aloe vera health benefits

How To Shave With Aloe Vera

Over the years, shaving works on number on your face. Almost everyone suffers some kind of shaving side effect and aloe vera products can help minimize the discomfort and keep skin looking and feeling healthy. Here, you will learn how to shave using aloe vera. Even if you learned how to shave decades ago, you will find some tips to make the experience more pleasurable.

The How to Shave Grooming Guide

Often times, young men simply aren’t taught how to shave properly. And after years of shaving and bad treatment, faces take a beating . Find out some of the most popular questions (and answers) on how to shave properly, and prevent and correct skin care problems.

1. How can I avoid rashes around my neck after I shave?

Try using a fresh blade every couple of times, and a shaving cream that has been fortified with hydrating emollients (lubricating thickening agents that prevent water loss and have a softening and soothing effect on skin). After shaving, apply a light moisturizer. If you prefer an after-shave product, be wary of those that contain alcohol or menthol; these ingredients can irritate the skin. Most will never forget the initial feeling they had using aftershave after the first time they learned how to shave.

2. I’ve just learned how to shave. Should I use a face scrub instead of regular soap to clean my face?

Absolutely. Most soaps contain ingredients such as ammonium laurel sulfate, which can irritate your face. Many don’t know when learning how to shave that these soaps are manufactured because they produce a lot of foam and the ingredients are cheap to buy in bulk. A face scrub, on the other hand, is formulated without these severe chemical additives but manufactured with ingredients such as aloe vera, vitamins A and E, glycerin, chamomile, and polyethylene beads, which all help remove dead skin cells, control oiliness, prevent acne breakouts, and improve the texture and clarity of the skin.

3. I’m just learning how to shave. What ingredients are good for my skin?

Aloe vera, vitamin E, B-5 and C, chamomile, panthenol, and glycerin, to name a few. Aloe vera is a moisturizer that helps heal skin irritations, promotes new skin growth and helps slow down the aging process. Vitamin E is an antioxidant that prevents free radical damage, promotes tissue growth and acts as an anti-inflammatory. Chamomile is a natural herb that has proven to have anti-irritant properties and provides soothing effects to the skin. Glycerin is a soothing emollient that acts as a water-binding agent and keeps water in the skin for hydration. And while vitamin C is a potent antioxidant for skin, panthenol and vitamin B-5 moisturize and soothe the skin. – Source

Next time you’re shopping for some shaving cream or getting ready to teach someone how to shave, read the ingredients on the back. Look for aloe vera, as well as other natural, soothing ingredients. You’ll also want to pay close attention to the following tips by MaleFace.

How to Shave: MaleFace Tips on Shaving

It’s best to not shave the very first thing in the morning. If possible, let your skin wake up a while.
Use an exfoliate such as our Deep Cleaning Face Scrub to eradicate dead skin and open up the pores of the skin to prepare it for a close shave.
Be wary of mentholated shaving products. Although the cooled feeling feels good, menthol can have a very irritating effect on skin.
Stubble should be wetted with warm or hot water before shaving.
Thoroughly massage shave cream into stubble. A vitamin and aloe vera based shave cream such as our Vitamin Rich Shave Cream will provide a close, soothing shave while protecting against razor burns and rashes.
Use as sharp blade. Our personal favorite is the Gillette MACH3Turbo. Try not to wait till “the cows come home,” to change the blade. A dull blade is responsible for many shaving cuts.
Rinse the blade often in hot water when shaving and use slow short strokes.
Shaving with the grain means shaving in the direction of how the hair grows on your face. It is best to always shave this way. Shaving against the grain can cause redness, rashes and razor burn.
After shaving, apply a moisturizer to soothe and protect the face such as our Rejuvenating Moisture Cream with vitamins, Aloe Vera, and Chamomile.
If you prefer to use an after shave product check the label for alcohol. Dryness and stinging sensations are by-products of most after shaves whose primary ingredient is alcohol.

How to Shave: Additional Pointers

Stay out of the sun during the peak hours from 10 am till 2 pm. When in the sun, use a sunscreen with SPF 15 or higher.
Avoid smoking.
Avoid excessive drinking.
Exercise at least three times a week. It has been proven that increased capillary capability and delivery of oxygen to the tissues tremendously helps in keeping the skin look more youthful.
Eat a balanced diet with an emphasis on avoiding high glycemic foods, such as white rice and bread, and minimize the intake of fatty foods.
Drink plenty of water. Many experts agree that drinking six to eight glasses a day will not only help us preserve our skin’s elasticity, but also help prevent dehydration.
Get 7-8 hours of sleep every night.

As you can see, there isn’t a lot to remember here about learning how to shave. Follow these simple steps and you will go a long way in making a significant difference in your skin and complexion. – Source

You Can Grow Your Own Aloe Vera Plant

If you use aloe vera gel, juice or any other form of the plant, you undoubtedly have experienced the many benefits of this miracle plant. For many people, the next step is your own growing aloe vera plant. While this won’t meet all your gel and juicing needs, growing your own is a great way to learn about caring for and preparing you aloe vera plant.

Growing Aloe Vera Plant

Here are a few pointers to help get you started on your own growing aloe vera plant.

Miracle plant, aloe vera (Aloe barbadensis) is one of the simpler house plants to grow if you have a less-than-green thumb. It’s also versatile in that you can grow the plant indoors situated on a kitchen windowsill or in the garden if you live in a very warm and dry climate.

Growing Aloe Vera Plant Indoors

Warmth and sunlight are keys to a growing aloe vera plant, so give them bright light indoors and partial shade when they

Here are The Different Varieties of Aloe That Can be Grown in your Home:

A. aristata Lace aloe: The small tight rosette of gray-green leaves is covered in tiny white spikes. Occasionally produces a spike of orange flowers.

A. variegata Partridge-breasted aloe: Overlapping V-shaped leaves form a tight rosette and are banded with white. A spike of orange-pink flowers may develop.

A. vera: This interesting plant is useful and easy to grow. In optimum growing conditions the loose rosette of very fleshy, gray-green, toothed leaves may produce a flower spike bearing dozens of tubular yellow flowers.

Growing Aloe Vera Plant Outside

If you live in a very warm climate, you can plant aloe in your garden following these additional guidelines from How Stuff Works:

Choose small to medium varieties and install them in rows, with each plant 18 to 24 inches apart. The plantings will expand into attractive large clumps within two to three years. Leave the earth bare around aloes to highlight their striking sculptural quality and regularly groom older clumps to keep offshoots from cluttering up the plant

Additional Growing Aloe Vera Plant Tips Include:

Position: Aloe requires a sunny position and a very well-drained soil.

Propagation: Aloe vera can be raised from seed, but it rarely sets seed in other than warm climates. Propagate it from offsets that form at the base of the plant. Allow these plantlets to dry for two days before planting them into small pots filled with a gritty, free-draining potting mix. Once they are well established, transfer them to their permanent position.

Maintenance: Aloe is affected by even light frosts, and in areas where winter temperatures fall below 41

Put Growing Aloe Vera Plant Magic to Work

The best part about aloe is its practicality! The plant can actually be used to heal scrapes, burns and other skin irritations. Use a knife to cut a leaf of the plant off at its thick base. Then use a spoon to scoop out the gel-like sap and apply it to the skin. – Source

Check out this video to see how people are making aloe vera plants work in different climates. You can maintain your plant with minimal care, especially if you live in warmer climates.

9 Things You Need to Know About Aloe Vera and IBS

You may have heard about the “controversy” involved with aloe vera and IBS, or irritable bowel syndrome. However, the skeptics are largely under the impression that no remedy will work unless it’s been developed in a lab with the financial backing of big fat pharma.

The truth is, aloe vera and IBS tend to work hand in hand when it comes to pain alleviation and benefits. Aloe vera is already being used by scores of people who suffer from IBS. Take a look at what this Women’s Fitness website had to say about aloe vera and IBS.

Taken internally, aloe vera juice (processed directly from the gel) appears to ease the discomfort of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in many users, and this has been the main reason for aloe vera’s recent surge in popularity. A scourge of modern living, IBS is caused by abnormal spasms of the gut which are made worse by stressful living and poor diets. The unpleasant symptoms include diarrhoea and constipation, gut pain, bloating and wind.
The dosage of aloe vera used by most IBS sufferers is two teaspoons twice a day, or half this amount diluted with water if using a double strength juice. Flavoured juices – e.g. red grape or tropical fruit – are also available, or for times when using the liquid may be inconvenient, it is also possible to get concentrated aloe vera tablets (but these aren’t thought to be as beneficial over the longer term). Some people claim to notice an immediate effect of aloe vera in IBS, whilst others indicate a more progressive benefit over a few months. – SOURCE

The Truth Behind Aloe Vera and IBS

So what do people with this digestive condition have to say about aloe vera and IBS? Plenty of good things. Check out this breakdown by Natural News.

Most people have heard of Aloe Vera and will automatically associate it with skin preparations, shampoos and other associated beauty products.
But that’s only half of the story; Aloe Vera Juice, when taken internally has shown to have great benefits on the digestive system. Notably, aloe vera and IBS have made waves in terms of aiding in digestion and promoting natural, healthy laxatives.
Aloe Vera Juice has an extremely positive effect on the problems associated with your digestion such as irritable bowel syndrome or IBS (also known as Spastic Colon), Colitis, diverticulitis and Crohn’s disease.
Irritable bowel syndrome is amongst the most common of digestive illnesses and the symptoms can cause a great deal of pain and discomfort to sufferers including constipation, diarrhoea, indigestion, lower back pain and exhaustion.
Sufferers of IBS have found that while conventional medicines may bring some relief from the symptoms the pain and suffering usually returns within a short time.
While it is relatively easy for both medical professionals and sufferers alike to spot the symptoms of IBS, treating the complaint has become something of a nightmare for many sufferers and the use of more natural and homeopathic remedies such as Aloe Vera Juice is proving to be very popular as well as effective.
When we eat our digestive systems breaks down the food matter so that much needed nutrients are delivered directly to the blood stream, however during this process toxins are produced.
Normally friendly bacteria that lives naturally in our digestive tract helps to control the levels of toxins and that keeps the toxins from poisoning our bodies and causing illness.
Aloe Vera and IBS are becoming increasingly more common to see associated with one another, and in terms of the digestive process all together. It helps to break down the impacted matter and bring relief from the build up of toxins in the digestive system. – SOURCE

Think you might have IBS and considering where aloe vera and IBS will work in your health favor? Here are a few things you should know about the symptoms and causes.