Amid the spread of coronavirus, hand sanitizers have been going out of stock at an alarming rate.
But no need to panic! Despite common reluctance towards DIY, Adequate Research has reaffirmed you can make effective sanitizer if you use the key ingredients.
Renowned organizations have published guidelines to make public aware of what makes the sanitzer potent.
CDC claims any sanitizer containing at least 60% of the alcohol is best and highly effective alternative.
WHO has gone so far as publishing the standard formula of the sanitizer.
To put it together, any DIY sanitizer you come across containing 60% isopropyl or ethanol—a pure form of alcohol— is good as any.
My first instinct was to share the endorsed formula WHO has provided.
However, as it’s designed for a large scale, it would hardly be suitable for individuals.
Even if you break it down to individual quantity, the formula would reduce to 15 ml of glycerin, 40ml of hydrogen peroxide and 1 liter of alcohol.
The complicated components and ratios alone may put off many.
So, in this article, I will share with you two widely popular DIY sanitizer recipes as an alternative to a commercial sanitizer.
[One of them is non-alcohol based sanitizer. Not comparatively potent, it’s a viable option for those with skin irritation.]
Ideally, the ratio to make a DIY hand sanitizer should at least be 60:40 or two-part alcohol to one part aloe Vera.
Based on the above ratio here’s the popular recipe for DIY Hand sanitizer.
Alcohol will disinfect your skin. Aloe Vera will balance the dryness from alcohol and essential oil will mask the alcohol smell adding fragrance.
As for suggesting rubbing alcohol and not, say, drinking beverage; rubbing alcohol has the most concentrated quantity of isopropyl or ethanol.
While health authorities have sufficiently deemed an alcohol-based sanitizer to be the effective one, some may find alcohol irritant and even suffer from allergic reactions.
What do they use, then?
To counter it, I am sharing another sanitizer formula suggested by Dr. Lawrance, MD, an integrative pediatrician.
He published it back in 2013 while he was working in the whole child center.
Here the hero ingredients are the essential oils.
Cinnamon and clove contain anti-bacterial properties, while rosemary has anti-microbial properties and eucalyptus anti-oxidant.
It’s an undeniable truth that washing hands with regular soap is the ultimate method to prevent viral infection.
However, as you can’t bring soap and water everywhere you go, sanitizer is the next best option for you.
Want to know healthy tips to enjoy a longer life? Check out our blog here.
