Inside you’ll find: An easy DIY hand sanitizer recipe to keep germs at bay.
This post may contain affiliate links that help support my family. Read more about that here.
(I am not a doctor or a chemist. I have not done lab test or anything like that, so please use common sense and use at your own risk. The CDC recommends a hand sanitizer solution that is made up of at least 60% alcohol. And here is a list of commercial disinfectants that kill the coronavirus)
I’m not a germaphob, but some of the things my babies put their mouths on can make my stomach churn, sometimes literally. While washing your hands with soap is certainly the best way to rid little hands of germs, sometimes it’s just not an option. When out and about, hand sanitizer is a decent choice.
But I have concerns about the active ingredients in antibacterial products. So I was on the hunt for an easy way to keep my kids from getting sick, without filling their bodies with junky chemicals! This recipe is SO simple!
Homemade Hand Sanitizer Ingredients:
(These measurements are just for reference. I just eyeballed it.)
- 6 oz of Aloe Vera Gel
(non-medicated, colored or anything else weird)
- 6 Tbsp of Rubbing Alcohol
(The more the better for sterilization! And it helps the solution to dry more quickly!)
- 20 drops of Tea Tree Essential Oil
(or more)
- 10 drops of your favorite anti-viral Essential Oil
(or more, I chose Lemon for its smell and its anti-everything properties)
(The more the better for sterilization! And it helps the solution to dry more quickly!)Directions:
Mix it all together and put it in an air tight container. I used old Bath and Body Works travel bottles that hook onto our diaper bag. Since they’re so small, I leave the rest of the mixture in the fridge until I need a refill.
And there you have it! An all natural hand sanitizer!
Looking for more ways to use common ingredients to make the things you need? You only need SIX ingredients to make nearly all the toiletry and cleaners you need to keep your household functioning! Here are the recipes I use when I need to make things last!
Julie is a frazzled mom of three tornadoes. As a dorky second-generation homeschooler, she writes about learning and play, natural living, special needs parenting and matters of the heart. She serves an astounding God that radically saved her.
Follow My Mundane and Miraculous Life through social media!
bEthannE says
Please add Me To mail list
Barbaea Taft says
I like the natural ingredients, as I have multiple myeloma, and send for my cleaning prounds.
Trish says
Is there any reason I couldn’t use aloe from a plant I have, or would that be a problem with shelf life?
Julie says
I think that would be fine as long as it’s not too sticky. 😉
Laura says
why do u refrigerate it? Will it go bad? It seems that none of the ingredients need to be refrigerated seperately, does it change when you mix them together?
Julie says
Good question. I tend to need a place to put it that’s out of the way, so the refridgerator was logical for me. AND I know that the essential oils can be alter with a lot of heat. We live in TX and are cheap, so it’s over 80 in our house. Better safe than sorry!
NICOLE says
is there something else i could use in place of the aloe like shea butter? me and my daughter are both very allergic to aloe.
Julie says
Good question. I’d think the shea butter wouldn’t evaporate very well. Maybe a carrier oil like grapeseed, olive, or coconut. I’d think the lighter the better. Let me know if you find something!
Misty says
Thank you for this recipe. I am going to make some this weekend! I’ve been using hand sanitizer on my kids when I pick them up from daycare. They want a snack on our long drive home but we catch every sick bug under the sun. I am excited to try a natural one. Do you think this would kill cold viruses as well?
Julie says
I’m not a microbiologist, but I think it’d do as good a job as any. But again, no expert, just a mom. 🙂
Evie says
Hi
I just wanted to ask if tea tree oil in the hand sanitiser is ok if bub puts hands in mouth after cleaning hands?
Thx
Evie 🙂
Julie says
I’d try and avoid that if you can but man, kids put the nastiest scariest stuff in their mouths. Rinse with water if you can. Any hand sanitizer would give me the same worries though. Sorry I don’t have a great solution for ya. I understand. I do all this organic stuff, then my kid will eat a piece of plastic when I’m not looking! OI!
Angela Roberts says
So glad that you like the recipe! I love your site, I look forward to browsing through your pages. 🙂
Liz says
One of the grand daughters is allergic to tea tree oil. Any other suggestions?
Liz
Julie says
Lots of great options. Lavender, peppermint or lemongrass come to mind. Clove, cinnamon, and oregano are powerful, but would bother the skin.