When there’s no soap and water around, hand sanitizer is the next best thing. But there’s a bit of a shortage on them lately.
Luckily, making your own is pretty straightforward, especially with our 2-step recipe!
Simply use 2 parts alcohol to 1 part Nature’s Aid Skin Gel to create this DIY hand sanitizer:
Why does this formula work?
A typical DIY hand sanitizer contains ingredients such as aloe vera, glycerin, vitamin E, rubbing alcohol and essential oils such as tea tree and rosemary. Aside from the rubbing alcohol, Nature’s Aid Skin Gel contains all of these ingredients (and then some!) which have anti-microbial and skin-soothing properties. Not to mention, they’re already professionally formulated with the right concentrations.
Plus, our True Natural Skin Gel doesn’t just contain aloe vera. It contains a quality aloe vera gel extract to ensure you are getting maximum benefits from this plant. Whereas many aloe gels on the market consist primarily of water.
Back to the sanitizer.
Be sure to whisk the ingredients together really well before transferring to a container. Some separation is normal if the sanitizer is left sitting in a container for a prolonged period of time. If this happens, re-whisk or shake well to ensure the skin gel and alcohol are fully mixed.
The CDC recommends sanitizers contain at least 60% concentration of alcohol in order to eradicate germs.
Using a 99% rubbing alcohol with the above ratio will give your hand sanitizer an approximately 65% concentration of alcohol.
To get the most out of a hand sanitizer, make sure it is applied over the whole hand. This includes the front and back, between the fingers and under the nails until it is fully worked into the skin.
You can use either the original Skin Gel or Moisturizing Skin Gel, both offer the same great results.
Can this formula be used on kids?
According to Healthy Environment for Kids, the answer is yes. They say a single squirt the size of a dime is all that is needed. For younger children, dispense the product into your own hands first. Then rub them over the child’s hands until the hand sanitizer is fully absorbed (usually 10 to 15 seconds). The concern for alcohol-based sanitzers lies with children ingesting them. So make sure it has fully dried before giving any food or drinks to children.
Proper hand washing is best
While hand sanitizer is waaay better than nothing (especially when it comes to cold and flu season), washing with soap and water is the most effective way to stop the spread of germs. This is because soap removes some microbes that alcohol-based products don’t. However, many of us aren’t washing long enough. Soap should be applied thoroughly to the hands for a full 20 seconds before being rinsed.
The experts recommend washing with soap and water whenever possible, and filling in the gaps with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
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