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| My big BEAUTIFUL aloe plant! |
I was kinda tired of doing the age-old mayonnaise treatment...and even MORE tired of just mixing eggs in my regular conditioner, so I looked around in the fridge & cabinets and looked at my aloe plant and said, "hmm, I wonder..." *rubs hands together mischievously * =)
Let me tell you, IMMEDIATELY my hair LOVED it! It left it so moisturized and soft- my scalp is clean and my hair is shiny! Aloe is great for many things- it heals the scalp (dandruff, burns, chemical scars) and moisturizes the hair itself. Mind you, the recipe is pretty runny, so i advise applying it to your hair over the sink or in the shower.
So, HERE IT GOES!! My recipe is kind of hefty because I have alot of hair, but you can easily reduce the amount to fit your hair length.
Ingredients you'll need:2 fresh aloe leaves (size/ amount of leaf depends on length of hair)
1/2 lemon
4 tbsp honey
2 tbsp olive oil (or any oil of your choosing)
Tools you'll need:
Knife
Cutting boardFood processor or blender
Spoon
Measuring spoons (optional)
Small strainer
Container to put it in
The FIRST thing I did was go to my aloe plant and cut two nice sized leaves off. (Only one is pictured throughout pictorial)
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| I chose one that was beat up... |
Cut the leaf into 3 (or 4) smaller sections so that it's easier to handle...
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| ..don't forget to de-seed your lemon! |
Then, using your knife, cut the sharp sides of, going vertically, from the top of the leaf to the bottom...
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| ...this is what you're looking for. |
Take your knife, again, and cut the leaf in half...
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| Leaf cut in half |
Next, over your food processor, take your spoon and scoop/scrape both halves of the leaf, getting all (and I do mean ALL) of the gel out. Be careful because it DOES get slippery!
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| THIS is that GOOD stuff!! |
This is how much I got out of one section of the leaf...
Repeat that process for all sections.
This is how much I got out of the whole leaf..
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| After a WHOLE BUNCH of scooping and scraping! |
Next, squeeze your lemon into the processor...
...add your honey and oil.
Cover the processor, and blend. I had to let it blend for a while cause, as you see, I have a teeny lil processor and there was still a bit of chunks left in the mixture.
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| Aloe chunks |
Once it is finished, there should be a minimal amount of lumps left in the mixture..and the consistency will resemble beaten eggs.
Straining is optional, but I did cause i wanted to try and process the chunks some more.
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And that's it!
I applied it to my hair in sections and finger de-tangled while I was in the shower, left it in my hair while I washed up and shaved- about 10-15 mins and rinsed it with a bearable temperature of cold water. I found that while I was detangling, it gave me GREAT slip! *sighs* This conditioner is just so wonderful in so many ways...lol!
The lemon acts as an additional cleanser, along with keeping the aloe preserved. This mixture should last you up to a month, but I would only make enough that I need for the day I'm conditioning my hair.
There are so many things I still want to do with this recipe, and once I try them, I will definitely get back to you guys! But I hope you love this conditioner as much as my hair did!
=)
