Saturday, January 8, 2011

Homemade Hand Sanitizer

Cold and flu season is in full swing around here, and everywhere you go there are bottles of hand sanitizer sitting around–in the stores, at church, even some restaurants, not to mention all the little portable bottles stuffed in purses, diaper bags and glove compartments.  While I am a fan of the protection from germs that hand sanitizer can offer, I am not a big fan of the dryness and sometimes funky scent it leaves behind, not to mention the price!

Here is a handy homemade version that is inexpensive, less drying and you can choose your scent.

Ingredients:
Aloe Vera Gel (make sure you get gel and not juice or it will be way too thin!)
Isopropyl Alcohol (70%)
Essential oil
Small pump or flip top bottles



Mix equal parts of aloe vera gel and alcohol.  I just eyeball it, but you can measure if you feel more comfortable.  Then add essential oil to desired strength.  I use 8-10 drops depending on what scent I am using.

 

You can also make this using glycerine in place of the aloe vera gel, but it can be pretty thin.  Use Tea Tree or Lavender oil for extra anti-bacterial protection.  Pour into your favorite containers and you are ready to go.



This only cost pennies to make and you can use your favorite scent.  Try lemon for a light, clean scent, orange for a fruitier scent or peppermint for a scent kids love!

*Notes: There are some articles out there that say unless it is 60 percent alcohol it is not effective, so you can add more alcohol.  I use tea tree oil which has anti-bacterial properties, so I leave mine at half and half.  Nothing is guaranteed to protect you from all germs, so use what you are comfortable with for your family.

18 comments:

Wendy said...

I'm going to have to give this one a try! My little one hates the smell of regular hand sanitizer, so adding the essential oil would help.

Jennifer said...

what a beautiful idea. Would be great for baby showers, weddings or bridal showers. Will definately have to give this one a go. Thank you!!

Lisa Grace said...

That's awesome! We use grapefruit seed extract in ours for its antibac and antifungal properties now, but have always used tea tree oil in the past. And I just last week learned that lavendar had them, so I feel like I have a world of possibilities now :)

Sarah beth said...

I LOVE this!!!!

Thank you for posting, I am excited to make this!

{Sarah beth}
http://hislovingpresence.blogspot.com/

Camille Garfield-Yap said...

How can we put the scent? I want to have a lemon scent hand sanitizer so how can I apply that? 

Camille Garfield-Yap said...

How can we put the scent? I want to have a lemon scent hand sanitizer so how can I apply that? 

nikki H said...

you add 8-10 drops "Mix equal parts of aloe vera gel and alcohol. I just eyeball it, but you can measure if you feel more comfortable. Then add essential oil to desired strength. I use 8-10 drops depending on what scent I am using."

Jennafqm said...

How can we put the scent? I want to have a lemon scent hand sanitizer so how can I apply that? 

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