10d • General discussions
Making an Aloe Vera Oral Care/Lip Gel
Making an Aloe Vera Oral Care/Lip Gel using dried Aloe Vera Powder
This formulation creates an 85g base oral gel to which up to 15% additives can be added without compromising the natural preservation of Food Grade Certified Organic Aloe Vera Powder with a 200:1 system.
This formulation using a concentration.
REFER TO - Table 1: Dried Aloe Vera Powder Ingredient photo for ingredients & Measurement
Step-by-Step Production Process
1. Sanitise Your Workspace
Thoroughly clean your area. Wipe down all glass beakers, stainless steel whisks, and containers with 70% food-grade ethanol. Let them air-dry completely.
2. Liquefy the Sea Buckthorn Pulp CO2
The CO2 total extract is too thick to measure accurately while cold. Place the sealed bottle of Sea Buckthorn Pulp CO2 into a bowl of warm water (approx. 40°C) for 5 minutes. Shake it well once it softens into a fluid oil.
3. Dissolve the Powders
In your main beaker, weigh out 82.00 g of Distilled Water. Add 0.4 g Sodium Benzoate, 0.2 g Potassium Sorbate, and 0.5 g Aloe Vera Powder. Stir thoroughly until the liquid is perfectly clear and no powder grains remain.
4. Drop the pH to Activate Preservatives
Stir 0.35 g of Citric Acid into the water mixture. Use a calibrated digital pH meter or high-precision pH strips to verify that the pH is between 4.5 and 4.8.
CRITICAL STEP: If the pH is above 4.8, the organic acid preservatives remain inactive, and your gel will spoil. Add a microscopic pinch of citric acid if needed to drop the pH into the safe zone.
5. Hydrate the Gel
Slowly sprinkle the 1.40 g of Xanthan Gum across the surface of the water while whisking rapidly with a mini-mixer or milk frother to prevent fish-eyes (clumps). Keep mixing until smooth, then let it rest for 15 minutes to fully hydrate into a thick gel.
6. Emulsify the Melted CO2 Extract
Weigh 0.15 g of your warmed, liquefied Sea Buckthorn Pulp CO2 Extract directly into the thick xanthan gel. Whisk vigorously for 1–2 minutes. The xanthan gum network will permanently trap the tiny lipid droplets, changing the clear gel into a bright, uniform, opaque orange-yellow paste.
7. Storing Your Aloe Oral Base Gel (without alcohol)
If you make a bulk amount of the concentrated base to store and scent/medicate/add therapeutics later, use this method.
Refrigerate at 4°C.
Why: While the Sodium Benzoate and Potassium Sorbate system prevents microbial growth at room temperature, keeping the base cold significantly extends the shelf life of the Sea Buckthorn Pulp CO2 extract.
Container: Amber glass jar with an airtight lid.
Why: Sea Buckthorn Pulp CO2 is highly sensitive to photo-oxidation (light damage). UV rays will quickly degrade its precious Omega-7 fatty acids and bleach its bright orange carotenoids. Amber glass blocks these harmful wavelengths.
Shelf Life: Up to 6 to 9 months in the fridge.
8. Storing Your Aloe Oral Base Gel (with Alcohol)
If you decide to add alcohol, such as pure ethanol or an herbal tincture, to your gel, this can change how you can store your gel. Keep in mind that this is for a 45% alcohol tincture, which is the minimum you want for this formulation.
If your formulation contains the MINIMUM 11.5% (deducted from your 15% Future Additions Space) in your 100g Aloe Vera Gel base, you can safely store this gel without refrigeration, such as in your bathroom cabinet, for up to 3 months.
If stored in the refrigerator (4 °C), the shelf life is 9 months.
If you use the entire Future additions space (15% or 15g) for the tincture/alcohol, then the shelf life in a bathroom cabinet is 4 months, and for refrigeration (4 °C), it is 9 to 12 months.
Notes:
* You can add an alcohol based herbal tincture/extract to this formulation in the future, in additional space, but only if the final alcohol concentration in the complete gel remains low. Alcohol interacts intensely with hydrocolloid thickeners and organic acid preservatives. To avoid liquefying your gel or crashing out the preservation system, you must follow specific boundaries.
1. The Impact on Gel Consistency (The Xanthan Limit)
Xanthan gum has an excellent tolerance for alcohol, but only up to a point.
The Science: Xanthan gum is completely soluble in water, but it is entirely insoluble in pure ethanol. If the overall alcohol concentration of your final mixture exceeds 20% to 30%, the xanthan gum molecules will experience a "sharp transition," lose their hydration, and clump together (precipitate out). This will destroy your smooth gel structure and turn it into a watery, stringy liquid.
The Rule for Your Formula: Because your tincture only occupies a maximum of 15% of the total formula, a standard herbal tincture (usually made with 40% to 60% alcohol) is completely safe. It will dilute into the water phase easily without altering the xanthan gum network.
2. The Impact on Preservation
Adding an alcoholic tincture actually improves your formula's long-term preservation.
Synergy: Ethanol acts as a natural penetration enhancer and co-preservative. When it mixes with your existing food-grade system (Sodium Benzoate + Potassium Sorbate), it creates an even more hostile environment for bacteria and mould.
Solubility: Both Sodium Benzoate and Potassium Sorbate remain perfectly stable and effective in mild hydroalcoholic (water + alcohol) solutions.
Why may you want to add an herbal tincture?
You could make a lip gel for Herpes Simplex using this base by adding in Lemon Balm Tincture (Melissa officinalis) made with Fresh Plant Material as a 1:2 (1 part herb to 2 parts solvent), which is a lot more affordable than its more expensive Melissa essential oil.
How to add tincture safely to Base Gel:
If you want to use the full 15% space for your tincture, follow this exact breakdown to make a perfect 100g final batch:
- Weigh your Base: Start with 85.00 g of your prepared orange-yellow Sea Buckthorn/Aloe base gel.
- Weigh your Tincture: Slowly pour 15.00 g of your organic alcoholic tincture directly into the gel.
- Whisk Instantly: Whisk vigorously using your mini-mixer as you pour. This immediately disperses the alcohol before it can cause localized xanthan clumping.
Note: If your tincture is exceptionally strong (e.g., a 95% high-proof extraction), do not use the full 15g space for the tincture alone. Instead, use 5g of tincture combined with 10g of distilled water to keep the overall alcohol level mild and pleasant for oral membranes.
Oral Care Sensory Warning with Alcohol:
While alcohol is physically compatible with this system, high alcohol concentrations in oral gels can cause a stinging sensation, dry out the oral mucosa, or strip the mouth's protective moisture barrier.
If this gel is intended for sensitive gums or dry mouth conditions, keeping the tincture addition closer to 5% to 7% (and topping up the remaining free space with distilled water or organic vegetable glycerine) will yield a much gentler, commercial-quality mouth gel.
Oral Care Sensory Warning with Essential Oils:
The maximum percentage of total essential oil (this does not factor in the individual specific essential oil dosage – example peppermint e.o internal use max 0.2ml – roughly 3-4 drops) that can be applied to a 100g batch of the Aloe Vera base gel to be applied to gums or inside the mouth for conditions such as ulcers) is 0.5% (approx. 10-15 drops) for therapeutic use.
Mucosal Burning and Tissue Sloughing: The lining of your mouth (oral mucosa) is incredibly sensitive and lacks the protective, dead outer layer of regular skin. Essential oils are highly concentrated chemical compounds. Exceeding 0.5% will cause an intense burning sensation, redness, and can even cause the delicate top layer of your cheek or gum tissue to peel away (sloughing).
Taste Bud Overdrive: Essential oils like Peppermint, Spearmint, or Clove are extremely potent. At levels above 0.5%, the flavour becomes aggressively bitter, medicinal, and overwhelming. It will linger in your mouth for hours, temporarily altering your taste buds and making food or water taste metallic or chemical.
Xanthan Gel Destabilisation: Essential oils are pure lipids. While your 1.40g of xanthan gum is strong enough to trap tiny amounts of oil, pushing past 0.5% essential oil—on top of the Sea Buckthorn Pulp CO2 you already have—can cause the oils to separate, pool together, and break down the gel consistency.
Making an Aloe Vera Oral Care/Lip Gel using Fresh Aloe
Making an oral gel base from a freshly harvested Aloe barbadensis leaf changes the physics of the formulation completely.
When you use 200:1 powder, you control exactly how much water is in the mix. Fresh raw aloe fillet, however, is already 98.5% water naturally; you cannot simply swap the powder for fresh chunks; instead, the liquefied fresh leaf completely replaces the distilled water in the formulation.
Furthermore, using fresh leaves introduces a serious food safety step: aloin extraction. The yellow sap between the rind and the gel (aloin) is a toxic, highly bitter laxative that must be completely removed for safe oral use.
Personally, this is why I prefer to use the dried Aloe Vera concentrate over the Freshly harvested Aloe Vera fillets (along with the very short shelf life, stability issues, etcx), plus it's easier to formulate using dried.
However, if you want to use fresh, this is how:
Because fresh aloe gel has a variable water density and natural plant pulp, we adjust the Xanthan Gum to 1.60 grams. This higher percentage accounts for the natural enzymes in the fresh plant that attempt to break down the gel network over time.
REFER TO - Table 2: Freshly Harvested Aloe Vera Inner Leaf Fillet Ingredient
Step 1: Safely Processing the Fresh Leaf (Aloin Removal)
The Bleed Step: Stand your freshly cut aloe leaf upright in a jar or cup for 30 to 45 minutes. You will watch a yellow, foul-smelling sap drip out of the base. Discard this sap completely—it is the toxic aloin.
Filleting: Lay the leaf flat. Slice off the spiked side margins. Carefully slide a sharp knife directly under the green skin to remove the top and bottom rinds, leaving a transparent, glassy, jelly-like inner slab.
The Double-Rinse: Submerge the clear jelly cubes in a bowl of cold water for 10 minutes. Swish them around and rinse them under running water to clean off any microscopic surface traces of yellow latex.
Liquefying and Straining: Place the clean, clear chunks into a blender and blend on high until completely liquid and frothy. Pour the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth to catch raw, stringy pulp fibres. Let the foam settle until you have a smooth, clean aloe liquid
Step 2: Formulating the Base
Dissolve Preservatives: Weigh out exactly 82.30 grams of your fresh aloe liquid into a clean beaker. Add the 0.4g Sodium Benzoate and 0.2g Potassium Sorbate. Stir until completely dissolved.
Acidify immediately: Fresh aloe sits at an unstable pH (often around 5.0 to 5.5). Add the 0.35g Citric Acid and mix. Check your pH strip or digital meter. It must read between 4.5 and 4.8 to activate the preservatives.
Gel Creation: Slowly sprinkle the 1.60g of Xanthan Gum across the liquid while mixing rapidly with a mini-mixer. Let it sit for 20 minutes to hydrate. (Note: Because fresh aloe contains natural structures, it may look slightly translucent or cloudy compared to the crystal-clear powder version.
Incorporate the Active Lipid: Melt your 0.15g of Sea Buckthorn Pulp CO2 in a warm water bath, pour it into the gel, and mix vigorously for two minutes until it forms a creamy amber-orange emulsion.
Critical Warning on Fresh Leaf Shelf Life
Raw, unpasteurized plant matter contains wild, active enzymes (like cellulase) that naturally chew through hydrocolloid thickeners.
Even if you were to add 15g tincture/ethanol addition, creating a 6.75% ABV environment, a fresh-leaf oral gel cannot sit in a bathroom cabinet safely for months. The thick gel network will slowly thin out and liquefy over time.
Fresh Aloe Vera Oral Care Gel Base, even with alcohol, should NEVER be stored at room temperature and must be kept refrigerated at 4 °C for a maximum of 3-4 months before the fresh plant enzymes degrade the texture, compared to the 12-month limit achieved when using sterile, manufactured 200:1 powder.
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Making an Aloe Vera Oral Care/Lip Gel
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