How to Make Transparent Aloe Vera Gel at Home (DIY Guide)

Is it possible to make a transparent gel at  home that is made from fresh Aloe vera? For some reason, many people on YouTube are  looking for ways to make transparent Aloe vera   gel like the ones sold in stores. But if you check the labels of those   store-bought gels, you’ll notice that  water is the main ingredient, and Aloe   vera is often listed near the bottom. In this video, I’ll show you how to create   a transparent gel made from fresh Aloe  vera that is much more natural and still   works wonders for your skin. I will also explain why it is not   possible to achieve the same level of  transparency that you see in commercial   gels unless you have special equipment. Let’s get started by preparing the Aloe vera   leaves. Clean the leaves thoroughly  and trim off the sharp edges. You want to be careful when doing this because  the outer edges can be quite prickly, so take your   time to make sure they’re removed completely. Once that is done, you’ll need to extract   the gel from the inside of the leaf. Use a spoon or any other blunt tool that   will not cut through the outer layer. You don’t want to scrape the rind, because   that can affect the clarity of the gel. The rind, or outer layer, contains a yellow   latex-like substance called aloin, which can  give the gel a slight color and cloudiness. You want to avoid it as much as possible  to get the clearest gel possible. Once you've extracted the gel, cut it into  smaller pieces to make blending easier. Give the pieces a good rinse to remove  any remaining bits of rind or latex. Then, transfer the gel to a  blender and blend until smooth. Once the gel is smooth, strain it to  remove any pulp or residue that can   make the gel look cloudy or less transparent. You can use a fine mesh strainer or  cheesecloth for this. Just pour the   blended gel and press out all the liquid. If you notice any foam forming on top,   feel free to scoop it off or just let it settle.  It will disappear on its own after a while. At this point, you have your  basic liquefied Aloe vera gel. Fresh Aloe vera gel is never crystal  clear. It’s usually a little cloudy   or has a slight off-white color. This is because of all the natural fibers,   compounds, and polysaccharides  that scatter light. So, how can you create a clear  gel from a cloudy liquid? You can make it clearer by using commercial  processors and enzymes to break down fibers   and separate liquids from solids,  which is not available at home.   Or, you can pass it through  distillation which I did,   because I have a stovetop distiller at home. It is going to look clear like water and has a   milder rosy scent but, its properties are not  anymore the same as polysaccharides, enzymes,   and some nutrients remain in the original  gel because they don’t evaporate easily. While Aloe vera hydrosol is great for  skin sprays, toners, or refreshing mists,   it won’t have the same deep moisturizing and  wound-healing properties as fresh Aloe gel. Next, I will show you that when  you thicken fresh Aloe vera gel,   it will slightly change the clarity. For this recipe, I used 179g fresh   Aloe vera gel, 4g Xanthan gum, 16g  glycerin, and 1g preservative. First, fully mix the Xanthan  gum with glycerin. Then, add it to the Aloe  vera gel and mix well. Let it sit for at least an hour to allow  the Xanthan gum to fully hydrate. When we thicken Aloe vera gel with  Xanthan gum, its structure changes. The thickener helps disperse and suspend tiny  particles like fibers and polysaccharides,   making the gel appear slightly clearer. However, it never becomes completely clear because   Xanthan gum itself has a natural cloudiness. If you want your gel to be more transparent,   there is a special type of Xanthan gum designed  for better clarity - this is Xanthan gum clear. For this recipe, I used 184  grams of fresh Aloe vera gel,   3 grams of Xanthan gum clear, 12 grams of  glycerin, and 1 gram of preservative. Mix the Xanthan gum clear and glycerin,  then add it to the Aloe vera gel. Mix thoroughly, and let it sit for about an  hour to allow the thickener to hydrate. You’ll notice that the gel with Xanthan gum clear   is more transparent than the  one without any thickener. It's also clearer compared to the gel  thickened with regular Xanthan gum.   If we want our gel to look more like store-bought  versions, we can use Carbomer — the thickener   commonly used in commercial Aloe vera gels. Carbomer is a synthetic polymer that swells when   mixed with liquid, transforming thin  solutions into thick, stable gels. However, it is not considered  natural or naturally derived. For this recipe, I used 295.5g  of Aloe vera gel, 3g of Carbomer,   1.5g of preservative, and a few drops of  triethanolamine (TEA) for pH adjustment. First, add the Carbomer to the Aloe vera gel and  let it sit for a few hours to fully swell. After a few hours, the carbomer is  fully dissolved but you’ll notice that   the gel is still not thick enough. That’s because Carbomer only thickens   properly at a pH range of 5.5 to 7. To adjust the pH, add triethanolamine. If you don’t have triethanolamine, you can use a  sodium hydroxide solution as an alternative. After adjusting the pH —  look at the final product!   It’s clearer than before, though  not as transparent as water. Comparing side by side with the gel made  with Xanthan clear, you will see that the   gel thickened by carbomer is clearer compared  with the one thickened by Xanthan gum clear. So, while you can’t make a crystal-clear Aloe vera  gel at home, you can achieve a more transparent   version using the right thickener. I hope you learned something from this   video. This is Danny. Thank you for  watching and see you in the next video.