Should I Apply Aloe Vera Gel Before or After Moisturizer
Whether you’re trying to heal sunburns on your delicate skin or want a natural alternative to prescription moisturizers and creams, Aloe Vera gel is among the best options. This clear gel extracted from the Aloe plant is commonly used as an ointment for treating burns and wounds on the skin. So should you use aloe vera gel before or after moisturizer? Read on and we will explain. You can also rub it on your face to promote smooth skin, clear complexions, and reduce inflammation.
It is best to apply aloe vera directly to your skin before applying moisturizer. This is because the gel needs to be applied directly to your skin to enjoy its benefits such as repairing damaged tissues and soothing irritations. When you apply the moisturizer over the aloe vera gel, it will serve as a protective barrier. Moreover, aloe vera is light and non-greasy on the skin so you can easily apply the moisturizer over it.
Due to its benefits, aloe is among the most popular herbal remedies used for various skin conditions. However, despite its healing powers, it’s advisable to consult a dermatologist if you have a chronic skin condition. Here are the potential benefits that you may want to discuss with your doctor before applying the Aloe Vera Gel:
Benefits Of Using Aloe Vera Gel: Can I Use Aloe Vera As A Moisturizer?
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Healing Burns
Studies have shown evidence that Aloe Vera gel can heal first to second-degree burns. The gel contains anti-inflammatory properties, and it inhibits bacteria growth while promoting blood circulation. However, you still need to protect the affected area with gauze.
For minor burns, apply pure aloe vera gel extracted from a plant 2-3 times daily directly to the affected part. If you buy the gel from a store, ensure it has a high aloe vera percentage and avoid products with other additives like perfume and coloring.
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Treat Frostbite and Avoid Permanent Tissue Damage
Frostbite is a dangerous condition that involves the freezing of tissues resulting from prolonged exposure to extremely low temperatures. That can result in permanent tissue damage in extreme cases. However, you can easily avoid permanent tissue damage by using the aloe vera gel.
Aloe Vera contains powerful vitamin E levels which maintain the skin and help in cell rejuvenation. It also contains anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-virus properties that make it an effective and affordable way for healing frostbite. However, it’s best to consult your physician before trying it.
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Soothing Sunburns
While aloe vera gel helps in soothing sunburns, research shows that it doesn’t prevent them. That means you need to wear your sunscreen daily before going out on a sunny day. However, you can also mix it with your shaving cream to soothe any skin irritation and small cuts.
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Treating Eczema and Psoriasis
Aloe Vera’s moisturizing effects can help in alleviating itchy and dry skin associated with eczema. The aloe gel can also help in alleviating Seborrheic dermatitis, an oily form of eczema affecting the scalp, behind the ears and some parts of the face.
Just like with eczema, Aloe Vera gel is very effective in alleviating itchiness and inflammation caused by Psoriasis. Apply the gel twice daily on the affected part of the skin for the best result.
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Heal Cold Sores
Aside from its anti-inflammatory and anti-viral properties, aloe vera offers other benefits to your skin by adding vitamins C, B1, B2 and B6 and amino acids. As such, it helps in treating cold sores and the herpes virus – one of the main causes of cold sores.
To treat cold sores, apply aloe vera gel or lip balm three times daily until the lesion dries up. However, you should see a doctor for proper diagnosis and treatment if the lesion doesn’t dry up within a few days.
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Inflammatory Acne
Due to its anti-inflammatory properties, the aloe vera gel can help in treating inflammatory forms of acne like nodules and pustules. Use a cotton swab to apply the gel directly to the pimples at least three times a day.
Can I Apply Moisturizer Before Applying Aloe Vera?
Since aloe vera is a natural moisturizer that’s light and non-greasy on your skin, you’re free to apply it on your skin before your moisturizer. However, whether you get the benefits you desire depends on several factors, including your skin type, weather condition, and why you are applying it.
For instance, if you want to heal sunburns or lesions on your skin, the aloe vera gel needs to be applied directly on your skin to allow it to absorb all the nutrients.
If you apply the aloe vera gel before the moisturizer, it softens your skin and allows the cells to breathe freely as it doesn’t clog the pore. However, applying your moisturizer on top of it may not be good for your skin.
That’s because a thick moisturizer or cream may close your pores, and the skin cells may not be able to breathe well. That will make your skin break out instead of becoming smooth.
For the best results, it’s advisable to apply the aloe vera gel directly on clean, dry skin at night. However, you need to note that though aloe vera is a natural moisturizer with over 98% water, it can’t retain this moisture.
As a result, the water is lost very quickly when exposed to sunlight, and it can make your skin very dry. That’s why most people prefer to add a layer of cream or moisturizing agent on top.
To ensure the moisturizer doesn’t compromise the integrity of the aloe vera gel or vice-versa, it’s best to give it some time to dry before adding another moisturizer. That’s because the consistency is a bit watery, and it also needs time to be absorbed into your skin. You can also decide to skip adding your normal moisturizer if both the weather and your skin type allow it.
People with oily skin can use aloe vera gel as their only moisturizer during the dry months of winter. However, you’ll need to add a moisturizer after the aloe vera gel dries up if you have dry skin or if you’re planning to go out on a sunny afternoon.
Can I Apply Moisturizer After Applying Aloe Vera?
While it’s best to apply the Aloe gel directly on dry skin, you may consider applying it after your moisturizer. However, that can make it hard for your skin to enjoy all the benefits of the gel as the layers would be already saturated with your moisturizer or serum.
That’s why it’s advisable to apply aloe vera at night after washing off all the other products from your skin to repair damaged tissues and cells while soothing all irritations.
The type of formula you’re using also determines whether the aloe vera works best after applying the moisturizer or before. As a general rule, you should apply your skincare products from lighter to heavier.
That means if you’re using a thick aloe vera cream and a light moisturizing lotion, you’ll want to start with the moisturizer. However, aloe vera comes first if the situation is reversed.
If you have oily skin, putting a moisturizer before the aloe gel will block it from reaching your skin. As such, you may use the aloe gel only or mix it with your moisturizer.
Is Aloe Vera Moisturizing or Drying?
With over 98% of aloe vera being water, it’s widely known for hydrating the skin. That’s why most people use a moisturizer that contains aloe vera as one of the main ingredients.
However, some people may complain of dry skin after using pure aloe vera gel directly on the skin. That may seem a little strange, but there’s a simple explanation behind such results.
For your skin to stay moisturized, two things must happen:
- The skin should have enough moisture content (normally 10-20%).
- The skin must also have the ability to retain moisture, or it will get lost very fast. Several factors can negatively affect the skin’s ability to retain moisture, including poor skin health and dry weather. However, a well-nourished lipid layer and some skin care products can boost the skin’s ability to retain moisture.
The aloe gel is can effectively perform the first function, but it can’t perform the second on its own. For that, you need to mix the aloe gel with a formulation that can retain moisture to enjoy its native goodness without causing any damage to your skin.
Mixing Aloe Vera With Moisturizer
If your skin can’t retain the aloe vera moisture on its own, consider mixing it with your moisturizer. To get enough moisture with all the benefits of aloe vera, we recommend mixing a pea-sized portion of the aloe gel with your water-based moisturizer before applying it as usual.
Ideally, you can mix the aloe gel with humectants such as glycerin to seal in the water on your skin.
Emollients such as coconut oil also help in filling gaps between skin flakes to retain water and lipids. For that, aloe vera gel mixed with coconut cream is great for lightening marks around your nose, eyes, and lips.
To create a facial cleanser, mix a tablespoon of the aloe vera gel with organic coconut oil in equal portions.
Massage the mixture on your face, before rinsing it with warm water, and dry your skin with a clean towel. You can also apply another layer of aloe vera mixed with your moisturizer to keep your skin smooth and moisturized.
Should I Apply Aloe Vera Gel Before Or After Toner?
Another common question people ask is should I apply aloe vera gel bore or after toner? The answer is yes, you can apply aloe vera after your toner. This will help your skin regenerate because aloe vera contains 75 nutrients and 200 active compounds including 20 minerals, 18 amino acids, and 12 vitamins.
However, you should ensure that whatever aloe vera gel you are using is either purely extracted aloe vera without harmful chemicals or the actual aloe vera gel itself.
Should I Use Aloe Vera Gel Before or After Serum
Aloe vera gel is a humectant. What this simply referred to is that they function in pulling out water from the deep part of our skin. This helps the skin stay hydrated. However, the serum functions as a supplier of active ingredients or nutrients to the body.
One of the main benefits of the serum is to fight wrinkles and other skin conditions. To make the serum work effectively, it needs to be properly absorbed into the skin, and a good way to make this effective is by opening up the skin pores.
In a use case for aloe vera and serum, it is best to use the aloe vera first to make it open up the pores which hydrate the skin and then the serum. This will help lock in the nutrients and content of the serum into the skin. In contrast, if the serum is a liquid, it can be mixed with the aloe vera gel.
Conclusion
So there’s the answer to the question of whether you should use aloe vera gel before or after moisturizer. Since pure aloe vera gel is completely free of harsh chemicals found in most skin care products, it should work great even for people with sensitive skin. However, you may experience irritation and/or skin redness if you have an allergic reaction. If that happens, stop using it immediately and consult your doctor for a diagnosis.
