Aloe Vera Gel

[CheerBear]

Does anyone experience dryness or hardness with aloe gel?? I do and the kind i have is 98% pure w/chamomile and comfrey...the first time i used this it was mixed in with my leave ins and oils for air drying and my hair was very soft, now, everytime i use it, the INSTANT i put the stuff in my hair, it is like a vacuum sucking every drop of moisture out...anyone have any idea as to why or anyone experienced this????

 

[Xena]

I have the same one you do.. I tried it once and it made my hair soooo dry and hard.. I will NOT use it again. I just use it on my hands now.. Total waste of money

 

[Teshila]

Another possible use for you...I use my aloe vera gel on my face as a moisturizer after cleansing or exfoliating. It really keeps my face from drying out.

 

[patience]

Aloe Vera Gel is better for the skin than hair. If you're going to use it on your hair, it should be mixed with something else. It could also be the particular KIND that you have OR the extra ingredients that are the problem. I've used the Lily of the Valley (or Desert...can't exactly remember at the moment) with no problems when I mixed it with another product I was using.

 

[Xena]

Maybe I'll try it again and mix it with something..
Aloe on my face.. I'll try that.. Thanks Teshila

 

[Neroli]

I use lilly of dessert 99% aloe vera gelly (aloe gel, carbomer 940, vitamins A, C & E - 4oz for $3.50) OR aubrey pure aloe vera gel (aloe gel, citrus seed extract, vitamins A, C & E - 4oz for $6) on my ends and they both leave my hair soft and bouncy without weighing it down. I have 4b relaxed hair and I use the aloe gel very very sparingly, like 1 or 2 drops per day for my ends. It could be the other ingredients in your brand.

 

[CheerBear]

Thanks ladies! Im just going to use it for my hands now, my face breaks out from anything other than cocoa butter i put on it...and per yall's comments, Im going to try the Lily of The Valley/Desert

 

[sengschick]

I love Aloe Vera Gel. I haven't had the same experience as you have CheerBear, but I mix everything together. I think it does a great job moisturizing my ends, esp when they feel a bit depleted @ the end of the day. I used Lilly of the Desert too and it's great. I understand that Aubrey's makes one too that's 100% aloe gel. Maybe your formulation has an alcohol in it and should be used for skin and not hair.

I've also had great results w/Lilly of the Desert on my skin.

 

[Armyqt]

I have the AO aloe vera gel and I've experienced dryness using it straight. I've never mixed it with anything, so it's just sitting around.

 

[patience]

[ QUOTE ]
Armyqt said:
I have the AO aloe vera gel and I've experienced dryness using it straight. I've never mixed it with anything, so it's just sitting around.

[/ QUOTE ]

Try mixing it in a small spray bottle with some distilled water, a little conditioner and an eo or olive oil. shake well and spritz. It worked well for me...it may work for you.

 

[Armyqt]

Thanks Patience, I'll have to try that

 

[PretteePlease]

I have this same problem. My hair is natural and it left it hard dry and crunchy.

 

[Nutmeg]

I also had bad experiences with the Aloe Vera gel, so I just stopped using it altogether.

 

[stacia]

According to Cathy Howe, aloe is a form of protein and thus can be very drying. I use pure aloe in my home made conditioner which dries out my hair so I have to moisture it afterwards. Aloe is also the proetin used in her conditioner.

 

[buffalosoldier]

When I wear my hair curly I use fruit of the earth aloe vera gel and I LOVE it.
first I put on a serum then the gel and then a finishing product to soften it up like 'special effects molding maniac.'

 

[Bublnbrnsuga]

I love the aloe vera gel I use!! It is Fruit of the Earth 100% gel and it is located in the skin sections of the stores. I use it all of the time now for my 2 strand twists and I have not experienced any problems so far;however, I used the Suave aloe vera gel and I did not care too much for that one.

 

[oglorious1]

I use Saniyyah Naturally Aloe Vera Pomade, it has other stuff in it to combat the drying effects of the aloe vera gel, but I don't have any problems using Aloe Vera gel on my twists, it gets them nice and soft.

 

[A_Christian]

I've used the Aubrey Organics 100% Pure Aloe Vera Gel very sparingly as well and it made my hair soft. I think the key is to use only a few drops and to get a brand with the least amount of extra ingredients. I won't use it on my hair too much, but it really helped to soothe an irritated area on my scalp. I agree it's probably better for skin than hair.

 

[LEOLADYSW]

I like it to use it on my face sometimes when I don't use my Derma Life lotion. I tried aloe vera on my hair, and it was hard and sticky.

 

[ms_kenesha]

It made my hair hard to (the Fruit of the Earth) and now I mainly use it on my face.

 

[BlackButterflyz]

aloe vera is a humectant -it draws moisture from the air to your hair. However if the climate is very dry (for example if you live in an arid area OR if you spend a lot of time in an air conditioned place) it will draw the moisture directly from your hair- making the hair dry and brittle. So basically you have to try a balancing act with aloe (perfect for humid days, not so good for dry ones)... also like some ladies have metnioned, adding it with other oil/cond/moisturizers usually works well.