The way Aloe is processed can make a big difference on its effectiveness.
Aloe Barbadensis Miller is the most effective type of aloe in existence, but it can be rendered completely useless and ineffective very easily. It turns out that the way most companies process Aloe can not only destroy the nutritious vitamins and healing properties, but it can also make it irritating for most people.Aloe is only grown in certain areas of the country: New Mexico, Arizona, and other hot, dry areas of the country. Unfortunately most processing areas where skin care or nutritional products are made are not close enough to transport the aloe without first stabilizing it in some way.
Many companies use Whole Leaf Aloe. This is where the aloe is harvested by a machine and immediately ground up into a slurry gel. Of course, this is the cheapest way to harvest and process Aloe, but also the most detrimental.
An Aloe leaf consists of a waxy outer coating, soothing inner gel, and a thin layer of yellowish sap in between. When the aloe leaf is ground up, this yellow sap is ground up as well, and when mixed with the gel, forms Aloins, chemical compounds that are very irritating to the skin.
The waxy outer part of the aloe plant is also very irritating. The plant uses this protective coating to discourage animals from eating it. When ground, it contributes to the bad smell that most aloe jellies have.
Instead of grinding up the whole plant at once, many companies will hand pick and hand fillet the aloe. This is by far the best way to harvest the aloe because it protects the inner gel from being tainted by the aloins. Unfortunately this is also the most expensive way to harvest Aloe because it cannot be done by machine.
All the Aloe Barbadensis that goes into L'Bri products is grown organically and then hand picked and hand filleted to ensure that only the pure, innermost gel is used.
Once the aloe has been picked and filleted, most companies still need to process the gel down so that it's easily transportable to their product manufacturing site. If a company grows its Aloe in Arizona, but its manufacturing plant is in St. Louis, the gel must be packed and shipped safely.For this, most companies will freeze-dry the gel. This process produces a powdered form that's easy to ship and then reconstitute once it arrives at the manufacturing plant. Other companies concentrate the gel, almost like concentrated orange juice. The worse offenders are those that boil the gel, and just like your fresh broccoli looses its nutrients in the boiling water, so does the Aloe.
The fact of the matter is, Aloe is too unstable to ship any great distance without some form of processing. Instead boiling, freeze-drying, or concentrating this healing substance, why not move your manufacturing plant closer so you can eliminate this step all together?
That's exactly what L'Bri did when formulating the ingredients for their skin care products. L'Bri never grinds up the aloe plant, boils, concentrates, or freeze-dries the aloe. This would cut down on the healing qualities of the plant and result in a less effective product for consumers.
L'Bri Pure n' Natural products are only made when new aloe is harvested. By combining this nutrient rich, healing gel with other natural USDA pharmaceutical grade ingredients, L'Bri has created products that are as natural as possible for being man made.
© NBN 2009: Is Your Aloe Good Enough