Cleanliness is of utmost importance in this world as germs can be found on any and everything that we come in contact with on a daily basis. In these trying times, it can be a troubling task to find a good hand sanitizer. Not to mention, the ones you do find in store tend to leave your hands feeling dry. The solution to this? Make it yourself! Opting to make your own hand sanitizer poses as a great method for keeping your hands clean. You can incorporate ingredients that are great for your skin, such as the aloe vera plant! Plus, if you’re a fan of sweet smells, you have a myriad of essential oils that you can choose from. There’s no reason hand sanitizer should be something that you can only buy from stores, learn how to make a natural hand sanitizer with aloe vera for yourself!

Why Is Sanitation So Important?

Our bodies aren’t invincible. As such, it’s imperative that we sanitize after touching things. Say you just opened the door to a store; you might not think much of uncleanliness or dirt because the door handle didn’t look “physically” dirty, but in reality, you’ve just come in contact with all of the germs that everyone who opened that door did. For all you know, somebody could’ve gone to the bathroom without washing their hands and opened the same door you just did. Gross thought, right? That’s why sanitation is an extremely important concept that everyone should practice.

Choosing not to sanitize yourself and the things around you regularly can pose as a detriment to your health. Your hands can be bacterial breeding grounds if you don’t keep them clean. This can lead to catching the cold or flu, as well as bring about other illnesses like pneumonia or bronchitis. Consistent sanitation protects the human life span overall; there’s a reason people 400+ years ago didn’t live past 30—they didn’t practice sanitation! It was very common for people to go weeks without bathing, and even when they did “bathe,” all they simply did was rinse themselves off with water. The concept of hand washing wasn’t even invented until 1847, so it’s no surprise that their life expectancies were so low. People who don’t practice good sanitation are far more susceptible to disease and infection than those who do, ultimately leading to shorter life spans.

Does Hand Sanitizer Really Work?

The short answer: yes, absolutely. Hand sanitizer is an amazing alternative to hand washing when soap and water is unavailable. When you’re on the go and there’s nowhere for you to wash your hands, having hand sanitizer on you is very handy. Hand sanitizers that are alcohol-based are highly effective in killing a number of different bacteria. It’s important to research the alcohol percentage in your hand sanitizer as 60 to 95 percent ones will be the most effective in killing off germs and bacteria. Overall, hand sanitizer is not one in the same with hand washing, but it is a surefire way to eliminate harmful bacteria in a pinch.

Why You Should Make Your Own Natural Hand Sanitizer

There’s just something about saying you made something yourself that brings about a sense of satisfaction and pride in your work. Moreover, what you make is just another thing that you can go ahead and cross off your shopping list. As wild as it sounds, you can make your own hand sanitizer at home—and if we’re being real, you totally should! In addition to being granted bragging rights about making your own hand sanitizer, you also save yourself several trips to stores. Never again will you have to worry about rushing to Bath and Body Works only to find out that your favorite hand sanitizer is out of stock. You should definitely consider making your own hand sanitizer because keeping your hands clean, even when in a bind, is of utmost importance. Sometimes, buying store brand hand sanitizer can be hit or miss; there are some kinds that can dry out your hands and cause skin irritation. Making a hand sanitizer that’s effective but just right for you is something that can help you avoid these kinds of troubles. As long as you have the correct alcohol percentage needed to kill off bacteria, your homemade hand sanitizer will be just as effective as store bought hand sanitizer. Why not take a swing at it?

What Hand Sanitizers Are Made Of

All hand sanitizers are made up of ingredients that are integral to its disinfecting process. Below are our hand sanitizer’s most important ingredients, as well as explanations of the role they play in disinfecting:

Isopropyl or Rubbing Alcohol: Alcohol is the key ingredient in all hand sanitizers as it is the sole ingredient responsible for successfully killing off harmful bacteria. When including this ingredient in your hand sanitizer, it needs to have at least a 99 percent alcohol volume.

Aloe Vera Gel: Aloe vera gel is great for keeping skin moisturized and preventing dryness.

Essential Oils: Essential oils are simply used to help mask the strong alcohol scent that is usually found in hand sanitizers.

When making your own hand sanitizer, it’s important to keep the alcohol and aloe vera gel portions 2:1. According to the CDC, this is the most effective method as it keeps the sanitizer at 60 percent alcohol content, which is the minimum number needed for killing bacteria.

Aloe Vera Hand Sanitizer Recipe

Ingredients and Materials:

• Isopropyl or rubbing alcohol (99% alcohol volume)

• Aloe vera gel

• Essential oils

• Mixing bowl, spoon, whisk, and funnel

• Bottle for hand sanitizer

Steps:

1. Make sure you’re making the hand sanitizer in a clean space and wash your hands and tools before beginning

2. Add two parts alcohol, one part aloe vera gel, and 5-10 drops of essential oil into a mixing bowl

3. Mix ingredients together with a clean spoon and whisk while making sure the alcohol is not diluted

4. Continue mixing ingredients until well blended

5. Pour mixture into hand sanitizer bottle with funnel and use as needed

It’s that simple! Now you know how to make your own hand sanitizer in the comfort of your own home!