Credit: Lady Care Health
I have been using my pure Aloe Vera (Aubrey Organics) with rosemary EO added since my last post in June. If you’re tardy to the party, the concept pertains to using aloe vera to seal/smooth your hair, ultimately decreasing frizz and adding shine. After testing it on my hair and doing further research, I am concluding that AV cannot replace using oil or butter for the “classic” purpose of sealing (feel free to disagree). Why, you ask? A couple of reasons:
1. Aloe Vera is made up of mostly water (I actually like to call it Water 2.0), which evaporates as your hair dries.
2. Aloe Vera does not coat the hair like an oil/butter does to form a barrier between your hair and moisture in the air (However, note – the Aubrey Organics AV does contain vitamin E).
Now, that being said, do I think that aloe vera is worthless on our hair? HECK NO! Because of its acidic pH, aloe vera can help “seal” your strands as in smoothing your cuticle, and also provides nourishment and moisture to your hair (which is why it cuts down on frizz). For my regimen, this would make aloe vera fall under the “finishing” step rather than actual sealing (when I put oil on my ends to reduce friction between my hair and clothes).
As an alternative, I also added some aloe vera to my oil mix and used that to fluff/refresh my hair in the mornings. Now, will I add aloe vera to my regimen permanently? Well, it sorta already is! Although I do not always use pure aloe vera juice, several of my staple products have an aloe vera base (UFD, AV gel, Cush Curl Extender, etc) or have AV very high on the list, as in the second or third ingredient (Curl Junkie Beauticurls Argan & Olive, ReVe Moisturizer, etc). Basically, it’s usually lurking around in there somewhere. Although, I can’t lie, I am a little disappointed that my main HG finishers, Curl Junkie Curls in a Bottle and Knotty Girl Leave-In, are both missing this stellar little ingredient. I may mix them with AV, but I’m a little scared to mess up the formula. We’ll see.
‘Til next time, pals…xoxo
questfortheperfectcurl.com 
Hi Elle I agree with your findings. Aloe Vera is good for creating ph but it is drying and won’t replace an oil or butter as a sealant. I remember when I was first starting out making butters I would use aloe Vera juice if I put too much oil or butter into the mix and it definitely made it less greasy.
I don’t think aloe vera is drying unless you use a brand that uses harsher additives and preservatives. But I agree that it does not replace oils/butters as sealants.
I forget which brand i was using I think it was Dessert something or another I don’t recall the additives that may have been included. I’ve always had a very sensitive scalp so perhaps that was the culprit. Thanks for responding.
My hair absolutely hates aloe vera anything! It just flakes like crazy on my hair. If it has aloe in it, my hair responds horribly. I have tried mixing it with other conditioners; I’ve used aloe vera juice in different mixtures also. Could I be doing something wrong? It really acts like a protein treatment on my hair and makes my hair dry, flaky and brittle.
Great post Elle! I really like Aloe Vera as a scalp treatment. If you have dry, itchy or scabby scalp it helps to soothe the skin on the scalp and reduce dandruff. I actually did a pure aloe vera scalp treatment a few days ago. Here is a link to the post: http://kurleebelle.blogspot.com/2012/07/home-remedies-aloe-vera-scalp-treatment.html
http://www.kurleebelle.com
Thanks hun!
I 100% agree with Cheryl. Although I learned of aloe vera sealing from Hey Fran Hey, who happens to apply aloe vera juice as a final step, I have found the best use for aloe vera juice as a first-step sealer. I add my AV juice before I add my leave-in or anything else, and this results in super-shiny, moisturized, fluffy hair! I have noticed my hair staying moisturized for much longer in this dry, dry Colorado heat. My hair also has a consistent shine that is undeniable.
To Elle’s point, I believe that if you add the AV juice at the beginning step, you can still do your regular sealing routine of adding your normal oil or butter to your ends, etc. This is what I have been doing, and the results are remarkable. AV juice has certainly become a staple in my hair regimen.
Thanks for posting your Aloe Vera experiment, Elle, because otherwise, I wouldn’t have discovered this new secret weapon of mine. Thanks for all the info!
Yep, I add it as a finisher before my oil or butter. Sealing as in closing the cuticle is different than sealing with an oil (forming a barrier).
Thanks for this post. For the last few weeks I’ve been spraying my hair with pure aloe vera Juice right after I wash/co-wash before adding my leave-in and moisturizer/sealer. I have found I have much less frizz and much more shine. In my
mind the reason I tried it was that I thought it would seal my cuticles before adding my products. It seems to also help to detangle (maybe because the cuticles are sealed more). In addition, if I decide to retwist my hair at night, I’ll spritz a little aloe vera juice to moisten and then again add my moisturizer/sealer. It again seems to help my hair smooth out and not be as frizzy when my twists are taken out. Also seems to help manage the effects of high humidity/dew point days because the cuticle has been sealed with the juice. I love it!