Hand sanitizers are great to use when you don’t have access to soap and water. The commercial sanitizers kill bacteria but it kills the good and the bad bacteria. This, in turn, leaves our skin open for infection. If you’ve ever read the list of ingredients on store-bought hand sanitizers it’s scary and chemical laden.
For those times when soap and water just aren’t available, and hands need to be washed or shopping cart handles cleaned before using. I keep a homemade hand sanitizer in my purse, made with a few simple ingredients.
I’m glad that I started making my own personal care and wellness products years ago, especially since the FDA ruled in 2016 that manufacturers should stop using triclosan. It is a common chemical in antibacterial soaps and sanitizers at the time but was found to have the ability to disrupt hormones and contribute to a rise in resistant strains of bacteria.
The benefit to this herbal hand sanitizer gel is that it doesn’t dry your skin and is actually nourishing because of the aloe vera and vegetable glycerin. The following is a list of essential oils you can use for your hand sanitizer.
- Lavender: Antibacterial and antiviral. Relaxes rejuvenates, relieves headaches, migraine and induces calmness.
- Lemon: Rejuvenates, helps ease depression and sadness, energizes.
- Peppermint: Calms frazzled nerves, energizes, improves mental clarity.
- Tea Tree: Maybe not the best-smelling option, but it’s VERY antiseptic and antibacterial – use this if you care less about the smell and more about killing the germs. Tea tree oil does promote calmness and mental alertness.
- Rosemary: Anti-fungal and antibacterial. Extremely effective in helping with information retention, alertness, and memory.
- Geranium: Milder, but the most floral of the oils. Lifts moods ease PMS, promotes relaxation.
Hand Sanitizer Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 tbs aloe vera gel (as pure as you can get)
- 2 tbs witch hazel
- 1/2 tsp vegetable glycerin
- 16 drops tea tree essential oil
- 8 drops lavender essential oil or another oil listed above
- small squeeze tubes
Directions
- Combine all the ingredients in a bowl or spouted measuring cup.
- Bottle and use as you would any hand sanitizer.
- Keeps for 1 year.
- This recipe makes 2 oz.
While I prefer to use this homemade recipe, I found a natural, plant based, alcohol free hand sanitizer created by a Dad who was looking for a way to remove chemicals from products to protect his immune-compromised son.
This recipe uses 3 easy to find ingredients and a list of essential oils and their healing properties for you to choose from.
Enjoy creating your very own personalized hand sanitizer!