By Melissa Federico, LE and Beauty Writer
For me, nothing is better than a good beauty hack. Especially when it’s an authentic beauty tip without a paid sponsorship. Fresh aloe vera masks have been trending throughout the summer, and that’s also how #aloeveraskincare led me to Alexandra, @busyfoxy, a small business owner of @tappiobubbletea who is a true ray of sunshine living in Malaga, Spain. Her fresh complexion, and our similar climates and skincare issues convinced me that it was time to get on board with this natural face mask trend.
Aloe is a short-stemmed succulent and a medicinal plant comprised of 99% water. The rest is amino acids, enzymes, minerals, lipids, antioxidants, vitamins and even hormones that aid in wound healing.
Every aloe leaf is made of three layers: an inner gel layer, a middle latex layer and an outer rind. Nature packaged this ingredient perfectly to help it hydrate and nourish the skin. Once applied, the inner gel layer dries to forms a protective barrier that keeps moisture from escaping. This is important for those who live in warm climates, and also have issue with breakouts.
Unlike occlusive barriers such as mineral oil, silicones, and lanolin that also use a barrier to trap moisture on skin and keep it from escaping, natural aloe won’t clog pores and cause breakouts. In fact, it can help treat inflammation and reduce the appearance of pimples and you can also use it to treat irritation, bug bites and sunburns.
As far as use goes, it’s basically water and it dries clear so you can leave it on as long or as little as you like. Celebritymakeup artist Ashunta Sheriff likes to mix fresh aloe with oliveoil and lemon, but the extra steps aren’t necessary. Just cut a leaf from a plant, refrigerator it and apply the cool aloe gel straight to your face.
“I just cut from it bit by bit when I need to use it. I buy it at the grocery store or you can grow it.” says Alexandra. Clean skin care in its purest form, Foxy used it daily for an entire week to help acne issues and loved the healing and hydrating results. Especially after a day out in the sun.
When nothing else is working and your skin is thirsty and dull, aloe vera is the best natural beauty hack out there. It’s great for all skin-types, natural, affordable and you can store it in the fridge.