Aloe Vera Advice

[kelleyaynn]

I would like to try using aloe vera juice instead of water in my facial soap recipe. Since it is so thick, should I not discount the water amount? I usually use a water:lye ratio of 2:1 rather than 38% of oils.

Thanks!

 

[Hazel]

I use aloe vera juice and sometimes I discount and sometimes I don't. I haven't had any problems.

 

[soapbuddy]

You say that the aloe is thick. Is this aloe gel? Pure aloe juice should not be thick.

 

[Traceyann]

Can I puree a Aloe Vera plant and use it in soap ???? If so do I need to cut the skin off first??

 

[kelleyaynn]

You say that the aloe is thick. Is this aloe gel? Pure aloe juice should not be thick.

I'm thinking about aloe vera gel. I didn't know there was a distinction. Knowing that there is helps.

 

[soapbuddy]

Can I puree a Aloe Vera plant and use it in soap ???? If so do I need to cut the skin off first??

Yes you can. Some people use it as is, but I would strain it.

 

[Hazel]

You say that the aloe is thick. Is this aloe gel? Pure aloe juice should not be thick.

I'm thinking about aloe vera gel. I didn't know there was a distinction. Knowing that there is helps.

I didn't realize you were discussing gel. I kind of wondered but since you wrote juice that's what I thought you meant. I just use the juice. I would think you could use the gel and not discount but isn't there a lot of other ingredients in gel like carbomer and preservative? I don't think you'd want those in your soap, IMO.

I think it would be better to use gel scraped from a leaf than use a commercially made gel.

 

[soapbuddy]

You say that the aloe is thick. Is this aloe gel? Pure aloe juice should not be thick.

I'm thinking about aloe vera gel. I didn't know there was a distinction. Knowing that there is helps.

If the aloe gel has a carbomer, it could react with either the lye or the soap itself. You would be better off get aloe vera juice (that's drinkable) from the health food store or a larger grocery store. That one is pretty pure and thin like water.

 

[falldowngobump]

I just made soap last week using Aloe juice--my first time. I bought it at Walmart--yes it's runny like water. I chilled it and used it for 100% of my liquid to mix with the lye. It worked very well, no problems mixing it together. I have no idea how the soap will turn out, it's still cureing. Good luck!

 

[kelleyaynn]

I'm always on my husband and students to choose their words carefully - say what you mean! And now I'm guilty of sloppy word choice.

I have on order a pound of aloe liquid, which I assume is juice (from Brambleberry, made for making soap). I thought it would be thick like gel. Never encountered thin aloe juice before! Thanks to all who straightened me out.

 

[ikindred]

I substitute Aloe Vera juice (cold) in all of my soaps and I do not discount at all. No problems so far......

 

[xyxoxy]

I substitute Aloe Vera juice (cold) in all of my soaps and I do not discount at all. No problems so far......

Me too... usually 100% Aloe juice as liquid unless I'm playing with some other liquid.

 

[dcornett]

I substitute Aloe Vera juice (cold) in all of my soaps and I do not discount at all. No problems so far......

Me too... usually 100% Aloe juice as liquid unless I'm playing with some other liquid.

Good to hear, I had purchased aloe juice in a health food store a while back, but I've been a little nervous about using it...thanks.

 

[jadiebugs1]

I substitute Aloe Vera juice (cold) in all of my soaps and I do not discount at all. No problems so far......

Do you ever freeze it? I find using ANY liquid other than water works best if it's frozen or near frozen.....GM, tomato juice, coconut milk or water, etc.

 

[Traceyann]

Thanks Irena

 

[ikindred]

I have never tried freezing it but I keep it refrigerated. What benefit does freezing do? I soap at room temperature so I don't think it really matters.

 

[xyxoxy]

I also soap at room temp and I also pre-mix my lye with the aloe juice. Never needed to freeze it.

Only thing different is that it turns a weird color with the lye... but it doesn't impact the color of the finished product and I think it makes great soap.

 

[musiccitysuds]

This is a little off topic, but thought I'd ask anyway. Has anyone had any experience with aloe vera juice making a softer bar? I make a bar that uses aloe vera juice instead of water, but it always takes so long to cure and harden. I use a big chunk of cocoa butter with it, which I thought would move things along, but it is still taking forever. Just wondering if anyone else had that issue or if it might be something else...perhaps just a bad case of impatience.

 

[xyxoxy]

As I said I use 100% aloe juice most of the time... and I have no trouble with the soap hardness or curing times. My lye concentration is usually 33% (2 parts aloe juice to 1 part lye).

Are you saying you've done the exact same recipe with water and had different results? If not maybe your recipe would help us help you.

 

[soapbuddy]

Thanks Irena

You're welcome Traceyann.