Rinse aloe vera leaves well, and cut of the serrated edges on either side, leaving as much of the leaf intact as possible.
Slide your knife down the leaves from the base of the leaf to the point, exposing the aloe gel inside.
Cut the leaf into pieces that will fit into your dehydrator. You can also dry this on the lowest heat setting of your oven, using the fan setting if you have one.
Dry the aloe leaf pieces until completely dry and brittle. At first, they will appear dry, but will still be flexible. Continue to dry until brittle to ensure no moisture is left over. (Moisture is a breeding ground for microbial growth.)
Infuse the oil
Once the aloe is fully dry, fill a glass jar with the dried aloe vera leaf pieces. Completely cover the aloe with coconut oil (or another carrier oil). Leave the aloe and oil in a warm spot for several weeks.
After several weeks in a warm spot, the oil should have a nice, clean aloe scent. It will also have taken up some of the color of the aloe leaves.
Strain the leaf pieces out of your oil. I use a strainer in a funnel, pouring the oil through the strainer into a storage bottle.
You are now ready to use your aloe oil!
Video
Notes
Adjust the amount of oil depending on how much you want to make. Use enough oil to fully cover the dehydrated aloe pieces.
Speeding things up
You can speed up the infusion process by heating the oil with the aloe leaves. This can be done by placing the oil in the sun or heating it in a slow cooker. Be careful not to use too much heat so you don't cook the leaves which may lead to a bitter oil.Using a slow cooker can reduce the infusing time to several hours. When using heat directly from the sun, the process still generally takes several days/weeks. Some oils are more stable and can withstand the heat and sunlight better than others.
Stable carrier oils
The best choices for carrier oils are those that don't have strong scents or flavors of their own. It's also best to choose stable oils with a long shelf life. They tend to withstand the heat better and make for a longer-lasting aloe oil.
Jojoba oil is a stable oil that is perfect for both haircare and skincare.
Coconut oil is very stable but can cause acne for some people.
Sunflower oil is a mild oil that is non-comedogenic, but it doesn't keep as long as the other two.
Storage
Once filtered, store the finished oil in a cool, dry place. How long it keeps will depend on the carrier oil chosen and the method used to heat the oil. With time, the oil will eventually go rancid. To help prolong the shelf life of the oil, consider adding some vitamin E. Vitamin E is an antioxidant that can help prevent the oil from going rancid as quickly. Add at a dosage of 0.5%. (So, for every 95.5g of oil, use 0.5g of vitamin E.)