I became familiar with the healing properties of aloe vera at a very young age, and that was not a good thing. I possessed the unholy trifecta of fair skin (with red hair, no less), a residence in sunny Southern California, and an absolute hatred of sunblock. My parents bought aloe vera gel in large quantities. The thick green stuff provided such relief even while leaving the skin feel so sticky that you dare not actually touch anything, including clothing. Then we discovered the thick blue stuff, which was the thick green stuff but with lidocaine for extra painkilling power, and without any pesky questions about the color change--what color do you add to green to get blue when supposedly blue is composed of green and yellow?
What I'm getting at here is that the stuff we normally think of as aloe vera, if it doesn't come straight from the plant, is really hardly aloe vera at all.
Check out this ingredient list of a national chain's store-brand aloe vera gel (the green version): Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice , Water , SD Alcohol 40 , Glycerin , Polysorbate 20 , Carbomer , Triethanolamine , Methylparaben , Benzophenone-4 , Imidazolidinyl Urea , Fragrance , Yellow 5 , Blue 1
Yeesh! What IS all that?? You know, nevermind...you probably don't want to know.
But we got here from a good idea: aloe barbadensis leaf juice aka aloe vera juice is seriously good stuff! It forms the basis of many Miessence products, and with good reason.
Aloe is also amazingly easy to come by. The plants themselves grow like mad with enough sunshine and neglect (i.e. not overwatering), and kindly regenerate when you break off a limb to rub the oozing juice on your stinging, painful skin. It also has beautiful flowers.
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| Aloe Vera Plant w/ Flower Detail Source: Wikipedia |
Real, actual, pure aloe vera juice can be found easily at most stores that stock even remotely natural body care products. It is quite a bit more expensive, at about $6 for a small bottle of the real deal vs. maybe $1.50 for 2-3 times as much goopy gel stuff, but it's hardly going to break the bank. It's also not likely to make you feel like you need to walk around naked for reasons other than it being hot!
Aloe's skin healing properties were known to ancients ranging from Cleopatra to Marco Polo to Christopher Columbus. It is antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory, with additional healing properties gained from vitamins C and E.
Aloe is also used internally in many parts of the world, as a digestive aid and flavoring. (Note: please don't do this with the gel) Sometimes it is treated as a vegetable and added to curries. Many Japanese beverages include aloe, often as the primary flavor.
There is even some preliminary research showing that aloe may be an effective treatment for diabetes!
With all of this going for it, is it any wonder it plays a starring role in so many Miessence products?
The facial moisturizers might make sense to you as items containing aloe, but that's not the only category where you'll find it! Here are some other products that may surprise you as containing this amazing ingredient.
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| Shape Styling Gel-Medium Body and Hold for Most Hair Types |
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| Mint Toothpaste (also available in Lemon and Anise) |
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| All our liquid Translucent Foundations |
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| Ancient Spice Roll-On Deodorant (also available in Tahitian Breeze and Aroma Free) |
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| Sunflower Body Wash |
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