Introduction

Introduction

Some commercial hand sanitizer contains ingredients as scary as the germs they protect you from, so why not make your own hand sanitizer from ingredients you select? This is an excellent project for kids as well as adults since the project can be expanded to include a discussion about hygiene and disinfection. You'll save money, protect yourself from germs, and can customize the scent of the hand sanitizer so it doesn't smell medicinal.

What essential oils do you use in this recipe?

When it comes to the essential oils, I like to use a combo of three:

• Lemon oil and orange oil are both natural disinfectants (plus they smell nice and clean).
• Tea tree oil has been proven time and time again to kill viruses, bacteria, mold, and fungi. It’s also a natural anti-inflammatory!

I would recommend caution with this hand sanitizer if your skin is light sensitive. Both lemon and orange oils can cause photosensitivity—meaning they make your skin more sensitive to sun exposure. This sanitizer uses highly diluted oils, and I’ve never personally had any issues with this, but I’d hate to not mention this and have someone get a sunburn on their hands! There are countless essential oils out there with antiseptic properties, so you can experiment if you’re concerned about the photosensitivity issue.

If you prefer, instead of using individual oils, you can also use a germ-busting pre-blended essential oil that’s on the market. We really like the KidSafe line from Plant Therapy, including their Germ Destroyer oil. They are pre-blended to be safe for kids, which makes this Mama happy. 

What alcohol/liquid do you use when making hand sanitizer?

When I’m making this hand sanitizer, I use one of three main active ingredients to dilute the essential oils:

• Witch Hazel: This has the least amount of anti-microbial properties of the three. But it also is the most nourishing to the hands—especially when I grab the version with aloe added. I use witch hazel hand sanitizer for every day germ-fighting. 
• Vodka: Alcohol is the gold standard for anti-microbial action—there is a reason most store-bought hand sanitizers are alcohol-based. One option is to use vodka. Most vodka on store shelves is around 40-45% alcohol (80-90 proof), and then gets further diluted in this recipe. This is what we consider a “middle of the road” hand sanitizer in our home. The vodka does make this version slightly drying to the hands.
• High Proof Grain Alcohol (Everclear 190): This is the strongest version we make in our home, using 190 proof grain alcohol (Everclear). Everclear 190 is 95% alcohol, and when diluted in this recipe, it makes a hand sanitizer that is roughly 70-75% alcohol by our calculations. This version can be very drying on the hands, so I use it sparingly.

It is important to note that none of these versions has ever been lab-tested for efficacy—and while we can estimate the anti-microbial properties of each recipe based on current knowledge, there is no way of knowing if they are truly effective against a specific strain of virus or bacteria without lab testing. Please speak with your health care professional before using any home remedy on you or your family.

As always: any specific health claim or nutritional claims or information provided on the website are for informational purposes only. Nothing on the website is offered is intended to be a substitute for professional medical, health, or nutritional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. You can read more about our health disclosures here.