Weekend Wellness | No. 4

Hey friends! This week for our Weekend Wellness, we are talking Aloe Vera plants. This little plant has become one of our absolute favorites to keep in the house, for so many reasons. First off, they’re easy to keep alive, and with lots of tiny humans running around and the busy lives so many of us lead, that’s the type of plant we need! Second, the health benefits of Aloe are HUGE. It’s always good to have some on hand at a moment’s notice. Lastly, they’re adorable and add a fun greenery to any room.

Remember, you don’t have to water Aloe often and store them in a sunny spot. When they are still little a window ledge is the perfect place!

Aloe plants are very low maintenance. Water them once a week, keep them in a sunny spot, and they are good to go! Over watering kills them, so really, it’s okay to forget about them. They really are a beginner planters dream. Once you have a large aloe, often times, you will start to see little aloe shoots coming up from the dirt. These are called pups, the mother aloe has had babies, congrats plant grandma! Let them be for a while. There is no rush to plant them right away. These spotted little shoots will grow in a group and once they’re starting to take over then you can dig them up gently around the roots and replant those!

The Mother Aloe is on the left and on the right we’ve got some pups growing.
Aloe adds some lovely greenery to any room and grows quite large for those larger areas in your home that need a filler! I will be cutting the front stem that is bent over to show you how to cut and freeze it!

Now, let’s talk about the health benefits of aloe. Did you know that Aloe Vera is also known as the first aid plant? You can use its sap to soothe burns, scalds, sunburn, skin irritations and insect bites. Cut away a leaf at the base, cut down its length and rub the sap directly on to skin. It doesn’t burn and it is instantly soothing. Once Aloe is cut it doesn’t last long. With that being said, one of our very favorite mom hacks is to cut the aloe and store it in the freezer. The kids can grab a chunk right out of the freezer, rub it on their wound, and be on their way. We also love that this healing plant is just that. No added preservatives, no ingredients that we can’t read, and an amazing resource to show the kids.

Up-close shot of a mature aloe plant.

Follow along the guided pictures to see how we cut, store, and freeze our aloe!

You will need your cutting board, spoon, small knife, ice cube trays work great for this, and your aloe.
First, cut off the little white end of the stem. You will not be needing this part.
Second, trim the “spikey” sides off.
Next, slice the top of the aloe off very gently. It should be a pretty easy and smooth slice.
Then you will want to take your spoon and scrape and scoop off all of the gel.
Take your gel and start filling up the ice cube trays about half full! You may even have some gel left on the cutting board that you can drip into the ice cube trays.
Store in an air tight container and pop it in the freezer! Grab-and-Go as needed!

We’d love to hear from you! Is this a new trick that you’re learning or are you already and Aloe user and lover? Share some ways and/or pics with us of how you store it!

Stay Well,
Tricia + Alisha

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