Should I Make My Own Hand Sanitizer?
A DIY hand sanitizer that requires 2 ingredients: aloe vera gel and isopropyl alcohol
With ever-increasing concerns about the coronavirus, hand sanitizers have been flying off the shelves. Many stores are completely sold out, and Amazon sellers are marking up the price — Newsweek reported one case of hand sanitizer going for $400.
Homemade hand sanitizers can work if you are diligent about using the right ingredients in the proper amounts — too much alcohol can leave your hands cracked and bloody, and too little will render the sanitizer useless.
Your first line of defense should be washing your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds whenever possible, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
And while alcohol-based hand sanitizers can quickly reduce the number of microbes on hands, these sanitizers do not eliminate all types of germs.
If you do make your own hand sanitizer, the CDC also recommends that sanitizers contain at least 60% alcohol.
How to make your own hand sanitizer
According to Anne Marie Helmenstine, a chemistry expert who has a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences, to make an effective hand sanitizer, mix 2 parts 99 percent rubbing alcohol (isopropyl alcohol) with one part aloe vera gel. According to her recipe, you can add essential oils to the hand sanitizer.
