I am super excited to write this post because honey* let me tell ya, aloe vera juice has been giving my hair life lately. Allow me to speak freely with ya’ll, I was in a rut, a bad one, my hair was dry, lifeless, just an over all bleh. I go through these dry spells sometimes, and its often because I stray from what I know works for my hair and do other things that are just all wrong.
Have you ever had that old faithful Holy Grail thing that always works wonders for your hair and for some odd reason you forget about it and move on to something else? That is how I am from time to time. Now I do realize that it is human nature to always want to try something new, we get bored and do out of the ordinary things in the name of trying the next big thing.
The thing about hair is, it doesn’t ‘think’ like we do, it responds to great products in the same manner even if we use those same products over and over again. Aloe vera juice* and aloe vera gel* can be considered holy grail status for any regimen regardless of curl type or if your hair is relaxed or natural, because both are chalk full of some amazing things.
This post is really about the differences between the two but it is really hard to explain those differences without running into some reasons why they are very beneficial for your hair. As always when dealing with something natural we have to start with its origin, and the aloe vera juice and gel come from a plant, the plant is a member of the lily and onion family.
That is actually a great thing, did you check out our Onion juice post yet? If not check it out here. Ok back to the matter at hand, the plant is a native of northern Africa the leaves which aren’t typical leaves are very thick and fleshy and look similar to cactus.
There is a bit of confusion between aloe vera juice and aloe vera gel* and at this point it is probably best that we explain the two. The gel refers to that substance found in the fleshy portion of the leaf, it literally looks like a gel, its gooey and sticky and takes a bit of getting used to if you ever attempted to taste it in that raw state.
The juice is also found in the leaf, but instead of that inner fleshy portion the juice is just under the skin of the leaf and it is very bitter. Many believe that raw aloe vera is the most beneficial, and if you are from the Caribbean you will hear stories of mommys cutting a piece of the aloe plant extracting the gel and using it on Saturday morning on their little daughters in the name of deep conditioning*. Those mommys shall remain nameless.
Aloe vera gel is pretty pliable, so other than hair it is used for burns, scrapes and skin irritations including eczema and psoriasis. Aloe vera juice* is often taken as a drink and is believed to be great for many stomach issues including ulcers. It is also a minor diuretic and a great detox and both can be used on your hair to keep your strands healthy.
leaf.
I use the real deal every week. The leaf….hands up!
Aloe Vera gel every day.
I use the leaf it’s very good to drink…
Gel
both
The gel similar to the one in this picture. I can’t deal with the smell of the plant.
Aloe vera gel.
Both!!! LOVE it!
Juice…..I like my stuff COMPLETLY natural!!!
Juice
I use both. The liquid when I do the LOC method and the gel from my plant on my skin and sometimes my hair. My plant isn’t that big so I can’t use it that much, yet.
The Juice!!! Mix with water and use as a morning toner after cleansing my face . It’s refreshing!!!!!
I just posted that! It really works well.
I use the gel as a styler because stuff like eco styler is too heavy for my hair. I mix aloe juice, water and glycerin together to use as a spray to wet my hair.
The gel is more potent. What’s the point of using something if you’re not gonna get the full benefits? What’s inside the plant is GEL. They extracted a lot of things from it in order to make it into juice
Just the opposite. They ADD a lot in commercial gel. Unless you are using the one that needs to be refrigerated (which is more of a pulp than a gel), it has a bunch of unnatural additives. There is also way more juice than gel in the plant. I make my own aloe gel. I blend and strain the inside of the plant. It turns completely liquid. That mucilage is not what gives it its properties, it it just as nourishing and humectant for your hair with it broken down. But I do “re-gel” it with a mucilage gel made from slippery elm, marshmallow root, and fenugreek boil. I have to keep it refrigerated. Best nourishing, humectant gel i have ever had. My hair is so silky, moisturized, and the length retention/lack of shedding is amazing.
http://www.georgesaloe.com
This is the best………
Aloe Vera juice for me! I also mix 50/50(water) to go on my face after I wash it to add moisture! My skins hasn’t looked this good in years!
I prefer gel in my hair. Light weight products never work out for me
Mix with rose water to make an awesome toner.
I prefer Lily of the desert Aloe vera gel 🙂
Where do I get the Juice from
Cvs has it
Oh ok thank you
is it good to use it raw in natural hair?
I absolutely love that aloe vera gel. I’ve been using it to moisturize my face for several years now and also to slick down my hair when I still had a relaxer.
We love the juice to refresh and detangle at our house!