Trying to buy hand sanitizer at the moment is… let’s say difficult. I’m not usually into using it but with recent events and consequent advice from the WHO it feels appropriate. I should start by saying that this recipe is just an amalgamation of those I found online and not my own creation. I already had isopropyl alcohol and knew it was the main ingredient in hand sanitizer gel and went from there. It’s also worth noting that getting isopropyl alcohol is also quickly becoming difficult.
Hand Sanitizer Ingredients
- Isopropyl alcohol 99.9%
- Pure Aloe Vera Gel
- Essential oil
- Hand moisturiser cream
Proportions
The advice given is that in order for hand sanitizer to be effective in the killing of nasty things then it should be at least 60% alcohol. It’s up to you but I bumped this to around 75% because, well… Why not?
I used a small travel pump bottle we already had and these can be easily acquired online. I whisked the batch in a large bowl to make mixing easier. I’ve made a few batches of this and the hand cream never really fully dissolves, just whisk until it seems like it won’t dissolve any further.
Method
Time needed: 5 minutes.
- Pour 150ml of isopropyl alcohol into a mixing bowl
- Add 8-10 drops of essential oil and whisk to disperse
Be careful when whisking not to get it in your eyes.
- Add 50ml of pure aloe vera gel and whisk again
- Throw in a teaspoon of good hand moisturiser and whisk one last time until dissolved.
This can take a while to dissolve depending on the type. Sieve out any left overs before pouring.
- Use a funnel to fill up your bottle or bottles.
Use
This doesn’t create a “gel” it’s very liquid so don’t think you’ve done anything wrong if it doesn’t look like commercial stuff. I actually find it’s nicer to use as it doesn’t leave any sticky residue. Don’t leave this where kids can get to it, it’ll damage their eyes badly if it gets in them.
Disclaimer
I am not a pharmacist, chemist, dermatologist or doctor. If you make this sanitizer please make sure you’re not allergic to any ingredients first. I can not guarantee the efficacy of it as I haven’t run clinical trials. It’s a recipe which SHOULD work but I can’t tell you for certain it IS working because I don’t have a microbiology lab handy at home. I can tell you this is what I’m using so if I’m wrong… we’ll all be wrong together. Final word, if you can get commercially produced stuff… use that first.
