Aloe Vera Powder for Hair and Skin

For Hair and Scalp

Worked through wet hair and rinsed out, it leaves the hair with slip: strands slide past each other more easily, so a comb moves through with less snagging and there is less pulling while you detangle. Hair tends to feel softer and easier to manage once it has dried, and the scalp usually feels comfortable rather than tight. These are cosmetic effects you notice on the day; nothing here builds up from using it more often.

For Skin

As a rinse-off mask it leaves skin feeling comfortable and looking fresher, without the weight of an oil. It is a plain base for anyone who prefers to mix their own and know exactly what is in it. Follow with your usual moisturiser, particularly if your skin is dry or mature.

Blends With

In a hair mask: 2 tablespoons of Amla, Bhringraj or Brahmi with 1 tablespoon of Aloe Vera Powder. In a wash: 1 tablespoon each of Aloe Vera Powder and Shikakai or Aritha. In a henna paste: 2 tablespoons per 100 g of henna. For the face: 1 teaspoon each of Aloe Vera Powder and Multani Mitti, Neem or Orange Peel. In every blend the other powder keeps its own job and its own timing, and where the two disagree, the shorter contact time wins.

For Hair and Scalp

1. Whisk about 2 tablespoons of powder into about 120 ml of comfortably warm water in a non-metallic bowl, adding the water gradually, until it reaches a runny-yoghurt consistency. Use about 1 tablespoon with 60 ml for short hair, and about 3 tablespoons with 180 ml for long or thick hair.
2. Leave it about 10 minutes so the powder hydrates and thickens. Whisk in a small splash of warm water if it has become too thick.
3. Wet the hair thoroughly.
4. Apply to the scalp if you want it there, then smooth the rest through the mid-lengths and ends.
5. Leave on 10 to 20 minutes, preferably covered so it does not dry hard.
6. Rinse thoroughly with warm water until the slippery feeling and any visible residue are gone.
7. Use your normal conditioner afterwards if the lengths need it.

For Face and Skin

1. Stir 1 teaspoon of powder into 2 to 3 teaspoons of comfortably warm water, adding the water gradually, and mix until smooth.
2. Leave it about 5 minutes to thicken to a spreadable paste.
3. Apply a thin, even layer to clean skin, avoiding the eyes, the immediate eye area and the lips.
4. Leave on 5 to 10 minutes, and rinse sooner if it begins to feel tight or uncomfortable.
5. Soften the mask with lukewarm water or a damp cloth before removing it, rather than scrubbing it off dry.
6. Rinse thoroughly, pat dry and moisturise as usual.

Blends

• Hair mask with Amla, Bhringraj or Brahmi: 2 tablespoons of the other powder with 1 tablespoon of Aloe Vera Powder, warm water added gradually to a runny-yoghurt paste, rested 10 minutes, applied to wet hair and scalp, left 20 minutes, rinsed thoroughly.
• Wash with Shikakai or Aritha: 1 tablespoon of each for medium-length hair, warm water added gradually to a thin, pourable wash, hydrated 10 to 15 minutes, applied to wet hair starting at the roots, massaged gently for 60 to 90 seconds, left 3 to 5 minutes, rinsed very thoroughly and kept away from the eyes. For dry, porous or curly hair, dilute further and reduce the cleansing powder rather than leaving it on longer.
• In henna: 2 tablespoons per 100 g of henna, or 1 tablespoon if grey coverage is the priority, whisked into the dry henna before any liquid. Henna's own mixing, resting and timing are unchanged.
• Face mask with Multani Mitti, Neem or Orange Peel: 1 teaspoon of each with 3 to 4 teaspoons of warm water in a non-metallic bowl, rested 5 minutes, a thin layer, left 5 to 10 minutes (10 minutes with Orange Peel), rinsed before it dries hard.

How Often

• Hair: about once a week if the lengths feel dry, otherwise every one to two weeks. Fine or easily weighed-down hair may prefer less often.
• Face and body: about once a week, and every two to three weeks if your skin is easily irritated.
• Reduce how often you use it if the routine repeatedly leaves hair coated or stiff, or skin tight or irritated.
• Mix it fresh each time. There is no preservative in it, so do not keep the paste.

Full methods: for hair and for skin.

Aloe Barbadensis Lf. Powder - 100%

Patch Test First

Patch test 24 to 48 hours before first use, with the mixture you intend to use. Mix a small amount exactly as the directions say, apply it to a small area of skin such as the inside of your elbow, and leave it. Do not use the product if the test brings on burning, persistent itching, swelling or significant irritation. If your recipe contains other powders, test that finished mixture: tolerating plain Aloe Vera Powder does not prove you tolerate everything added to it.

Using It Safely

For external cosmetic use only. Do not ingest. Avoid the eyes and the immediate eye area, and rinse thoroughly with clean water if any gets in. Do not apply to broken, damaged or significantly irritated skin or scalp. Discontinue use if irritation or discomfort occurs. Anything you add to the mixture brings its own sensitivity risks. Keep out of reach of children.

Storing It

Store in a cool, dry place with the pack closed properly and protected from moisture, which is what spoils a powder, and use a clean, dry spoon. The dry powder keeps for 2 years from the date of packaging. Mix only what you need and discard what is left over: there is no preservative in it, and refrigeration does not change that. Natural variation in colour, aroma and texture between batches is normal, and individual cosmetic results vary.