Making Hand Sanitizer Yourself:
To make hand sanitizer at home you need to first make sure that all of the tools you are using are clean. To keep things simple and hopefully prevent contamination Im keeping our process and tools required as short as possible.
Because I didnt want to run back into town I used these teeny tiny beakers I bought for a different project that didnt work at all because Im not good with understanding sizes. BUT I would really recommend using a medicine syringe. Medicine syringes come in lots of different sizes and with their small increments could make measuring out your alcohol and aloe very super easy.
Measure out and transfer your aloe and alcohol to a small, clean jar or bottle with a lid. Now shake the daylights out of it to incorporate well. While using pure aloe vera is ideal, you might have a difficult time locating it as I did.Since this was in a pinch, I grabbed my tube of after sun care that is meant for sunburns since its mostly aloe vera.
FYI: Try though I might, stirring together never really worked for me. I found the only way to get a well incorporated spray was to vigorously shake.
If your mixture has visible chunks floating through the liquid youll need to strain out any gunk out. You can use a coffee filter or, in a pinch, a clean paper towel. Allow the mixture to filter through naturally. Do NOT squeeze the liquid through the filter with your hands or a utensil.
Fill The Bottle Most Of The Way Full With Alcohol This Will Be About 3 Tablespoons Of Alcohol
note: make sure to leave a little room for the spray top.
You can use either ethanol or isopropyl alcohol . Both ethanol and isopropyl alcohol are effective disinfectants.
Here are just some of the alcohols that you can use to in this homemade hand sanitizer to properly kill viruses and other germs:
Medical Grade Isopropyl Alcohol Safe For Skin
I foundthis Medical Grade Isopropyl Alcoholthat is safe for hands and skin. Check to see if it is currently in stock
If you cant find Isopropyl Alcohol, Ive heard you can use Everclear because it has a high enough alcohol content, but I have no scientific backing for that. Use at your own discretion. Many people have been resorting to vodka, but it does not have a high enough alcohol content to effectively kill viruses.
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Homemade Hand Sanitizer Spray
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What do you get a man who has everything? A content man who wants nothing more than what he already has in life.
We all probably have that man in our lives. In your life, that person may be your grandmother, grandfather, brother, mother, or aunt. For me, that person is my dad.
My dad is a quiet guy who enjoys the same routines day in and day out: reading, work, more reading, and rest. Its really hard to purchase gifts for him, because his simple life doesnt demand much. My parents dont even own a modern TV, so even a Netflix subscription or a funny movie is out. And what about a good ol polo shirt? Every man could use a new shirt in his life, right?! Well, I just gifted him a few new shirts for his November birthday. I feel like theres an unspoken rule that you cant gift the same thing to a person twice in two months.
For some reason, despite my mom sharing the same lifestyle, my Christmas gift ideas always overflow for her. Theres a monthly Pure Barre membership, and homemade beauty products. My mom also loves new outfits, and she doesnt take the time to treat herself, so thats always an option.
On Friday night, I attended a Christmas lighting event in my parents town . Before the tree lighting ceremony, we met at a local pizzeria.
This hand sanitizer spray comes together in just two minutes, once youve gathered the ingredients , and it may be stored for a couple of months.
Witch Hazel And Essential Oils
Contrary to popular belief, witch hazel is not a comparable alternative to alcohol. Even the strongest witch hazel extract is at most 14% ethyl alcohol.
Witch hazel extract is a useful ingredient for DIY skincare, but 14% alcohol is not enough to kill viruses or other pathogens.
Again, essential oils can certainly help boost a natural hand sanitizers antiseptic properties, but they should not be used as a sole disinfectant. And since 60% alcohol is enough to kill most germs, essential oils arent actually necessary in a hand sanitizer recipe.
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Wash Your Hands Regularly
via World Health Organization
The Recipe is alcohol-based and that is the ingredient responsible for its potency. When washing your hands, be sure to lather up sufficiently.
Dont overlook the area between your fingers. This is a spot that bacteria can hide out. The back of your hands is also as important as your palms.
Hand Sanitizer Spray With Essential Oils
- Pin
Germs are everywhere, and while hand washing is best, sometimes you just cant get to a sink.
So I keep these little essential-oil hand sanitizers everywhere in my purse, in my desk, glove compartment, picnic basket, school bag, gym bag,
They are super simple to make.
Add just a few ingredients, give it a shake, and youre done.
Once you get the hang of the basic recipe, you probably wont even need to measure.
Just whip up a new batch anytime you need it.
So fast & easy!
Be sure to . Feel free to use these printables yourself, share them with your team, or use them as handouts for a make & take class. Printable has three pages, so that you can print exactly what you need.
- 1st page 1 bottle label & 1 recipe card
- 2nd page 15 hand sanitizer labels
- 3rd page 4 hand sanitizer recipe cards
- 4th page- chart of best essential oils for hand sanitizers
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Did You Make This Recipe
Additional Recipes:
Here are some additional recipes that may be handy right now:
Here is a roundup of all the turmeric recipes we have on the site. These turmeric recipes use either fresh or ground turmeric and are easy to make!
This recipe for lemon tea is super soothing for sore throats and uses ingredients you probably have on hand already!
This recipe for fire cider is an immunity-boosting recipe loaded with healthy vegetables and spices!
How To Thicken Homemade Hand Sanitizer
Depending on which brand of aloe vera gel you use, you may find that your hand sanitizer gel may not turn out quite as thick as youd like. So for those who would prefer a more viscous final product, you may wish to add a thickener to your recipe.
We had previously suggested several different options, but weve since discovered that most natural thickeners are too hard to work with when your product contains alcohol.
Unfortunately, we also discovered that the previously suggested thickeners may cause the sanitizer gel to separate over time. For this reason, weve removed our thickener recommendations.
To learn how to thicken your homemade hand sanitizer, we suggest reading this post on DIY hand sanitizer by The Things Well Make. She tested several different hand sanitizer thickeners and gives a detailed breakdown of the ones that are most effective when making a gel sanitizer.
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When To Use Hand Sanitizer
According to the CDC, hand washing is still one of the best ways to protect yourself from cold and flu, as well as the current viral outbreak.
But remember that you should not rely on hand sanitizer in place of regular hand washing. As well, its important to note that hand sanitizer does not kill all types of bacteria, parasites, or viruses such as norovirus.
It also doesnt remove pesticides, heavy metals, or other harmful chemicals from your hands.
For more information on hand washing and hand sanitizer use, see this factsheet from the CDC.
Tips For Making Hand Sanitizers:
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The Center for Disease Control recommends a formula with a minimum of 70% alcohol in order to effectively kill germs. When choosing an alcohol, make sure to choose an organic alcohol, like organic cane, which is free of pesticides, fertilizers and the GMO typically found in corn-based alcohols. Since you may be using the sanitizer regularly, its important to limit these toxins which can be harmful to your health.
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Add a few drops of Vitamin E to moisturize, soothe, and protect the skin from damage. As an added benefit, Vitamin E also helps to reduce itching which can be a side effect of the alcohol.
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Add a few drops of vegetable glycerin. Glycerin helps to hydrate the skin and protect it from irritants. It also soothes irritated skin, protects against infection and promotes wound healing.
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Add a few drops of aloe vera to further moisturize the skin. Its also rich in enzymes that help exfoliate the skin to make it smoother and softer.
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Finally, for a natural scent, add a few drops of your favorite essential oils. Choose oils that are anti-fungal and anti-bacterial such as tea tree, peppermint, lavender and lemongrass. Make sure to dilute the oils properly and only use a few drops of each.
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Add and mix all the ingredients above in a spray bottle then fill the remainder of the bottle with distilled water. Distilled water is the purest water as it goes through a distilling process that removes the waters impurities along with 99.9% of the minerals that are dissolved in the water.
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Why Make Homemade Hand Sanitizer
There are a number of reasons that you may want to make your own hand sanitizer at home. One timely reason is the current COVID-19 global pandemic that is happening as I write this article. Every store and internet outlet is sold out of hand sanitizer! Aaron works at a grocery store and is risking daily exposure right now. Under normal circumstances we personally dont use hand sanitizer very often, but I wanted to make some for him to bring to work during this crazy time.
Beyond the current state of affairs, creating homemade hand sanitizer has several perks! By making your own, you have the ultimate control over the ingredients that go into it. Also, if you like to regularly use hand sanitizer, making homemade hand sanitizer in bulk and filling reusable bottles is a great way to reduce plastic waste that the tiny disposable bottles create.
Related: Diy Hand Sanitizer Spray
This recipe was originally published in 2015 and has been a staple in my household and many others for years now. In the past month, the world has become much more aware of hand washing and sanitation due to the spread of Covid-19. While this recipe and my recommendations for proper hand washing from 2015 remain unchanged, In addition, I have formulated a 70% alcohol-based hand sanitizer that can be used on hands and surfaces. Get the recipe here: DIY Hand Sanitizer Spray .
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Diy Hand Sanitizer With Alcohol
Lets talk about alcohol. The recommendationsare that hand sanitizer formulation needs to be 60% alcohol in order to be effective. Ive seen different recommendations that range from 60% to 70% so lets just use 70% of our baseline to be safe.
This does NOT mean that your formulation needs to contain 70% as an ingredient. It means that 70% of the formulation needs to be alcohol. Vodka will not work in this application because it is only 40% alcohol. Ive seen some formulations that include 70% isopropyl alcohol as just one ingredient in a formulation, but 70% isopropyl alcohol is 70% alcohol and 30% water .
On its own, 70% isopropyl alcohol meets the minimum requirements, but this means you cant combine it with other ingredients in order to make an effective hand sanitizer spray. To make your own hand sanitizer you need the 99% isopropyl alcohol and then you can add 29% of other ingredients like aloe vera, witch hazel, distilled water, hydrosol, and essential oils.
Where To Find Alcohol For Sanitizer
Unfortunately, due to stockpiling, there seems to currently be a shortage of isopropyl alcohol as well. You may not currently be able to find it online, but that will hopefully be shortlived.
Try checking convenience stores, medical supply shops, or even a drug store. You can also ask a grocery store or any other shop when their next shipment of alcohol will be in. Some stores will even reserve a reasonable amount for you youll only need 1 bottle to make several batches of this sanitizer.
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And So I Must Tell You
Im not a chemist or a mathematician or a doctor or anything but a craft blogger. And, again, Im not making this for anythign specifically, Im making hand sanitizer myself because I have a crap immune system and constantly use it. But, since I cant find it to purchase anywhere and because I seem to get strep throat just looking at a kid with it, DIY it is
- 91% Isopropyl Alcohol OR 70% Isopropyl Alcohol
- Aloe Vera
- Small Jar or Bottle with a Lid
- Medicine Syringe OR Something to Measure in Small Amounts
Ive linked to some spray bottles that are currently reasonably priced but I purchased mine from the travel section of the pharmacy at the grocery store. Im not bothering linking to alcohol or aloe vera at this time because if you are making hand sanitizer RIGHT NOW, like TODAY, youre going to have to source your materials locally. I highly recommend calling around to see if any stores around you are limiting purchases to keep some in stock.
Homemade Disinfectant Spray And Diy Hand Sanitizer Recipe For Coronavirus Covid
With a global coronavirus pandemic now in place, it is vital to ensure personal safety against the spread of COVID-19. We must protect ourselves and keep others from becoming contaminated as well.
Warning!
NEVER swallow, drink, inhale, inject or put any disinfectant into your body.
It will kill you! Contrary to what any politician has said or you may have heard.
There is a significant difference between cleaning a surface and disinfecting it . Cleaning removes germs and decreases the likelihood of infection. Disinfecting kills germs via chemical means after a surface has been cleaned. Completing both steps is necessary to prevent the spread of disease.
- 2/3 cup isopropyl alcohol
- 1/3 cup of aloe vera gel
- Well sealed dispenser
Mix alcohol and aloe vera gel to make your own hand sanitizer. The hand sanitizer needs to sit on your skin for at least 30 seconds to completely disinfect. According to the CDC , a mixture that includes at least 60% alcohol successfully kills coronavirus pathogens.
Alcohol Concentration:
- The CDC recommends using a 70% isopropyl alcohol or 60% ethanol.
- The FDA recommends using at least a 75% isopropyl alcohol to be used in hand sanitizers.
- Rutgers University recommends using at least a solution of 70% alcohol.
You can also combine alcohol and water for sanitizing hard surfaces, but it can be rough on the skin and is not recommended for that purpose.
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How To Make Hand Sanitizer Gel
Theres a recipe circulating on the internet for a really simple homemade gel hand sanitizer that simply uses 2 parts 90+% rubbing alcohol and 1 part aloe vera gel.
My first thought was that with 2 parts alcohol itd never be a gel, but I put it to the test
The alcohol is doing the sanitizing work, and the aloe vera gel adds both skin conditioners and a gel-like texture, at least in theory.
Aloe vera gel, however, is actually mostly alcohol. Or at least most of the bright green after sun gel bottles commonly available. Their ingredients list stats exactly the same way as purellwater, denatured alcohol, glycerine, followed by a long list of stabilizers and gelling agents, with just a teeny tiny bit of aloe juice.
I doubt aloe gel is anywhere near the required 60% alcohol, but it is full of chemical gelling agents that work in the presence of alcohol .
One part aloe gel and two parts alcohol went into a bottle
Two parts alcohol with 1 part aloe gel in a bottle, not yet mixed.
It took a lot of shaking to get them to combine, and initially, the mixture was pretty thin. I was unconvinced.
About a half an hour later when I picked up the bottle, it had actually thickened considerably. Give it a shake and itd actually hold air bubbles within the gel in the bottle.
Look closely, you can see them in there, held in a totally passable homemade hand sanitizer gel.
How To Properly Use Hand Sanitizer
When soap and water are not readily available, use your hand sanitizer instead! First, shake before use in case the aloe separately slight. Then spray or squeeze a generous amount of hand sanitizer into the palm of your hand. Next, rub it around until all surfaces of both hands are thoroughly wetted. I like to use a lot.
Pay special attention to finger tips, fingernails, between fingers, and even the backs of your hands. Continue rubbing your hands together until they feel dry. Yet dont wave your hands about to make it dry faster. A long wet contact time is good! Because alcohol can dry your skin out, you may want to follow up with hand lotion after sanitizing.
The CDC says that effectiveness of hand sanitizer decreases when hands are heavily soiled with dirt or grease. Thus, they recommend washing your hands with soap and water in those circumstances instead.
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