For a few months now, I’ve had many people write in asking if George’s Aloe Vera is suitable for making your own DIY hand sanitizer. Well, the answer is yes – however, actually washing your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds is the BEST way to go!
That being said, sometimes you are on the go and simply can’t wash your hands at that moment. In this case, if I were to make my own hand sanitizer at home, I much prefer using hydrogen peroxide & essential oils as ingredients over abrasive isopropyl alcohol. Isopropyl is harsh and drying on the skin. So here is the recipe I would use:
Natural Aloe Hand Sanitizer
1/4 cup aloe vera juice
1 tbsp colloidal sliver
1 tsp 3% hydrogen peroxide
20 drops tea tree essential oil (or thyme, or rosemary, or eucalyptus)
5-10 drops lemon essential oil (optional)
Pour into a spray bottle and shake well.
Spray enough on your hands to get them wet and rub them vigorously together. Let your hands air dry.
*NOTE: I am not a fan of hand sanitizers and I do not use them for myself or my kids, because our hands/skin has a natural microbial/bacterial population that protects us from opportunistic infection. If we are continually killing off our native flora, our skin becomes susceptible to infection. Sound familiar? YES, just like we avoid antibiotics as they destroy our healthy gut flora!
In this case, does the hydrogen peroxide need to be food grade? I have noticed that some of the newer hand sanitizers have hydrogen peroxide as an ingredient as well as ethyl alcohol.
Hi Roger. Food grade is only really necessary when you are ingesting (for example, in a nebulizer). Standard hydrogen peroxide (the kind you use to treat wounds) will work in this case.
I REMEMBER when the news went out about the harm of using hand sanitizers, now, it’s literally everywhere and everyone is using it! All the time! It’s insanity.a
Fear will do that to you!!
Hello Savannah! That is good to know. I was wondering if H202 could be used to disinfect a (steam) humidifier too. I already have bleach though so might as well just use that.
Hi Roger – just did a quick google search & seems like it’s a good option: https://www.insider.com/does-hydrogen-peroxide-kill-germs-and-viruses
Savannah, thank you for the link! It was very informative. I did try the H202 in a very diluted form in my vaporizer, but I used chorinated water, which turns out NOT to be a good idea. That could explain the nosebleed I had after a few days. But during the winter I have trouble with a dry nose so it could be related to that. I will know better next time.
Roger, in winter, just apply comfrey salve to the inside of your nostrils before bed every night – works a charm!