How to Make Your Hand Sanitizer at Home

When it comes to preventing the spread of infectious diseases like COVID-19 that has caused a worldwide pandemic, nothing beats good old-fashioned hand washing.

Well, in the beginning, I have had a hard time finding any at stores or online. Due to the rapid spread of the new corona virus, most retailers were not being able to keep up with the demand for hand sanitizer.

Having nothing to do at home and getting tired of searching for sanitizers, I decided to start making my own supply at my home. After thorough research, I finally discovered the art of making a perfectly effective hand sanitizer at home.

In this article, I am going to share how you can master the art of preparing your own sanitizers.

What ingredients do you need?
Making your own hand sanitizer at home is quite easy. The ingredients that you will need are:
•    2 parts isopropyl or rubbing alcohol (99 percent alcohol volume)
•    1 part aloe vera gel
•    Few drops of essential oil, such as eucalyptus oil or lavender oil, or you may use lemon juice instead. This will only add scent to the sanitizer, hence use accordingly.

According to The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention Trusted Source, since 60% alcohol is the minimum amount required to kill most germs, 2:1 ratio of alcohol to aloe vera will do your job.

Steps
1.    Combine the aloe vera gel with the isopropyl alcohol in a clean container. ⅓ of the container of aloe vera gel with ⅔ of the container of rubbing alcohol will be the perfect mix.
2.    Keep whisking the solution with a spoon or a whisk until they are well blended.
3.    Add 3-5 drops of your preferred essential oil. Remember that the more oil you are adding, the stronger will be the scent of the sanitizer.
4.    After its ready, always store the sanitizer in a clean, air-tight container to stop the alcohol evaporating with time. To minimize evaporation, store your sanitizer in a pump or squeeze bottle so that it remains air-tight.

But, is it totally safe?
Never use homemade hand sanitizers on children’s skin as they are much more delicate and sensitive than ours.

Use homemade hand sanitizer only in extreme situations when commercially produced sanitizers are not at all available in the market. However, do remember that improper ingredients or proportions will make the sanitizer useless, failing to effectively eliminate the risk of exposure to some or all microbes.

It can expose you to hazardous chemicals via inhalation and may even lead to skin irritation, injury, or burns.

How to use hand sanitizer:

1.    Apply the sanitizer necessarily on dry palms of your hand.
2.    Thoroughly rub your hands together for 30 to 60 seconds or until your hands are dry
 

Although hand sanitizers are an effective way of getting rid of germs, health authorities still recommend hand washing over hand sanitizers.

But, definitely, if you are on-the-go hand sanitizers serve as excellent means to help prevent the spread of corona virus.

Try making the sanitizer at home carefully. The results will leave you impressed.

If you find this article helpful, do like and let me know in the comment section. I will be back with more such helpful articles.

-Shankhanila Palchowdhury
A graduate student in Journalism and Communications, I am an avid reader, writer, blogger, foodie and movie buff. Based in Kolkata, I am extremely passionate about trekking, travelling, exploring and building new relations every day.