2 Ingredient DIY Hand Sanitizer

In the face of this COVID-19 panic, cleanliness and social distancing are key. If you’re having a hard time finding hand sanitizer on the shelves, you’re in luck! Here are some simple steps on how to make your own.

All you need is an empty bottle, rubbing alcohol and aloe vera gel. We found some rubbing alcohol (at least 90% strength) on EyeglassSupplyStore.com and you can use Walgreens' website to see if there is any in stock in a store near you. We also found aloe vera gel on Etsy.  You'll also need a bit of water.

**I'd like to make a note here about the aloe vera gel. If you have a more natural gel, or a gel thickened with xanthan gum or many other thickeners, it may not be compatible/mix with alcohol. It's best to use an aloe gel that's thickened with carpopol. Also, if you're mixing with fresh aloe that you've made yourself from an aloe plant, remember to keep it in the refrigerator if you're not using a preservative. If you don't have aloe gel, or your aloe gel isn't mixing well with alcohol, you can follow this same recipe and use aloe vera juice to make a hand sanitizing spray. You can purchase aloe vera juice in places like Walgreens or CVS, etc. and most of them already contain a preservative.

Before you get started, make sure to wash your hands thoroughly and disinfect your work space to avoid contamination.

Then, combine one teaspoon of water with aloe and slowly incorporate ¾ cup of rubbing alcohol with ¼ cup of aloe vera gel in a measuring cup or a bowl (add the alcohol to the aloe).

It's best to slowly add the alcohol to the aloe, and stir until it's incorporated.  If you add it all at once it could congeal (become a goopy mess). Using a stick blender (handheld blender used to make milkshakes..usually $11 at walmart) to mix will speed this process up tremendously and help your ingredients incorporate. 

If you don't have a stick blender, mix with a spoon for 1-2 minutes to combine the ingredients. Then, beat with a whisk for 2-6 minutes to achieve a gel-like consistency.  

Pour your gel mixture into an empty bottle and voila-- you now have hand sanitizer! This recipe yields approximately 1 cup, but you can scale your ingredients up to create more if desired, just remember to stick to the 3-to-1 ratio if using isopropyl alcohol to stay at/above the FDA 70% strength recommendation!  Let the solution sit for 72 hours before use so the sanitizer can kill off any bacteria potentially living in your newly filled bottle. 

Feel free to personalize your hand sanitizer with a few drops of your favorite essential oil (We recommend 10-15 drops for the given recipe) for an aromatherapy moment in the midst of your sanitizing routine.