizing effects of the moisturizer. Furthermore, it boosts the silky smooth texture of the cream.
However, this could lead to your product going bad early. Therefore, mix a quantity you can use for a few days.
In addition, you do not need to mix your aloe vera with products with ingredients not suitable for it. While aloe vera works with most ingredients, it does not go well with all. Therefore, check your ingredient list before adding aloe vera to your moisturizer.
Can Aloe Vera Work on Face Overnight?
Yes, it can. Aloe vera can work on your face overnight in treating some – not all – issues and concerns.
For instance, if you need a hydrating boost, applying aloe vera to your face will provide the extra hydration needed. Furthermore, if you want to soothe or calm your skin of irritation and inflammation, aloe vera will help in calming your skin.
However, aloe vera cannot provide overnight acne treatment (it takes several applications), eczema, psoriasis, burns, or even scarring. You have to apply your gel or product several times to get the result you want. What it can do is soothe your skin then gradually reduce these blemishes.
SEE: Is Aloe Vera Good for Your Skin? See What It Works for Here
Side Effects of Aloe Vera on Face
Aloe vera rarely causes any side effects on the face because it is a medicinal plant. However, you can experience side effects like irritation or itching if using the natural gel for the first time. In addition, a burning sensation is natural on dry and sensitive skin too.
Although rare, allergies to aloe vera will prevent you from using the water-based plant on your face. It’s best to patch-test the gel on an inconspicuous part of your body (such as the underarm) before applying it to your face.
Nonetheless, aloe vera is considered a fairly safe ingredient to use.
FAQs
Can you leave aloe vera on your face?
Yes, you can. However, you shouldn’t do it if you have dry skin. Aloe vera is a humectant. And if it does not get moisture from its surrounding, it zaps the skin’s moisture instead. Therefore, it becomes counteractive in hydrating the skin.
As a result, rinse off aloe vera from your face at most 15 minutes after applying it.
Does aloe vera really exfoliate the face?
Yes, it does. Aloe vera contains antibacterial properties and proteolytic enzymes that remove dirt and eliminates dead skin cells. It also cleanses the pores. Therefore, it exfoliates the skin and leaves it fresher and clearer.
Will aloe vera react on your face?
Only if you are allergic to it, although aloe vera could cause mild itching and irritation in dry, sensitive skin.
In addition, you can experience mild reactions if you are using natural aloe vera on your face for the first time. Nonetheless, aloe vera is fairly safe to use.
Conclusion
The benefit of aloe vera on the face spans just moisturizing the face. Furthermore, it’s known to help improve acne breakouts. But you can use aloe vera for much more when it comes to improving your skincare.
Moreover, it’s a fairly safe product that helps in improving collagen production, reducing the effects of burns on the skin, and enhancing wound healing.
You can use this product for just about anything. However, patch test before using on your face. This helps to avoid skin reactions such as irritations, burning sensations, and itching. And when used properly, you will get the best from using aloe vera on your skin.
Thanks for reading.
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