As I get older, I'm noticing just how much less money I'm spending on happy hour drinks and instead allocating towards a good skincare regimen. While I welcome and embrace proof of the time passing on my face, I know that aging gracefully and responsibly means treating my largest organ (my skin) the right way.
But the thing is, the right way doesn't need to be expensive when you can use nature's bounty to treat your skin. This eye gel recipe is easy and inexpensive, using the anti-inflammatory properties of the cucumber. Cucumbers, in addition to being alkaline-packed powerhouses in the juicer, are high in Vitamin C. Puffy, swollen skin will soak that stuff right up.
Let me show you how easy this is.
Soothing Cucumber Eye Gel
- 5-8 tbsp organic aloe vera gel*
- 1/2 large cucumber, washed, peeled, and cut into cubes
Blend the cucumber with an immersion blender or in a food processor until liquid. Strain the juice of the cucumber through a fine sieve and set aside.
Place the aloe vera gel in a small bowl and mix in 2 tbsp cucumber juice. Whisk well until combined - forming a thicker, gel-like consistency. Because not all aloe gels are the same, this is up to you to determine. Once it's at the consistency of your liking, pour into a small jar container and place in the fridge to chill for 1 hour to set.
Apply under and around the eyes before bed.
Shelf life is 6 weeks if kept in the refrigerator.
*I've gotten some comments reporting sensitive skin reactions to the gel. I believe this has to do with the quality of the aloe vera product you are using. Be sure it's the purest form of aloe you can find, and doesn't include any filler ingredients that may react harshly to sensitive skin.
love this! Shared on my FB.. thank you!
You are most welcome, Cindy. Thank you for sharing!
can you add vitamin e as a preservative to increase the shelf life?
I am excited to see a recipe for this but I have fibromyalsia and anything in the Aloe Vera/Melaluca family inflames it. Can you think of something different that I might try? Am racking my brain with thoughts. Thank you.
Hi I also have fibro and even though I haven’t myself noticed any of the same with Aloe, I am wondering about Coconut Oil. I make sea salt scrub and always have it on had. The Coconut oil stays solid and creamy if stored in the frig and I think it might apply nicely.
It makes my hands feel great after the scrub, so many it would be nice and softening for the “bags” under my eyes. Any thoughts.?
Donna, I love this idea you dabblist you! My approach is to try it out (after some research – you know your skin likes coconut oil, good!) and see how it goes. Get your witchy alchemist on 🙂
I also have fibro and aloe on my face does not bother it or inflame my fibro. Maybe try using honey instead of the aloe? You could leave it on all night as long as it’s dry before hitting your pillow (stickiness) or leave on for a few hours before bed and wash off. Also I take aloe vera gel caps too and it doesn’t bother me. But yet I always feel inflamed but have been for about a year straight now, and only been taking the caps for 2 months.
You could try cucumber juice and green tea mixed with either arrowroot powder or corn starch to thicken it. Unfortunately, it will leave a powdery residue after it has absorbed, so you’ll want to rinse that off. Alternatively, you can soak chia seeds in the cucumber juice and green tea mixture over night. When the consistency is to your liking, strain the seeds out using cheese cloth. The chia seeds produce a sort of gel when mixed with liquid, so it will thicken the mixture and no rinsing will be needed. Chia seeds are full of fatty acids that are good for the skin. Once the seeds are strained out, you can add some vitamin e if you’d like as well. Keep refrigerated and make a new batch every week or so.
Loves this idea!!! Thank you so much for sharing!! 🙂 have a great day!
When you say 3 month shelf life, does that mean in the frig or on the bathroom shelf?????
In the fridge, I forgot the mention that. I added it in now. Thanks!
Would Vitamin E prolong the shelf life? I does have a preservative property to it.
No. Vitamin e is not a presevative.
Very excited to try this!! Sounds amazing 🙂 Thanks Becca!
Are you recommending 4oz of a store bought Aloe gel? Assuming the answer is yes, …..how would I use the actual aloe leaf? Would I blend with cucumber and strain?
Thank you.
You could use either store bought gel or fresh aloe leaf. Fresh is best!
My eyes are very puffy. I will try this and will let you know how it worked for me.
check your blood pressure – HBP/HTN can cause swollen eye lids & puffiness under the orbit.
Hi! Love the recipe. Just one question…do you store this gel in the fridge? Thanks!
How can it last so long. One would think the cucumber purée/liquid would go bad sooner than three months. Just curious.
I didn’t have a problem, as long as it was in the fridge.
How does the purée/liquid not go bad before three months?
When you say “Aloe Gel” are you using a refined Aloe Gel product or the gel straight from the plant? 😀
You can use either. I used gel straight from the plant since I have one in my home.
Hi, I want to make this straight from my Aloe plant. Do I need to add anything as a natural preservative?
I’m allergic to aloe vera is there something else I can use instead
Try honey
Hmm I’m not sure about that one, Guadalupe. I’ll have to do some research!
I’ve been looking for all-natural eye cream for some time now and this looks so easy to make! I think I’m going to try it this week. Thanks for sharing!
I don’t belive it!
i do it too some days ago and post it on my blog too 🙂
and with the restant cocumer i’ve done a mask 😉
Add a capsule or two of natural vitamin E for a bit more antioxidant protectant. I have fairly oily skin and the aloe/vit E combo is my daily moisturizer.
Great suggestion, thanks jennifer!
Hi there, I kinda did something different and I think I might have made a mistake by doing so. I blended the cucumber and the gel from an aloe vera leaf and strained it then poured it into a jar…the problem is its completely liquid. Is there something I can add to it to thicken it up?
Thanks!
Oh, it sounds like your ratio of cucumber juice to aloe vera is off. I’d adjust the ratio to make it less watery.
lol, you know I was just thinking that when I read the title again – gel! More aloe gel! Sheesh, it must be the heat melting my brain today….thank you!
Oh I know, it’s so hot here in San Francisco. Where do you live?
Even when you add more gel, keep the mixture in the fridge so it doesn’t get more watery.
This is so wonderful! I love the smell of cucumbers so anything I can make with them is always a good thing.
Instead of blending, then straining – could you just juice the cucumber or does some of the finely ground bits make it better?
You could totally juice the cucumber, if you have a juicer.
Have you got recipe for face cream. . I am 50 years old.
Hi Lianna, try this for a moisturizing face cream: https://beccapiastrelli.com/homemade-body-cream-with-rose-ylang-ylang/
I really like your site. I am going to try your eye gel. I will let you know how it works for the bags under my eyes… thanks
how do you extract the gel from the leaf? how many leafs are needed?
Ronni – I just squeezed it straight out of the leaf. Here is another great way to make aloe vera gel from the leaves of an aloe vera plant.
What’s the reason for taking the skins off? Can you keep them on for blending?
@Veronica Horobiowski
try using just cocoa butter under the eyes every night instead 🙂
Hi Becca! I was wondering if I could ask for some advice 🙂 I really liked the idea of your eye gel, and was hoping I could add a couple more ingredients to make it more of a lightweight lotion. Using my typical ratio recipe (6 parts liquid oil: 3 parts solid oil: 1 part wax: 9 parts water) I melted a small amount of beeswax, and the rest of the oils. I poured it into the blender and slowly added the cucumber/aloe. instead of the water.. but it wouldn’t emulsify. The oils and wax seemed to stay together as a lotion, but the cucumber/aloe juice has seeped out and doesn’t want to play.
I ran into something similar to this a couple months ago when I tried to add some pomegranate juice as a colorant in some lip balm, After pouring it into the containers and letting it harden, I found I could poke through the top layer of balm and the juice was swimming around underneath it all.
Am I doing something wrong, or are fruit/veggie juice just not meant to emulsify with the oils and wax?
Cheers 🙂
I am so glad to see that the shelf life is three months. I have undereye issues: circles and the like, so I am looking forward to making and using this cucumber eye gel very soon. Hoping for miracles! Smile.
The first time i try this home made cream I did not have aloe vera so i use coconut oil unrefined organic and it work awesome, I think if you are allergic to aloe you can try this way coconut oil is also very good for you skin.
What a great suggestion, Yomi!
1. When you use the whisk until it’s combined, what texture exactly is it? Are the gels still in small pieces or have they transform into thick gooey liquid? I couldn’t whisk mine so I blended the aloe n cucumber but it turned out foamy. Did I over blend it? Any way to salvage it? Also before this, I made another batch but it remained in liquid form. Can I just add aloe and blend again?
Hi Ai,
The texture should be more like a jelly when you whisk it. If it’s too liquid-y, then add more aloe and have it sit in the fridge overnight.
When I whisk it, am I supposed to break the chunks of aloe gel into smaller tiny pieces (like a mashed up jelly)? If so, will the small pieces combine (like your last picture) after chilling? Like a whole jelly.
Also, can I blend it instead?
Hi Lester!
Yes, break up those chunks of aloe into smaller pieces, making sure there cucumber juice to aloe ratio doesn’t make it too watery. Then, when you chill it, it more easily forms a gel.
You can definitely blend as well!
Thank you. I made some and the color of the gel turned brown or rather less green the following day. Did that happen to you too?
Or… use grape seed oil on your face before bed (cheap, cheap!)
(don’t put it IN your eyes) and EAT the cucumber!!
Cheers
Jennifer (50 and loving it!)
I love this idea,and it easy,easy is good in our busy world. Heres what I did to make it more so and with less waist. I used a large cucumber instead and put measured cucumber juice in an ice cube tray. So next time all I have to do is thaw a cube. I don’t know how well this will work but hey..its worth a try! Thank you,Becca, for sharing your ideas!!
ooOOOOo, I like your dabbling style Michelle! Let us know how it goes 🙂
Hi Becca, I have some Fruit of the Earth Aloe Vera after sun gel. Could I use that with the cucumbers or should it be pure aloe vera? And not this that has water, glycerin, and all of these other big words that I can’t even pronounce? Thanks, Rhonda
Hi Rhonda,
I would go with your intuition here, that the aloe vera gel you have may not be the best to put under your eyes. I find it best to only put on my face what I also feel comfortable eating as well.
Thanks Becca for answering my question. Now I have another LOL! on the recipe for the aloe vera /cucumber get, do you mean 1/2 of a cucumber or 1 to 2 cucumbers? Thanks Rhonda
That’s ok, Rhonda. I don’t mind questions 🙂
I meant 1/2 or half a cucumber.
Hi Becca,, Thanks for clarifying. Hey, would coconut oil do the same thing as the aloe vera gel or not? I have that on hand and really want to get started with this, but have to wait for a few days for money to get the aloe vera gel
thanks, Rhonda
Hi Becca
I made this eye gel but halved the recipe. I applied around my eyes and when I looked in the mirror about half hour later I noticed that the whole area that I had applied it was bright red. I didn’t feel any discomfort it was just a bit warm to touch. I just wondered if this is a common reaction to aloe/cucumber or if it may be an allergic reaction. Thanks in advance
Sarah
Hi Sarah! Hmm, that might be a reaction to the aloe vera gel. Do you have access to an aloe plant? You might want to go the pure route in lieu of the stuff in the bottle.
Yami, i tried your coconut oil idea but once i put it in the refrigerator, the oil hardened on top of the cucumber juice. How did you get it to blend?
Hi Becca,
Roughly how many aloe vera leaves make up the 4oz? Thinkin of buying fresh aloe vera leaves from a farm.. would buy the whole plant if i have a green thumb.have to do more research on that.hehe
Oh, by all means, buy the whole plant and you can use it for so many more thanks than this recipe! You can treat wounds, make face masks, and so much more! It’s hard for me to say how many leaves make up the 4oz since it depends on size and amount inside the plant. But I used a small amount from mine. I hope that helps. You can do it!
Hi Becca (and others too!)
How did you guys manage to mash up the jelly aloe vera while whisking?i whisked till my arms were aching like crazy!lol and when i blended the whole thing, it got too watery even after leaving it for so long in the fridge. Shud i add more aloe if im blending the mixture? Or is there at technique to mashing up the aloe?hehe..
How long do you leave it on for???
You apply a small amount to your eyes before bed and it will soak in so you don’t need to wash it off.
Thanks for this post, it’s right on time! 🙂
How do i sign up for more tips im going to try this recipe thanks
i have an aloe vera plant… will that work instead of aloe from the store… I’m a kid and i wanna make this for my mom so is this safe for kids