La plante aux vertus médicinales : Qu’est-ce que l’aloe vera ?

Aloe vera is a plant in the Liliaceae or Aloeaceae family, belonging to the Aloe genus. The plant is 60 cm to 1 m tall, with green, fleshy leaves edged with spines. Its yellow or orange flowers are trumpet-shaped. Aloe vera plants take around 3 years to reach harvestable size, and remain productive for 3 to 4 years after maturity. They can produce around fifty leaves during their lifetime. 

The leaf has a peculiarity: when cut, two liquids flow out: a yellow-colored juice from the leaf wall and a white mucilaginous gel from the leaf interior. The juice, also known as latex or sap, is considered to be the plant's active principle, acting as a powerful stimulant laxative.

As for the gel, its mucilaginous, water-rich composition gives it exceptional moisturizing properties. 

Aloe plants have been known for thousands of years for their many health benefits, particularly for hair and skin. These plants are known for their moisturizing, repairing and strengthening properties. Used in cosmetics in hair care products such as shampoos, aloe vera is ideal for dry, damaged, dehydrated and dull hair.

Origin of aloe vera

Originally from South Africa, aloe vera is grown all over the world, particularly in warmer regions: in India, Asia, the Caribbean, Spain, Mexico and the southern United States.

Traditional applications 

In Egypt, the oldest medical document, known as the Ebers Papyrus, lists aloe as a medicinal plant. This plant was used in various formulas recommended for headaches, chest pains, burns, ulcers and skin diseases. From ancient Mesopotamia (1750 B.C.) to early Christian Greece and the Egypt of the Pharaohs, the virtues of aloe gel to treat skin infections were well known. For over 5,000 years, all great civilizations have used aloe vera for therapeutic and cosmetic purposes. Traditionally, the leaves were peeled and the pulp applied directly to the skin. The gel was said to have a healing effect. Today, aloe vera is credited with a variety of properties, including stimulating collagen production, treating burns, healing and combating skin ageing. Women use it in beauty masks, rejuvenating creams, shampoos and hair lotions.

What are the benefits of aloe vera?

Well-known for its many health benefits, particularly its effect on hair and skin. There is a great deal of research into this fabulous ingredient, which is bursting with water and vitamins. Researchers have demonstrated the effectiveness of this plant's therapeutic properties in the treatment of certain gastrointestinal disorders and skin diseases.

Aloe vera is multi-purpose thanks to its many activities: 

-Repairing: Aloe vera is best known for its healing and repairing properties. The aloesin present in aloe vera promotes healing: it reduces healing time, facilitates tissue regeneration and granulation, and increases collagen production. Aloe vera therefore promotes tissue repair and has regenerative properties when applied topically in cream form.

-Antioxidant: Aloe vera is also rich in phenolic compounds (phenolic acids, flavonoids, tannins), which are very powerful antioxidant compounds. These compounds are capable of directly neutralizing free radicals, thus combating the oxidative stress responsible for cell damage and skin aging mechanisms.

-Purifying: Aloe vera has antiseptic properties. It is able to inhibit the proliferation of multiple micro-organisms: Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria (including Staphylococcus aureus, Proteus vulgaris, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli...), yeasts and fungi. As a result, it is able to limit the proliferation of pathogenic bacteria present on the skin.

-Moisturizing: Aloe vera's high content of sugars, proteins and amino acids makes it highly moisturizing. These are hygroscopic molecules that capture surrounding water particles and bind them to the skin's surface. 

-Soothing: Thanks to the lipids and minerals it contains, Aloe vera has an anti-inflammatory and protective action. It immediately soothes the irritation and itching of dry, sensitive skin, and helps protect the skin from external aggressors.

-Brightening : It acts by inhibiting the enzymatic activity of tyrosinase, thereby reducing melanin production. Tyrosinase is the key enzyme in melanin production. Aloe vera therefore reduces skin pigmentation and evens out skin tone.

DID YOU KNOW?

Aloe vera has amazing survival capabilities: when cut, the plant heals itself. It rapidly releases a substance which, within minutes, transforms into a new skin, rapidly healing the wound. What's more, an aloe that has been dug up and left in the heat will resist for several months, keeping its vital faculties intact and ready to green up once replanted and watered!

How do I care for my aloe vera? 

Indoors, aloe vera is grown in pots. It's a perennial that's ideally suited to indoor cultivation. We recommend that you install your plant in your house or apartment, where the temperature is ideal (between 18°C and 21°C). From May to September, you can take the plant outside on your balcony or in your garden, but remember to bring it indoors in the evening when the nights cool off or in winter. We recommend placing it near a window that lets in light, but avoid direct sunlight. As for watering, the plant should be watered carefully and sparingly. Watering too frequently could cause the plant to rot. The amount of water will depend on the location of your plant, the volume of the pot and the size of the aloe vera. So it's important to touch the soil regularly to know when to water.

The different forms of aloe vera

Aloe vera can be found in cosmetic products such as shampoos, hair masks and face creams in many forms, including :

- The gel

This is the pulp of the crushed leaves, rich in polysaccharides, vitamins and minerals, but it may contain aloin, a laxative substance present in the plant, which is removed during the processing to obtain the juice.

- Native juice 

This is the most beneficial way to obtain aloe vera, as it contains no aloin but retains the rest of its components. Cold extraction preserves the gel's essential nutrients. To ensure the quality of the juice, the plant must be grown in mixed culture, preferably organically, and harvested and extracted by hand.

- The powder

After being ground and filtered as for native aloe vera juice, the harvested pulp is dehydrated by freeze-drying to obtain a powder. This powder is 200 times more concentrated than a gel and, above all, can be stored perfectly to retain all its qualities without the need for preservatives.

Aloe vera: a medicinal plant with a thousand health benefits

Aloe vera leaves contain a nutrient-rich gel. This gel is 98% water, with the remaining 2% made up of over 200 constituents.

Here's what they look like: 

-Oligo- and polysaccharides: arabinose, fiber, fructose, galactose, glucose, mannose, rhamnose...

-Phenolic compounds: phenolic acids (benzoic, salicylic, sinapic), anthraquinones (aloine, barbaloine, isobarbaloine, anthranol, emodine...), flavonoids (catechin, epicatechin, quercetin, rutin...), tannins...

-Vitamins: B1, B2, B3, B6, C... 

-Amino acids and proteins: glutamic acid, alanine, arginine, cysteine, glycine, histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, phenylalanine, proline, serine, valine... 

-Minerals: aluminum, calcium, magnesium, manganese, potassium, sodium... 

-Enzymes: alinase, amylase, protease, lipase, glucose oxidase, catalase, etc.

How to use aloe vera

• - By mouth

Aloe vera can be used internally, as it is highly beneficial to the body, particularly the digestive system. It eliminates toxins in the intestines and relieves heartburn in the stomach and intestines. Pure and in juice or gel form, as well as in capsule form, it can be used as a preventive or active cure. A good aloe vera gel should contain juice of around 100% purity, of course ORGANIC, and possibly vegetable thickeners and natural preservatives. After opening, store in a refrigerator.

• - For cutaneous application

Used externally, aloe vera is effective against burns, wounds and sunburn, as well as various skin diseases (eczema, psoriasis, acne), and is regenerative and protective. This fantastic cosmetic ingredient can also be found in many hygiene and beauty product formulas. It is used as a skin, scalp and hair moisturizer.  

• - Contraindications

Aloe vera gel has no known contraindications. Beware of latex, however, as it may present contraindications and side effects. It can cause abdominal cramps and pain, as well as diarrhea. Internal use of aloe vera is therefore contraindicated for pregnant or breast-feeding women, frail persons and children under 6. Medical advice is strongly recommended. 

If you are allergic to any of its components, we recommend that you do not consume it. It is also important to follow the recommended daily dosage. Keep the product tightly closed in a cool place, out of the reach of children. 

 

Discover our natural and vegan products with aloe vera

The aloe vera used in our natural cosmetics is 100% organic and sustainably sourced. It is present in two of our products:

- in powder form in Nutritive Argan powder shampoo. It has the ability to retain water within the hair fiber. Aloe vera also has color-protecting properties. Ideal for dry, curly or color-treated hair, aloe vera combines with organic argan oil, pea proteins and a prebiotic to nourish and moisturize hair and soothe scalps. The great originality of Nutritive Argan shampoo powder is that it contains no water or preservatives, thanks to its powder texture. This product foams instantly under shower water. Presented in an aluminum bottle, infinitely recyclable, with no secondary packaging. Its 40g capacity is equivalent to a 250ml shampoo, minus the water, preservatives and additives!

- in native juice form in the Ideal Aloe Argan hair mask. Water-free and preservative-free, the hair mask is enriched with over 70% pure organic aloe vera juice. Aloe vera adapts to the nature of the hair, moisturizing and repairing the lengths and scalp in depth. Presented in an aluminum jar, it holds 220g. Several uses are possible:

- Use as a mask for 5 minutes or more.

On damp hair: Apply to washed, towel-dried hair, leave on and rinse well. Can be applied before shampooing for dry, fine hair or after shampooing.

- Another possible use is as a detangling treatment after shampoo, to be rinsed off immediately. 

- As a moisturizing mask for the scalp. 

For dry scalps lacking in moisture, our Ideal Aloe Argan treatment, which contains over 70% native aloe vera juice, will care for your scalp in a single step. Apply to wet or damp hair. Don't hesitate to massage for a stimulating effect. The treatment contains antioxidant Argan oil and hibiscus flower acids to nourish and strengthen the scalp.

- As a rehydrating treatment for curly or frizzy hair or ends.

Apply to very dry or curly ends without rinsing, to make styling easier. Take a small dab of product and mix with water or aloe vera gel on your lengths, blending strand by strand to rehydrate your curls or ends. Ideal for reshaping curls.