Hey All!
For some time, I have wanted to try Aloe Vera Gel, after hearing all the wonderful benefits of using this natural gel. The gel comes from the Aloe Vera Plant, and the gel is harvested from the leaves. It can be drank to help promote a healthy digestive system, regularity, and help muscle and joint function. Also to soothe skin for those who experience sun burn. I do not use it for these reasons....but for my hair!
Aloe Vera Gel is awesome for use as a moisturizer, depends on the brand, but it is 99% natural, and can be cheap depending again on brand, and where you purchase. There are also two types, there is the, Inner Fillet, which is where they only use the middle or where the gel comes from in the leaf, whereas with Whole leaf, they use the whole leaf, where it is believed that it is better because you are getting all the properties of the leaf. I cannot attest to how true this is or not to be honest, nor can tell you what is the difference, as this is my first time using this gel. (Perhaps in the future I will buy Whole Leaf, and draw a comparison then.)
I purchased mine online, through
Vitamin Shoppe, as it was on sale at the time (still is). The kind I got was, Lily of the Desert (brand) Inner Fillet 16oz bottle for $2.99 USD , excluding shipping.
(Aloe Vera Gel has to be refrigerated, once you open it/break the seal.)
I have been using this stuff in a mix, which I will not be sharing until sometime this week, and in a leave in I made, and it is amazing. It get's a 5/5 rating for me!
The only thing about this product is that it really does feel like gel, but not the thick stuff you and I are use to dealing with like Eco Styler Gel, or Jam, this gel is very watery and loose, so it is slippery. I did expect it to feel this way so it does not take away from it as a product,
for me. So this is a heads up for those of you who do not know what to the texture to be like.
I plan on using this stuff alone as well to be the basis of my wash n' go tomorrow, so I will be sharing that as well.
Moving along to today's topic, AVG in my leave in.Which I will call my Creamy Aloe Olive Mix. As you all know, I make my own products/leave in's when I can, to save money. Not to mention it is a great way 'to know' what you are putting in your hair, at least in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, I still suffer, being a product junkie and all, but we also know desires does not always coincide with out pockets!
The Ingredients of my Leave in, is pretty simple. Obviously, AVG, which is the only thing I measured (sort of) I added about 4oz's of that into my spray bottle, then added my conditioner of choice, which happened to be VO5 Moisturizing Milks Passion Fruit Smoothie(one of my favorite cowashing conditioners) I then, diluted the conditioner with some water, and then topped it off with a bit of Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
I tend to use spray bottles for leave in's as it makes it super easy to distribute the product evenly on your hair. So of course I had to go out and purchase another for this mix. I got it from Sally Beauty, for $2.89 USD.
It is S
prayco brand, it is a High Output Trigger Spray bottle, I did not pick this one because of that reason, though. I picked this bottle in particular because it felt sturdier than the other bottles they had in store, was reasonably priced (less than 3 bucks), and purple (my absolute favorite color)!
It holds 16oz of fluid, which I took up all of when making my mix.
Here's how it looks
This mix is great! It leaves my hair feeling soft, and unlike my Super Moisturizing Coconut leave in, I can use it daily, as it is not protein based. ( I use my other mix weekly, or when I feel my hair needs a bit of a 'pick me up').
(Side Note: I have also made a new batch of my Super Moisturizing Coconut leave in, I will be refrigerating it this time around, so I will let you all know what is the difference, and how long it lasts)
Now here is what really sold me on this mix.
Mid week, my hair became really oily, as I had been using my JBCO (mixed with regular Castor Oil) on my scalp everyday, and sometimes night, for a
challenge I have been participating in on BHP. So I cowashed, using VO5 Herbal Escapes Clarifying Kiwi Lime Conditioner, (which does a great job of lightly stripping my hair of product) but this conditioner, can sometimes leave my hair feeling a bit dry, as it is suppose to strip the hair of products.
For that reason, I wanted to do a mini dc session, but did not want to use any of my actual deep conditioners, so I then the thought of using my new leave in as a deep conditioner came to mind.
I saturated my hair with the leave in, and then covered my hair with a plastic bag (as I do when I deep condition) and left it on while I showered. I would say I kept it on for no more than 15 minutes. It was drippy, which I did not like, but man oh man, did my hair come out feeling soft. It was really easy to comb through while rinsing too.
So this mix can be of double use! Which is why it will become one of my staple mixes. Like I said before, my only complaint is that it drips incessantly, which is a bit annoying, but the result definitely makes it bearable!
(I will not be refrigerating this mix, although it contains AVG, because it is diluted and contains oil, and conditioner.)
Yes this is my own creation, but I'm giving it a 4/5. I like it as it is, and will not add anything to make it thicker, as it will be mainly used as a leave in.
Anyway, I just wanted to share my new concoction with you all!
~Naomi
.png)
