First off, we wanted to let you know we are hoping you and your families are staying healthy! It’s a nerve wracking time for many of us with the COVID-19 situation. We’re all washing our hands like crazy. In fact, we know washing our hands is the very best thing we can do to keep safe. Full disclosure — we are using antibacterial gels as a backup. Of course, it’s almost impossible to find antibacterial gels on the shelves these days.
Many people have purchased our aloe vera gels as a base for their homemade hand sanitizers. We’ve run an all-natural, alcohol-free version of a hand sanitizer in the past, but it is conventional wisdom to use a sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol if you’d want it to be most effective. I wanted to create a recipe and video for you but by the time I got to the store, there was NO isopropyl alcohol to be found! So I did a lot of research and here’s a recipe I shall be creating for my own family as soon as I can get my hands on the main ingredient again :
HOMEMADE HAND SANITIZER
Ingredients:
2/3 c rubbing alcohol (91% or higher)
1/3 c aloe vera gel
Essential oils — optional for the purpose of fragrance, not efficacy
Directions:
Blend the first two ingredients together very well IN AN ELECTRIC BLENDER. Mixing by hand will lead to clumping. Add 8-12 drops of the essential oil of your choice, if using. Pour into a bottle or pump. Use liberally, rub into hands, and wait until fully dry until coming into contact with people and objects.
You can always use more alcohol in your mixture, but do not use less if you want your hand sanitizer to be effective.
We are sending you all our very best. Stay safe and healthy, friends! 💚