Aloe Vera Oil: Home Made (and All Natural) fin.

Aloe Oil: Second Straining Process

experiment I

Aloe Oil: second
filtration process using
coffee filter

I filtered the Aloe Oil for the second time using a coffee filter taped to a small bowl. While gradually pouring the oil into the coffee filter, I was careful not to pour in too much at one time. The second straining process was much slower than the first, lasting about one hour.  The coffee filter filtrated the oil at a drip pace but managed to remove all the particles still left behind after the first straining. The final product resulted in just over 4 oz of all natural Aloe Vera Oil with a coconut oil base. The excess oil has been stored in an airtight container for later refill usage. 

Drip 

Aloe Oil: Final product
4 oz

The Green Project 2013

~Gabby

Aloe Vera Oil: Home Made (and All Natural) cont.

 Aloe Oil: Heating Process

experiment I

Start

Finish

Leftover Aloe pieces after being
cooked and strained. The
 pieces resemble a texture
similar to that of onion rings.

After the Aloe pulp and coconut oil set for 3 days, I removed the mixture from it's container and simmered it for 50 min on low heat (electric burner notches 2-3)until the it stopped bubbling. The gel pieces shrank in size by the end of the heating process, turning crispy like onion rings. I let the mixture stand for one hour to allow it to return to room temperature. A small, tightly woven mesh strainer was used to filter the oil. Tomorrow I will filter it one more time with a coffee filter to remove any small remaining particles. The 4 aloe leaves plus 200 mL of coconut oil yielded approx. 4 fluid oz of Aloe Oil.

Aloe Oil: still requiring one more filtering
(NOTE: not all specks are aloe-the counter top happens to be speckled.
The larger specks are remaining aloe product.)

The Green Project 2013

~Gabby

Aloe Vera Oil: Home Made (and All Natural)

Aloe Oil

experiment I

Aloe Oil process step (1)

FORMULA:

50 mL of coconut oil for every Aloe Vera leaf.

RECIPE:

(1)Remove center gel from aloe leaves. Mix combination until gel is fully covered and let sit for 3 days. (2)After 3 days, heat mixture over low flame for 10-15 minutes; stir mixture continuously, when popping sound of hot oil stops remove mixture from heat. (3)Let mixture stand until at room temperature and then strain.

NOTES OF PROGRESS:

For this experiment I used the gel of 4 mature aloe leaves combined with 200mL of coconut oil. This mixture was made last night, it will be ready to heat on Thursday, the 10th. I shall update progress of the experiment after the heating process is complete- followed by a documented, full length test drive of the Aloe Oil on my own hair.

                                                                The Green Project 2013

                                                                              ~Gabby

Light Deprivation

The image on the right is the "4th" and eldest of the four pups that are still attached to the mother plant. It was accidentally separated from the mother plant when I was removing mature leaves to collect the center gel. The picture below was taken one day after the transplant. As you can see, the centers of both pups in both pictures are a very pale green. The two pups were originally growing side by side at the base of the mother plant, as shown by the still attached pup in the picture to the left. The mature leaves at the bottom tier of the mother plant's rosette pattern were covering the pups, thus rendering the plant's chlorophyll (which gives vegetation its pigment) unable to absorb adequate light. The pup still attached to the mother remains partially covered, but the separated pup now has the chance to be fully doused in light. I will keep track of the length of time it will take for the separated pup to regain its pigment. 

3rd eldest pup still attached to mother plant

eldest/separated pup

The Green Project 2013

~Gabby

Update: Aloe beginning to bloom

It is now spring and the mother plant is once again beginning her reproductive cycle. 3 pups are still attatched to her; the 4th and oldest of the pups was accidentally knocked off and seperated from the mother. It was immediately transplanted and is currently doing well. 

beginning flower 

The Green Project 2013

~Gabby

Cold Temperatures & Aloe

Lately the weather in Texas has been pretty cold, with temperatures dropping below freezing some nights. Even though the Aloe Vera nursery is located inside, the room is not very well insulated. The premature Aloe shown in the picture were effected the most. Their lack of a well developed root system makes them suceptible to the cold, causing their leaves to turn a dull and yellowish hue. The pup on the outer right side appeared to be least effected. It retained the healthiest center out of the three plants with light green fleshy leaves and minimally reduced vigor. The larger plants were slightly effected, class one overall showed the most suceptibility, compared to class two and the mother plant. Slight darkening of the outer ridges of the leaves indicated damage along with slowed growth and vigor. By keeping the potted Aloe closer to the lamps I am hoping the slight temperature increase will be enough to help the plants get back on track

6 Weeks After Transplant

It has been roughly six weeks as of 12/21/13 since the class one aloe clusters were first transplanted. Normal vigor and color has returned. Some discolored purple/red patches are still visible on older leaves, but bright green centers indicate healthy new growth. Growth has resumed normal pace even in the weakest of the pups. When I first separated all the existing pups from the mother plant I made the mistake of cutting a few too soon-I should have left them attached to the adult for several weeks longer. New growth is now growing from the centers of these struggling "runts". The recovery process did not require much, I let the plants and time do most of the work. The six larger plants were watered once a week; the smaller three were watered twice a week. The water I used consisted of purified tap water; un-purified tap water contains chlorine, among other harsh elements, that can raise pH to an acidic level and burn plants. The difference in size between the plant in the bottom left corner and the rest of the group is actually an un-categorized plant used in comparison to the Class 1 plants to demonstrate rate of growth. This plant was in between classes 1 and 2 so I left it un-categorized for now until it reaches a more consistent size with one of the groups (for dosage amounts when fertilizing begins). The ninth plant from class one is still alive, it is just not shown in the 6 week picture. Four pups still remain attached to the mother plant. Two are still very premature, the other two are larger but should remain attached for several more weeks (one is more mature than the other). 

6 weeks later w/uncategorized plant

 day of transplant

                                                                                 ~Gabby
                                                                   The Green Project 2013