How to Make Your Own Hand Sanitizer

Are you unable to find hand sanitizer in stores due to increasing coronavirus panic?

As the corona-virus outbreak continues, basic items like hand sanitizer gels are in high demand. In some cases, you can’t even find a bottle at the store, but there is an alternative!

I am not a fan of commercial hand sanitizers. (Probably doesn’t surprise anyone!), but I do believe especially during this time of concern, we should practice a little extra caution in killing unwanted bacteria and germs.

I started making my own personal care products years ago, especially since the FDA ruled in 2016 that manufacturers should stop using triclosan, a common ingredient in antibacterial soaps and sanitizers at the time, due to its ability to disrupt hormones and contribution to a rise in resistant strains of bacteria. Yikes!

First off, it’s important to note that hand sanitizer isn’t the first strategy to prevent infection. Frequent and thorough hand washing with soap (for at least 20 seconds) is hands down the best method for reducing hand germs and curbing disease transmission, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). When soap and water aren’t available, though, hand sanitizers can be used as an alternative, the CDC says. 

Handmade hand sanitizers can also curb microbe exposure — but only as long as they have the correct ratio of alcohol to other ingredients, according to CNN. 

The alcohol in hand sanitizers lends those products their microbe-busting power, and the CDC recommends that sanitizers contain 60% to 95% alcohol in order to eradicate germs. Sanitizers work best on clean hands and may be less effective when hands are greasy or visibly dirty, according to the CDC. 

“We know it works — just make sure it has enough alcohol in it.” Dr. Stephen Morse, a professor of epidemiology at Columbia University in New York, told CBS News.

Adding an emollient such as aloe vera gel or glycerin will prevent the hand sanitizer from drying out your skin, and essential oils will give the mixture a pleasant smell, according to a recipe shared by CBS News. Based on the ratio recommended by the CDC, a homemade sanitizer made with 0.67 cups (161 milliliter) of isopropyl alcohol would use 0.33 cups (79 ml) of emollient, CBS says.

In other words: If your solution is two-thirds 91% isopropyl alcohol and one-third emollient, the alcohol content of the mixture will be 60.6% (91 times 2/3). For a higher alcohol content, you could make a solution that’s three-fourths 91% alcohol and one-fourth emollient, producing a mixture with alcohol content of 68% (91 times 3/4).