The Food Co-op

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DIY HAND SANITIZER

Recipe provided by: Linden de Voil, RH, lindendevoil.com

Make your own sanitizer!

Ingredients

2 Tbsp rubbing alcohol
2 Tbsp aloe gel
10-15 drops essential oil (thyme, lavender, or other)
Filtered or distilled water


Combine all ingredients; add filtered water to dilute to desired consistency. (I use
approximately equal parts water, aloe, and alcohol.)
Store in a small spray bottle. To use, spray several pumps onto hands and rub
thoroughly for 15 seconds.

Things to know:

  • Washing hands with plain soap and water is far and away the best method for
    removing germs! Hand sanitizer is great back up when traveling or between
    hand washing, but when possible, opt for the soap and sink method!

  • Rubbing alcohol should be concentrated at about 60% to be a completely
    effective hand sanitizer - but at that concentration, it is very drying to the skin.
    Instead, this formula relies on the combined power of alcohol and essential
    oils that also kill germs on contact. It may not kill 100% of common germs, but
    I strongly prefer it to many commercial hand sanitizers!

Choosing essential oils:

Lavender, thyme, tea tree, eucalyptus, rosemary, and cinnamon are also great
choices for anti-microbial potency.