Aloe Vera Gel

Now Solutions has a great, soothing aloe vera gel - awesome, natural choice for sunburns!

Aloe Vera has long been a plant remedy for various ailments, skin problems, burn wounds and internal bodily imbalances. Since ancient times, the gel of the aloe vera plant has been cultivated and used medicinally, and has continued to be a dominant ingredient in alternative medicine and in the natural cosmetics industry. All one has to do is check the ingredients of all “natural” cosmetics, and aloe vera is an ingredient in at least a third of them!

My main gripe with most so-called “pure” aloe vera bottles sold commercially, such as are found at our local drug stores, is that the aloe vera tends to be bombarded with unwanted, carcinogenic chemical additives. Those common additives include the chemicals triethanolamine, tetrasodium EDTA (made from formaldehyde and sodium cyanide – yikes!), and parabens. To those my skin says, “No, thank-you!” I found it actually quite surprising how difficult it was to find a completely pure aloe vera bottle, aside from actually planting the plant myself and keeping one in order to get the gel right from the source. I have, in fact, began harvesting my own plant, but the healthiest and most viable gel comes from plants that are at least 5 years old. So, in the interim, while my plant matures, I need a healthy choice of aloe vera gel, available for purchase.

I chose Now Solutions Aloe Soothing Gel, which also contains a small amount peppermint oil, which is wonderfully soothing in the event of a sunburn. I found this aloe gel to be very effective for sun-burned and irritated skin. Check out the list of ingredients:

Aloe Vera (Aloe barbadensis) Leaf Gel*, De-ionized Water, Potassium Carbomer, Sodium Hydroxymethyl Glycinate, Phenoxyethanol, Cucumber (Cucumis sativis) Extract, Allantoin, Vegetable Glycerine, Panthenol (Provitamin B-5), Natural Vitamin E (from mixed tocopherols) (soy), L-Arginine and Peppermint (Mentha piperita) Oil. *Certified Organic

This aloe vera gel is a wonderful, more natural alternative to most of the brands one will find in a local pharmacy.