Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 3: Make an odorless hand gel with alcohol
• Method 2 of 3: Add essential oils
• Method 3 of 3: Make grain alcohol hand gel
• Warnings

Washing your hands with soap and water is and remains the best way to get your hands clean. However, clean running water is not always available. Alcohol-based hand gel is a great solution to this problem. You can always take it with you, and it is also very easy to make at home! You can also save a lot of money by making your hand gel yourself, and it is a fun job for young and old. The result is an effective disinfectant that protects you and your housemates from bacteria and viruses. Small bottles of homemade hand gel are also nice to give as a gift to friends and family!

To step

Method 1 of 3: Make an odorless hand gel with alcohol

1. Prepare the ingredients. You don't need much to make your own hand gel with alcohol, and you may already have some of the ingredients at home. And if not, you can probably get the missing ingredients at most drug stores. What you need is so-called rubbing alcohol (isopropanol) with a purity of at least 91%, and regular aloe vera gel. That's all!
   • To make a hand gel that works just as well as a store-bought product, such as the Assanis or Care Plus brand, make sure your finished product contains at least 70% alcohol. If you use 91% isopropyl alcohol, you can be sure that your hand gel will meet that standard.
   • If you can get 99% isopropanol, buy that. It is not necessarily necessary, but it does provide a hand gel with a stronger disinfectant effect.
   • Aloe vera gel is also available in different types, from more to less pure. Buy the purest gel you can find. Read the label for this. It should say how pure the gel is. This does not make your hand gel more or less effective, but if you use a gel that is as pure as possible, you can be sure that your end product will contain as few chemical additives as possible.
2. Get the tools ready. Fortunately, you don't need any special tools to make hand gel and you can find most things in the kitchen! You will need a clean bowl, a spatula (or spoon), a funnel, and a clean, used bottle that contained liquid soap or hand cleaner. If you don't have an empty bottle at home that you could use, you can also use another bottle, container or jar, as long as it has a lid.
3. Mix the ingredients. Measure out 180 ml of isopropyl alcohol and 60 ml of regular aloe vera gel and add both ingredients to the bowl. Stir the alcohol and the gel well with the spatula or spoon.
   • If you prefer not to mix the ingredients by hand, you can also use a pitcher, food processor or mixer.
4. Put the gel in a bottle or jar. Pour the mixture from the bowl through the funnel into the bottle, jar or container you have prepared. Put on the cap, lid or pump and your homemade disinfectant gel is ready to use!
   • Store the gel in a cool, dark place, out of the sun. That way, the mixture can be kept for at least six months.
   • Put the hand gel in smaller bottles that you can easily put in your bag, backpack or jacket pocket on the go. If you buy hand gel from the store, keep the bottles so you can use them again. These bottles have exactly the right size and you can easily squeeze the gel out.
   • You can often buy new, empty bottles of this size in the supermarket. Check the path with small format toiletries for traveling.
   EXPERT TIP

   Use the hand gel correctly. There is indeed a way in which you can be sure that you use the hand gel in such a way that it can do its job optimally. For starters, there should be absolutely no visible dirt on your hands. Hand gel is not intended for cleaning your hands if you can actually see the dirt on it.

   • Fill your palm with gel and then rub your hands firmly together for 20 to 30 seconds. Make sure that you also rub the gel under your fingernails, between your fingers, over the backs of your hands and over your wrists.
   • Then do not wipe or rinse your hands with water, but let the gel air dry completely.
   • When the hand gel is completely dry, you are done.

Method 2 of 3: Add essential oils

1. First, determine why you would want to add essential oils to the gel. You can use an essential oil just for the scent, but in addition to smelling good, essential oils can have many more benefits. Essential oils have been used by cultures around the world for thousands of years for healing mental, physical and emotional ailments.
2. Apply aromatherapy by choosing the right essential oil. Inhaling the scent of a certain essential oil can stimulate your brain and trigger all kinds of mental and emotional reactions. By adding them to your hand gel, you can instantly disinfect your hands and benefit from the beneficial effects of aromatherapy. You can choose one type of oil, but you can also combine different types of oil to create layered effects, as it were. We can't possibly describe all the details of the wonderful world of aromatherapy here, but there are a number of essential oils that are particularly suitable for adding to your hand gel.
   • The scent of essential oil with cinnamon can reduce your drowsiness and increase your concentration.
   • Lavender essential oil has a rejuvenating scent that is relaxing and soothing.
   • Rosemary essential oil is said to make you more alert and improve your memory.
   • Lemon essential oil has an uplifting scent that can help with depression and depression while also boosting your energy.
   • Peppermint essential oil has an invigorating scent that can soothe weak nerves and improve mental clarity.
3. Always be careful with essential oil. Essential oils are highly concentrated and if used incorrectly they can be harmful. If you are pregnant or have a weakened immune system, always consult your doctor before using essential oils. If you've never used essential oils before, try a tiny bit on a small area of ​​skin before adding it to your gel and rubbing your hands with it.
   • Never apply essential oil directly to your skin without diluting it first. Essential oil is highly concentrated and some varieties can irritate your skin.
   • If you want to use essential oil, always choose the best quality you can get. Before purchasing, read the label for words such as "Pure", "Aromatherapeutic Grade", "Certified Organic Grade" and "Therapeutic Grade".
4. Add the oil or oils you chose to your homemade hand gel. Measure out 160 ml of isopropyl alcohol and 80 ml of regular aloe vera gel and add both ingredients to the bowl. Add ten drops of your chosen essential oil (s).Do not use more than ten drops! Stir all ingredients well with a spatula or spoon.

Method 3 of 3: Make grain alcohol hand gel

1. Prepare all ingredients. Fortunately, you don't need a lot of special things to make your own hand gel and chances are that you already have most of it at home. To start, take a bottle of grain alcohol (190 proof) with an alcohol content of 95%. Hand gel is only effective if it contains at least 70% alcohol. Therefore, use alcohol with a high percentage, so that your end product will be strong enough. You also need regular aloe vera gel, and possibly essential oils, but the latter is not necessarily necessary.
   • Always check the alcohol content before buying a bottle of alcohol, as many commercial brands are less than 190 proof.
   • Remember that you can dilute the strength of the alcohol with other ingredients so that the alcohol content is less than 95%.
   • You can decide for yourself what kind of essential oils you want to use. Lavender, lemon, peppermint, geranium, cinnamon, tea tree, and rosemary are all suitable. You can choose more than one type of oil if you want, as long as you don't use more than ten drops in total.
   • Aloe vera gel is also available in more or less pure varieties. It is best to use a gel that is as pure as possible. Information about purity should be on the label.
2. Get all the tools you need ready. You will need a clean bowl, a spatula (or spoon), a funnel, and a used, clean bottle that contained liquid soap or hand gel. If you don't have an empty bottle on hand that you can use again, you can use another jar, bottle or container, as long as it has a lid.
3. Mix the ingredients. Measure out 60 ml of grain alcohol and 30 ml of regular aloe vera gel and add both ingredients to the bowl. Now add ten drops of your chosen essential oil (ies). Stir the ingredients well with the spatula (or spoon).
   • You can adjust the amounts if you want, but keep the ratio of 2: 1 grain alcohol to gel so that the mixture will be strong enough.
   • Instead of mixing the ingredients by hand in a bowl, you can use a pitcher, blender, or food processor.
4. Put the gel in a bottle. Using the funnel, pour the mixture straight from the bowl into the bottle or jar. Close the bottle or jar with the cap, lid or pump. And so you have homemade, disinfecting hand gel that is immediately ready for use!
   • Keep the mixture in a cool, dark place (out of the sun) and use it within a month.

Warnings

• Hand gel with alcohol is useful on the go if you don't have running water to hand, but you should never use it in place of soap and water to wash your hands.
• Do not use the hand gel too often in a day. The alcohol can dry out the skin and except when you are on the road and there is no tap nearby where you can wash your hands with soap and water, it is best not to use it too often.
• Whether you made it yourself or bought it from a store, always keep hand gel out of the reach of children and pets.