How To Preserve Aloe Vera Gel
To preserve aloe vera gel for everyday use, simply place it in a container and put it in the freezer for 2 hours or until solid. Once frozen, you can store it in a freezer-safe container. You can also preserve aloe vera gel by placing it in the refrigerator.
Aloe Vera gel can be pureed and stored for up to seven days in the fridge, or kept frozen for up to a year, though for either case, fresh aloe gel is best used sooner. If you really want to go with refrigeration, simply place the aloe gel that you bought in a store inside of the fridge or freezer, in the original container, and it should last at least five years. After mixing aloe vera gel, put the mixture into the container, and keep it refrigerated. So, using the aforementioned simple ways, you can extend your shelf-life of aloe vera gel and keep it longer.
The best way to store aloe is by storing the puree in an airtight seal up to 7 days, and the best way to get maximum benefits from the aloe gel is by using it while it is fresh. Just remember, aloe does actually slightly degrade over time, so you are best off using it within a week or so. Without chemical stabilisers (like the ones used in commercial aloe products), fresh aloe gel, and any products made from it, should be refrigerated and used within 7-10 days. Pure aloe gel would typically last for 7 days in a refrigerator and indefinitely in the freezer, but it loses biological activity after less than one year in the freezer.
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Fresh aloe vera gel will lose significant amounts of its necessary bioactive components (the components needed to deliver a desired benefit — whether it is medical or cosmetic) in just a few hours, because of decomposition of the gel matrix that begins as soon as a leaf is separated from the rest of the plant. At room temperature, the gel from an aloe vera plant only lasts about 24 hours, however, the nutritionist Vasundhara Agrawal suggests different ways in which this gel can be stored in order to retain its freshness longer. If you chop a fresh leaf from the plant, keep your aloe vera gel refrigerated, put gel into a sealed container, and keep it refrigerated. To use a fresh aloe leaf from the plant, first, cut off one of the outer leaves from the plant base.
As I mentioned before, propagating aloe plants from cutting leaves is not as simple as it is for other plants, so do not get too worked up about it if it does not work out. If growing plants is not your cup of tea, you can generally find larger aloe leaves in a local health food store. If you would like to save whole aloe leaves for longer-term use, you can even keep them frozen. If you have an aloe plant and you would like to save a portion of the gel for later, cut one of the leaves at the bottom of the plant off with a sharp knife.
| Places | Facts |
| In Fridge | Up to 7 days in an airtight container |
| In the Freezer | Can be kept but losses its biological activity after less than 1 year |
The easiest way to extract the gel is by cutting aloe leaves in half, and then running the edges of a spoon or knife over the interior of each half to scoop the gel into a bowl, being especially careful to avoid scooping up any elements of the skin. At this point, the gel should be soft enough that you can either spoon the gel out, or cut what you need with the knife. If you are going to use up all the gel immediately, just slice out what you need and apply directly onto skin or hair. Once you have scrubbed some clear gel and juice onto the chosen body part, you can use your fingernails to push a little extra juice out (you will see that in the video).
What works best is a gel-like form that can be applied on skin, and it can also be consumed in juice form. Since the gelatinous mass needs to be pretty malleable, you can use your fingers to mould it to your cube containers shapes. You cannot really use this ice mold for anything else, and you will be able to pop a gelled cube whenever you need it. Even better, you can freeze your gels with aloe in smaller batches – like an ice cube tray – so that smaller amounts are available.
If you are looking to save some room in the freezer, I recommend cutting aloe vera leaf flesh into cubes with knives, and you can use a bowl to hold the cubes as you are cutting. You can first cut your fresh extracted aloe vera gel into smaller cubes to add to drinks and smoothies, or larger pieces if you are planning on adding it to homemade lotions to moisturize dry skin or sunburns. Preparation of aloe vera gel, without adding any vitamin C powder, can last in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
This is not anywhere near as effective as keeping the aloe vera in a refrigerator or freezer, and if blended with vitamin E, you get an excellent storage method with a few extra skin benefits, too. You can keep the gel purchased from stores for 1-2 years at room temperature, 2-3 years in the fridge, and up to 5 years in the freezer. After you have stored your gel for two to three days, take the gel out of the refrigerator and allow it to sit at room temperature for 24 hours.
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For those of us with a brown thumb, aloe is one of those “set and forget” plants, which does its best work if you are not too fussy about it. Whether you are growing your own aloe plants at home or buying one off a store shelf, heres everything you need to know to keep your precious aloe vera as fresh as possible. To store your entire aloe leaf in your fridge, nutritionist Vasundhara Agrawal, who has worked as a dietician/nutritionist in leading hospitals across India – and also provides nutrition training for companies such as Goldman Sachs, Hewlett Packard, and Accenture, among others – suggests you keep your aloe leaf wrapped in a wet towel in your fridge so it stays moist and succulent.
How do you preserve aloe vera gel for a long time?
Simply place the gel and vitamin E oil in a blender and process until smooth. Put this in a container and keep it in the refrigerator. Utilize as necessary. Including vitamin C, Aloe vera gel can have a shelf life of up to a month in the fridge if vitamin C is added to it.
How long does homemade aloe vera gel last?
Homemade aloe vera gel that does not contain preservatives like vitamin C and E, can be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week in the fridge. However, if you add one or both of the vitamins in your gel, the shelf life will increase significantly to up to 2 months when kept in the refrigerator.
Can you freeze fresh aloe vera gel?
You can definitely freeze fresh aloe vera gel. However, be mindful that the quality of the stored aloe vera may depreciate over time and thus, affect the benefits provided. You should try and follow the correct freezing and preservation process to help provide optimal results.