Hand Sanitizer is a perfect thing to prevent the spreading of infectious diseases and bacterial infections. It’s not safe for open wounds and it can’t replace hand washing. However, in some situations, it is an appropriate solution to clean your hands from bacteria, when water and soap aren’t available.

It’s always handy to have it around as you never know when you might be needing it. If you forgot to buy a hand sanitiser or they ran out of it in the store, don’t worry. You can also make it by yourself, at home, with only 3 simple ingredients.

What do you need?

• Rubbing alcohol or isopropyl (99% alcohol volume)
• Aloe Vera gel
• Essential oil, like tea tree, lavender or lemon juice

The key to making the most effective hand sanitiser is to stick to the 2:1 alcohol to aloe vera ratio. That will keep the alcohol level at approximately 60%, which is the minimum to kill most of the bacteria.

When making this mixture, make sure you’re doing it in a clean space. Use very clean utensils and was the spoon and whisk thoroughly before using it.

The process is simple; pour double the amount of alcohol into the bowl, together with aloe vera and a few drops of lemon or essential oils. Mix it until it’s well blended and it’s ready!

Avoid touching the mixture with your hands so you don’t contaminate it.

To Make a Larger Batch of Hand Sanitizer

Use ethanol or isopropyl alcohol, glycerol, hydrogen peroxide and sterile distiller or boiled cold water. The process is the same, alcohol needs to be the main ingredient. However, hydrogen peroxide can be tough on the skin, so the first solution might be better and healthier.

If you have any wounds on your hands, cover those areas before using the hand sanitiser. It can cause irritation and problems if the wound is bigger. In the case of papercuts or something like that, there is no reason to worry.