People are going crazy about hand sanitizer during this uncertain time, but you don’t have to worry when you can make your Homemade Hand Sanitizer with Fresh Aloe Vera.
People all over are emptying the supermarkets’ aisles, taking the pharmacies’ inventory to zero, and then finding that there is no more hand sanitizer anywhere.
Luckily, you can make your own hand sanitizer at home, and all you need are three ingredients.
It is important to tell you that no hand sanitizer, however recognized or expensive it is, is better than washing your hands properly.
You should know that the sanitizers must be placed in quarantine for 3 days before you can use them; this destroyed any spores in the alcohol or found in the bottles, even if they are brand new.
How to make your Homemade Hand Sanitizer with Fresh Aloe Vera
The ingredients :
- 2/3 cup 99 percent rubbing alcohol (isopropyl alcohol) or ethanol.
- 1/3 cup aloe vera gel.
- 8 to 10 drop any essential oil of your choice (optional)
Directions:
Just mix all the ingredients and then use the funnel to pour them into the bottle.
The Better Spray Recipe – Homemade Hand Sanitizer with Fresh Aloe Vera
There is also the chance some of you find aloe vera annoyingly sticky. Therefore you can replace it with Glycerol or glycerin and Hydrogen peroxide; however, this won’t be a gel anymore but a spray, so you will be putting the final product in a spray bottle.
If you are still interested, here are the instructions to make it at home.
- Mix 12 fluid ounces of alcohol with 2 teaspoons of glycerol. You can buy jugs of glycerol online, and it’s an important ingredient because it keeps the alcohol from drying out your hands. If you can’t find glycerol, proceed with the rest of the recipe anyway, and remember to moisturize your hands after applying the sanitizer.
- Mix in 1 tablespoon of hydrogen peroxide, then 3 fluid ounces of distilled or boiled (then cooled) water. (If you’re working with a lower-concentration solution of rubbing alcohol, use far less water; remember, at least ¾ of your final mixture has to be alcohol.)
This disinfectant spray is useful when you want to disinfect doorknobs, toilet and faucet handles, credit cards, pens, refrigerator handles, etc.
The WHO ( World Health Organization ) Recipe.
If you are looking for the big guns, then this Hand sanitizer recipe by the WHO is what you need, plus it is much less sticky, super potent, and easy to make.
So the WHO offers two formulations; for Formulation #1, you’ll need:
- Ethanol 96%
- Hydrogen peroxide 3%
- Glycerol 98%
- Sterile distilled or boiled cold water
Formulation #2
- Isopropyl alcohol 99.8%
- Hydrogen peroxide 3%
- Glycerol 98%
- Sterile distilled or boiled cold water
The directions are basically the same as those previously mentioned. First, they mix all the ingredients and then pour it into the plastic bottles of your choice using a plastic or metal funnel.
Big Size WHO Hand Sanitizer Recipe
The WHO also provides a method to make 10-liter preparations, in the same fashion they give us formulations 1 and 2.
FORMULATION 1
- Ethanol 96%: 8333 ml
- Hydrogen peroxide 3%: 417 ml
- Glycerol 98%: 145 ml
FORMULATION 2
- Isopropyl alcohol 99.8%: 7515 ml
- Hydrogen peroxide 3%: 417 ml
- Glycerol 98%: 145 ml
Tips and Tricks about Homemade Hand Sanitizer with Fresh Aloe Vera
The purpose of the essential oils used in a hand sanitizer is basically to add a nice smell. As a moisturizer, you can use lavender (antiseptic), rosemary (antiviral), eucalyptus (germicide), tea tree oil (anti-bacterial properties), orange oil (prohibits bacterial growth), peppermint oil (eliminate harmful bacteria); others like to used lemon juice instead.
Working with 70% Alcohol; any Isopropyl alcohol above 60% will do the work against bacterias, virus, and fungi, 70% Isopropyl alcohol is awesome and cheaper than
The science behind it is quite simple 70% alcohol, contains 30% water, the perfect amount of time to stay in the surfaced and got the work done.
The higher the percentage of water, the faster it evaporates. Therefore the time it has to kill bacterias and viruses is minimum.
What germs can hand sanitizers kill?
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), alcohol-based hand sanitizers can kill viruses genetically related to Coronavirus, aka COVID-19.
Washing your hands with soap and water for no less than 20 minutes is and always will be your top choice; hand sanitizers are NOT EFFECTIVE against other germs and viruses such as Cryptosporidium (which causes diarrhea), Clostridium difficile (causes diarrhea and/or life-threatening inflammation of the colon), and Norovirus (basically gives you stomach bugs). Still, water and soup get these babies out of your way for good.
When should I use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer?
If you do not have the opportunity to wash your hands, hand sanitizer is your best option.
For example, you buy something, and they give it to you in a plastic bag. Did you know that the virus that causes the Coronavirus known as COVID-19 can remain in the plastic bag for 2 or 3 days, the same with stainless steel; as for the cardboard, the virus can be a danger to you for 24 hours.
Incredible, I know, for this and many other reasons, carrying your hand sanitizer bottle in your pocket is of great importance.
Use your hand sanitizer before and after visiting a friend, shaking hands, touching surfaces like the supermarket cart, baskets, stair banisters, etc.
The best way to use a hand sanitizer is to put enough product on your hands to cover all surfaces, rub your hands together until hands feel dry. This should take around 20 seconds.
Patience is a virtue, don’t try to dry the sanitizer from your hands by rubbing them over your clothes or blowing air with your mouth; you’ll get back to where you started, and you are going to get them clean again.
You might think everybody knows to wash their hands, no doubt about that, but during this time it is important to rub them together with the soap, giving special attention to the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails.
Please do this for at least 20 seconds; then dry them using a clean towel, towel paper, or air dry.
Avoid using alcohol-based hand sanitizer on children too often; their skin is much more delicate and sensitive; also if you have no other choice but to use it on your child, be sure you are in front of them to dry it off; otherwise, their hands can still be wet when they touch their eyes or put their them on their mouths. You can also lead how to make Homemade Alcohol Wipes.