It’s no secret that Aloe Vera is one of the most powerful plants, packed with amazing skin soothing and repairing qualities and seemingly limitless nutrients to support your skin. Aloe Vera not only soothes skin after time out in the sun, but can also help fight the appearance of aging. Some people prefer to put fresh Aloe Vera directly onto their skin, while others prefer the convenience of Aloe Vera skin care products to utilize Aloe’s benefits and protecting qualities.

Whatever the case, consumers need to pay attention to the quality of the aloe they are putting on their skin and rather it is fresh, concentrated or from powder.  Only organic fresh Aloe processed at the source and right after harvest are truly capable of capturing the incredible properties found in natural Aloe plants. If it is from concentrate, powder, or some other situation where organic Aloe Vera isn't the first ingredient on the label, you just aren't getting what you think you are. Before reading on, if you aren't reading this because of fresh aloe, make sure Aloe Vera is the first ingredient on the product you are looking at.  If it isn't, it is more than likely it is another ingredient in the product you are using was added to the product to give it an aloe-like consistency.

WHY DOES ALOE VERA MAKE MY SKIN FEEL TIGHT?

One common complaint we hear all the time from consumers is that when Aloe Vera gel is applied directly on the skin, it makes it feel tight or sticky. It’s true that once Aloe Vera gel is applied to the skin, it creates a very minor film that acts as a protective barrier to lock in moisture and deter debris contact, which can make your face feel tight. Here’s why:

• Aloe Vera is a mild astringent – Astringents have water attracting properties and can help draw moisture to the surface of the skin as well as tighten pores. 
• Aloe Vera gel by itself has no emollient to lock in moisture – Gels, especially Aloe Vera gel, have a high natural water content and once that water evaporates away from the skin, it can create a “tightness effect.”  This sensation can be significantly reduced by always using fresh Aloe products that don’t contain any added waters or concentrates that may cause the product to sit up on the surface of the skin. In ALODERMA Pure Aloe Gel - 96%, we fortify the aloe gel with a 3% mixture of Propylene Glycol, which despite the scary sounding name, is safe and significantly aids in absorption into the skin. However, for people with eczema, or other skin conditions, we recommend a 99% aloe gel or even a 99.8% Hydrator, which doesn't contain a thickener and is the purest form of Aloe Vera you can buy in a shelf stable product.

ALOE VERA’S “TIGHTENING” BENEFITS
While Aloe Vera doesn't have a drying effect on the skin, given the above, it is easy to understand why some people may interpret the sensation on their skin that way when applying Aloe Vera gel. However, there are certainly also a vast array of benefits that shouldn't be forgotten. To name a few:

• The regulation of oil production
• Reducing the appearance of aging
• Natural hydration
• Brightening
• Tone balancing
• Soothing irritated, burned, or abraded skin

HOW TO CHOOSE ALOE-BASED SKIN CARE PRODUCTS
To reduce that uncomfortable “tightness” feeling, we recommend finding high-quality skin care products produced using fresh organic Aloe Vera so that you can minimize the additional ingredients that could reduce your benefit. But first, do your research!

1. What is the first ingredient in your product? If it is not Aloe, that is a red flag.
2. Find out if the aloe is organic, what/if any herbicides or pesticides are being used, and how the aloe is being harvested. Given organic regulations, it isn't realistic to make most skin care products entirely organic, but the primary ingredient, Aloe Vera, certainly should be.
3. Is the product from concentrate or powder and are they adding water to the product?  All of those are red flags that call into question the purity of the aloe you think you are putting on your skin. If you can’t easily find out that information, you shouldn't buy it.

At ALODERMA, we are an Aloe Vera first company, so it is always at the forefront of our minds and our products. By harvesting, processing, and producing all of our products within 12 Hours of Harvest, ALODERMA’s product line is able to capture the peak bio-activity of Aloe Vera to deliver truly Fresh Aloe Skin Care. We guarantee that all of our Aloe Vera is:

• The first ingredient on all of our labels. Only our hand cream has less than 70% Aloe Vera by weight (our Hand Cream is 65% organic Aloe Vera)
• ECOCERT certified organic, grown on certified Eco-Origin farms
• Processed within 12 hours of harvest utilizing a unique, patented cold-press process 
• Delivers the highest levels of polysaccharides in the industry - Aloe's most studied active component
• Grown without chemical fertilizers
• Is free of growth hormones
• Never has herbicides used on it
• Pesticide-free

Feel the natural difference with ALODERMA! Try any of our best selling Aloe Vera skin care products, like Pure Aloe Vera Gel, sheet masks, and more, to begin your path to amazing beauty.