As the gatekeeper of my home, I can control what comes in the door and the overall cleanliness. When we leave our home, all bets are off. A simple trip to the grocery store involves contact with door handles, cart handles, credit card machines, and so on. We are exposed to thousands upon thousands of germs. This DIY Hand Sanitizer with essential oils uses natural ingredients to cleanse your hands. It is perfect for those times when you can’t get to a sink!

When I was pregnant for the first time I was overly cautious in public, often grabbing door handles with my sleeves. Theoretically, it offered some protection from germs even though I looked pretty silly. I didn’t want to pick up any yuck that could harm me or baby girl when I couldn’t wash my hands.

Later I realized I couldn’t possibly get my 1-year-old to use her sleeve to touch the outside world. Since traditional hand sanitizers contain ingredients I would not consider safe, I sought out more natural options for cleaning our hands.

Washing your hands with warm water and soap is the best way to reduce the spread of germs, but hand sanitizer is a good substitute when you can’t make it to a sink. While I can’t control the number of germs we are exposed to in an outing, I can take certain measures to ensure our hands stay as clean and sanitized in the safest way possible.

The ingredients in this DIY Hand Sanitizer work to cleanse your hands while leaving them soft and moisturized.

Natural Ingredients

Alcohol

Alcohol is crucial in this recipe for its germ-killing powers. It’s a natural disinfectant and is consistently used in wound care. Alcohol dissolves bacteria through a process called denaturation. It breaks down the membranes of the bacteria’s cells and it dies off quickly.

A minimum level of 60% alcohol is required for a solution to be considered effective for disinfection, while 70% is best. The downside of using alcohol is that it can be drying to the skin. Combining it with a moisturizer such as an aloe vera will help remedy this.

Aloe vera gel has soothing properties that make it great for irritated skin. It is one of the best natural moisturizers, containing vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. The gel is extracted from the interior of the leaf of the aloe vera plant. It can be used directly from the plant or purchased from a trusted retailer. Aloe vera gel is used widely for burns and may improve the appearance of dry or cracked skin.

Vegetable Glycerin acts as a skin barrier in this recipe. It helps lock in moisture and is a great natural emulsifier when mixing essential oils in DIY recipes. Vegetable glycerin is perfect in skincare recipes for its ability to hydrate and moisturize the skin.

Essential Oils to Add

The essential oils below have cleansing properties. The oils leave a touch of natural fragrance on your hands while providing purifying benefits:

Tea-Tree
Cinnamon Bark
Thyme
Clove
Peppermint
Manuka
Lemon
Lavender
Spearmint
Eucalyptus Radiata
Thieves blend
Purification blend