How to Make Hand Sanitizer at Home

One of the best ways to fight germs and disease is by washing and sanitizing your hands. When you wash your hands or use antibacterial gel, you’re killing the germs and preventing them from spreading to your face or hard surfaces in your home. However, when illness breaks out, hand sanitizer is one of the first products to sell out. Whether you can’t find any on the shelf or want a custom hand sanitizer, learning how to make homemade hand sanitizer makes you prepared to fight off infection.

Even if you make an incredibly strong hand sanitizer recipe, it’s important to remember that doctors and experts always recommend that you wash your hands with warm water and soap whenever possible. You should only learn how to make hand sanitizer for when you’re out and about and can’t run to the bathroom quickly. If you can’t stop to wash your hands for the recommended 20 seconds, having antibacterial gel to disinfect your hands after sneezing or before eating is the best option.

Almost every hand sanitizer recipe has the same three basic ingredients: rubbing alcohol, aloe vera gel, and essential oils. The key for how to make homemade hand sanitizer that’s truly effective is the alcohol. According to the CDC, your antibacterial gel must be at least 60% alcohol to be effective, but the higher, the better, meaning an average bottle of whiskey won’t do the trick. Rubbing alcohol is the best option for how to make hand sanitizer that actually disinfects. The aloe vera gel works as a base for the alcohol to rub into your skin, but it also has natural antibacterial and antifungal properties. The last ingredient, essential oils, lets you make a custom hand sanitizer that’s pleasantly scented. Tea tree oil is a natural antibacterial, and its light scent is perfect for a custom hand sanitizer.

Some people who are researching how to make homemade hand sanitizer have tried makingalcohol free hand sanitizer, and while many essential oils can kill some germs, the CDC and doctors do not recommend alcohol free hand sanitizer to fight off disease. Alcohol free hand sanitizer can be a quick way to clean your hands on a daily basis, but to truly disinfect your skin, you’ll need something much stronger.

Because aloe vera gel can leave your skin feeling sticky, hand sanitizer spray is another option for disinfecting. Like in any hand sanitizer recipe, begin with rubbing alcohol and mix in a little hydrogen peroxide. Glycerol is also recommended since the alcohol can dry out your skin, but if you don’t have access to any, just remember to moisturize your hands. These ingredients are then combined with distilled water and put into a spray bottle. Watch your proportion of ingredients since effective hand sanitizer must be at least 60% alcohol. Hand sanitizer spray is directly applied to the hands and rubbed in, just like gel. You can also add essential oils to your hand sanitizer spray for a more pleasing scent.

Learning how to make hand sanitizer is easy, requiring just a couple ingredients from your local pharmacy. Whether you can’t find any, want to know what you’re putting on your skin, or want extra disinfectant protection, having your own homemade hand sanitizer is the first step to fighting disease.