Today I will teach you how to make homemade hand sanitizer. Contrary to what most people think, this isn’t difficult. Knowing how to prepare your DIY hand sanitizer may save you when the shelves in shops are empty again.
It’s true that pandemic is a time when we reach for a hand sanitizer more often than we did it before. I carry it always with me because I want to keep my loved ones and myself safe. Besides, it’s better to be safe than sorry, especially that using a hand sanitizer takes just a short while. But you need to have it, which isn’t always easy because for example you may find yourself in a dead-end situation when the whole supply of hand sanitizer has been sold out from your local pharmacy.
What should I do when I run out of a hand sanitizer?
First, don’t panic. After all, this is just one of all the safety precautions that are recommended to be followed during pandemic. The same effect gives you washing the hands thoroughly under tap water. Keep washing the hands for at least 30 seconds, always using soap! You can also wear rubber gloves that after coming back home you take off and throw away – they will be a barrier shielding you from bacteria and viruses.
But, obviously, you can also make your own hand sanitizer – homemade and efficacious. You just need a moment of your free time and a bit of willingness. Naturally, you should also have all the essential ingredients, but as you will see in a moment, these are the items that everyone has at home (at least I always have them).
Recipe for homemade hand sanitizer
You will need:
- 2.70 fl. oz. / 80 ml ethanol, salicylic alcohol or isopropyl alcohol
- 0.50 fl. oz / 15 ml aloe gel
- a tablespoon / 5 ml moisturizing glycerin
- 2-3 drops either of eucalyptus or tea tree oil
How to make homemade hand sanitizer
This is simple! The base ingredient of every hand sanitizer must be a substance that shows bactericidal and virucidal properties, which is strong alcohol. You can reach for ethanol, which is pure spirit, or for salicylic alcohol or isopropyl alcohol that women use for some beauty treatments. The alcohol used solo may leave you with dry hands therefore mix it with aloe gel and a dash of glycerin. Optionally, you can enrich your diy hand sanitizer with a few drops of essential oil – more for adding a fragrance, just to make cleaning your hands more pleasant.
TIP! You don’t have to follow the proportions religiously. I mean that if you add more aloe, your hand sanitizer will be more gel-ish in texture, it will moisturize your hands better but the disinfecting effect will be slightly less stronger.
How to use homemade hand sanitizer
You do it the exact same way you use any ready-made sanitizer. The fact that it is homemade doesn’t mean that it differs at any degree from the disinfectants sold in a pharmacy.
I pour my homemade hand disinfectant into a small bottle. Whenever I need it, I pour a bit onto my palm, spread all over the hands and that’s it. Alcohol evaporates quickly but aloe and glycerin leave a pleasant feel of moisture that I really like.
Use hand sanitizer always:
- before getting into and out of a sho
- while using a public transport
- in a clinic and other public places
- after returning home and unpacking the stuff you bought
- whenever you may be exposed to the virus.
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