Once upon a time, the only people who ever bought or knew about them were those:
- 1. Deemed obsessed with cleanliness or simply those who suffered from Mysophobics
- 2. Who have children
- 3. Who have pets
- 4. Who participate in outdoor activities
- 5. Those in the healthcare industry
In fact in some parts of the world, they were even less popular. But lately due to health threat outbreaks, hand sanitizers – that bottle of “gel stuff” that cleans without water are often ‘sold out’ and where once before there were only a select few brands that made them, now there are more than you can count. If you’re new to using it then maybe the following will help you understand better just what this sanitizing gel is all about.
More popularly recognised as Purell, the misconception here is the name itself. Purell is merely a brand (© Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies) famous for its hand sanitizers. Hand sanitizers are essentially an alcohol based (commercial non-alcohol ones are less effective) type of disinfection agent that is used within health care to avoid transmission of pathogens.
Today there are many brands to choose from, from simple and basic to luxury lines which add natural products and essential oils to the mixture by companies such as Surya Cosmetics , EO, Burt’s Bees, Frais, etc. There are even those specifically developed for children with their sensitivity noted.
But did you also know that making hand sanitizers or hand alcohols isn’t exactly rocket science and that you can easily make your own at home? In fact if you make your own, you know exactly what goes inside and thus just how safe it is to use.
To make your own green hand sanitizer, all you need are:
- 100% pure aloe vera gel ,
- Witch Hazel,
- Tea Tree essential oil; and
- Peppermint essential oil.
Mix them in the proportion of 1 cup of aloe vera gel to 1-2 tsp of Witch Hazel and 3-4 drops each of Tea Tree and Peppermint essential oil. If you find that the gel mixture is a bit too thin, then just add more aloe gel to you are satisfied with the consistency. Witch Hazel, Tea Tree Oil and Peppermint posses’ antiseptic and astringent properties which make them great for killing germs and healing small cuts and wounds. Aloe vera gel on the other hand will help soothe the skin and keep it from drying out.
