Homemade Hand Sanitiser Recipe

I thought I would try making some homemade hand sanitiser because it is very topical and useful in these COVID19 days. I love making things myself just to see what is involved in doing so, understanding what the ingredients are, and of course for the satisfaction of thinking ‘I made that’.

It turns out to be very simple: using ethanol (or isopropyl alcohol) and aloe vera gel along with your favourite essential oils. This recipe is courtesy of Go Native New Zealand.

Homemade Hand Sanitizer
340g ethanol
200g aloe vera gel
35 – 40 drops eucalyptus, teatree, lavender, lemon or lemongrass (or a combination) essential oil(s). I used lemongrass & lime.

Whisk all your ingredients together and pour into 500ml bottle (or split it up into smaller carry sized bottles) and finish with a lotion pump.

Given the seriousness of the COVID19 pandemic, I wanted to be sure that what I was making was going to be effective in killing germs – and it is (by volume rather than the weight)! According to the CDC Trusted Source, the key to making an effective, germ-busting hand sanitizer is to stick to a 2:1 proportion of alcohol to aloe vera. This keeps the alcohol content around 60 percent which is the minimum amount needed to kill most germs.

According to the CDCTrusted Source, an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that meets the alcohol volume requirement can quickly reduce the number of microbes on your hands. It can also help destroy a wide range of disease-causing agents or pathogens on your hands, including the new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2. However, even the best alcohol-based hand sanitizers have limitations and don’t eliminate all types of germs (such as norovirus). Washing your hands with soap and water is still the best choice but hand sanitiser is a good alternative for times when that is not possible.

 

Aloe vera is a succulent plant that has a long history of being used for medicinal purposes, dating back to ancient Egypt. The gel inside the leaves is widely known to relieve sunburn and help heal wounds. You can grow it as an indoor plant so that you always have some on hand. I’d love to say that I used my own aloe vera in the recipe but I did just buy some from Go Native.

The essential oils in the recipe can be used just to give it a nice smell but many of the essential oils have  antibacterial, antifungal, antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties themselves so are good to add to the mix.