Homemade "Spiced" Hand-Sanitizer with Essential Oils

Two posts in one:

Post #1: Aloe-Based Hand Sanitizer
This is a repost of a recipe I posted almost exactly 3 years ago, to the day - 3/3/17.  (How funny!  I had no idea it was almost the exact same date when I decided to repost it now.)  With the coronavirus going around (and the panic surrounding it), it seems like a good time to share this recipe again.  

FYI:  There are no guarantees for this recipe about effectiveness against any virus.  But this is for those who like to try natural methods for germ-control first, who want to do what they can for a little extra protection.  

I am not a big fan of hand-sanitizers because I fear that their overuse leads to stronger germs.  But sometimes, it’s better to use a little than risk getting the nasty illnesses going on all around you.  I made this for the times that we need it - when I hear a kid coughing like a barking seal or when I see someone sneezing or coughing into their hands.  (Come on, don’t be an animal!  Cough into the crook of your elbow, please!).

When I was looking on-line for hand-sanitizer recipes, I found one that barely used any essential oil and one that used way-too-much oil, such as an enormous amount of Cinnamon and Clove oil.  (Spice oils are potent.  I use them sparingly.  Plus, you are going to end up touching your face or eyes at some point, so do you really want to have a ton of cinnamon oil or clove oil on your fingers when you do.)  And so I decided to make my own, with an amount of essential oil that I am much more comfortable with.  It smells like a warm spiced cake, perfect for winter.  

"Spiced" Hand-Sanitizer Gel:

For people over age 6:

In a bottle that you can cap and shake, add ¼ - ½ teaspoon Glycerin and 4 oz. of the purest Aloe Vera Gel you can find.  Then add:

            4 drops Orange essential oil

            4 drops Lemon essential oil

            2-4 drops Lavender essential oil

            1 drop Clove essential oil

            1 drop Frankincense essential oil (optional)
            And 1 or 2 drops Cinnamon Leaf essential oil

            (I also added 10 drops Vanilla essential oil, which is already pre-diluted to be used straight on the skin.  So I don’t think it adds to the strength of the oils.  It just adds scent.  And I added 1 drop Rosemary essential oil, but experts don't recommend Rosemary oil for kids under 10.  But you can use Tea Tree oil instead, if you want.  Or just leave it out.) 

Shake well.  It will shake down to about 3 ounces of gel.  Then fill a small squeeze bottle or two with it.  I bought a small, travel-sized, squeeze bottle of hand sanitizer, and I squeezed the alcohol-based sanitizer into the garbage and reused the bottle.  

[Note: Because of this whole coronavirus scare, various online sources are heavily pushing hand sanitizers with rubbing alcohol.  And from what I've seen in various recipes posted by people, you can mix 1/3 cup aloe, 2/3 cup rubbing alcohol, and 8-10 drops essential oils.  They say to use 91% alcohol or 99% alcohol.  But I only have 70%.  And sometimes we just have to use what we got.  So for myself and using my recipe, I would probably start with adding 1/2 cup of 70% alcohol to 1/3 cup of my homemade "spiced" aloe-based hand sanitizer.  And if that's too weak, I'd add another couple tablespoons rubbing alcohol.  And that would have to be good enough.  But this is untested by me, and I don't know yet if I'll add the alcohol or not.  It's just an idea for you to consider if you want more antiseptic power.]    

(If there is no preservative in your aloe base, you may want to add a bit of vitamin E oil to help keep it fresher longer.  FYI: It's now 3 years later, and I've kept that little green bottle in my purse the whole time, and I used it just the other day and it seems fine.) 

 (The condensation on the inside of the clear bottle is because I keep it in the fridge.  I keep the smaller one in my purse.  I wrote the recipe on the small bottle, but one recipe made enough to almost fill both bottles.)

A gentler blend for younger children:

Kids under age 6 shouldn't use Rosemary, Clove, or Frankincense.  

So if you want a really gentle blend for kids between 6 months and 6 years old, you could do just Lavender.  The safest dilution amount would be 1 drop essential oil per ounce of carrier.  So ... 1 drop of Lavender essential oil per ounce of Aloe Vera Gel, before it is shaken down and reduced.  

So that would be 4 drops Lavender per 4-ounce bottle of Aloe.  That would be a very gentle, safe route to go.  

Also okay for kids over 6 months is Tea Tree oil (a great germ-fighter), Orange, Lemon, and Cinnamon Leaf (used sparingly).  So a few other options are ...

For a 4 ounce bottle of Aloe:

2 drops Tea Tree Oil and 2 drops Lavender  

Or 1 drop each of Orange, Lemon, Lavender, and Tea Tree Oil, and one optional drop of Cinnamon Leaf, if you want this in it

Or for a 12-ounce bottle of Aloe:

2 drops each Orange, Lemon, and Cinnamon Leaf, and 3 drops each Lavender and Tea Tree oil.  

Or simply 4 drops each Orange, Lavender, and Tea Tree oil.

You can blend them any way you want - the Orange, Lemon, Tea Tree, Lavender, and Cinnamon Leaf (use sparingly, spice oils are potent) - as long as it equals only about 1 drop essential oil per ounce of carrier (aloe or lotion or whatever you put it in).

  

These should all be rather safe blends for young children, over age 6 months.

(Click here for "My Basic Safety Rules for Essential Oils."  And also see "My 'Every Day' Essential Oil Diffuser Blend for Staying Healthy.")

Post #2: Lotion-Based Hand Sanitizer

So I just went to our local Walmart to get a bottle of aloe, but they were sold-out, along with all the rubbing alcohol ... anti-bacterial soaps ... alcohol-based hand sanitizers ... toilet paper ... paper towels ... thermometers ... Tylenol ... etc.  (You'd think we're all preparing for the Zombie Apocalypse!)  Also, the Aloe Vera Gel is gone (both kinds: edible and lotion), as people grab it up to make their own hand sanitizers.  So I couldn't get a bottle of it this time.  

(But I did get the last bottle they had of Tea Tree Oil.  Grab one if you can.  You should always have Tea Tree oil on hand.  I would also recommend getting other bottles of essential oil, such as lemon, peppermint, lavender, eucalyptus, etc., and get essential oil diffusers, while you can.  I bet those are the next to go.)

So I did something different this time.  I bought a 12-ounce bottle of Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day Lavender Hand Lotion, and I added extra essential oils to it, the kind I use in my aloe-based hand sanitizer.  (Necessity is the mother of invention.)  And it turned out pretty nice.  (Shake well to blend.)

For people over age 6, 

to a 12-ounce bottle of hand lotion I added:

8-12 drops Orange essential oil
8-12 drops Lemon essential oil
4-6 drops Lavender essential oil (there's already some in the lotion to begin with)
2-3 drops each of these essential oils: Cinnamon Leaf, Clove, Rosemary (experts don't recommend using Rosemary on children under 10, so maybe do Tea Tree oil instead), and Frankincense (totally optional)

[I have really sensitive skin, and so I would use the lowest amount of drops in my recipe.  I tried making it first with the higher amounts, and it was just too strong for my skin, felt a little "tingly," for lack of a better word.]

It smells pretty nice (warm and spicy), soaks into your skin like a nice lotion does, and has the extra germ-fighting power of those essential oils.  I am going to keep it by our front door so we remember to use it whenever we go anywhere, and I am going to put some into smaller bottles to keep in our cars for when we forget to use it before we leave the house, which happens more often than not.

[FYI: According to the experts, kids under 6 should not use Rosemary, Clove, or Frankincense.  That's why I say this is for people over age 6.  But for kids aged 6 months to 6 years, you can use the Lemon, Orange, Lavender, and Cinnamon Leaf (sparingly).  And Tea Tree Oil is great too.  

(See "My Basic Safety Rules for Essential Oils".)  

And you should only use about 1 drop of essential oil per ounce of lotion (or aloe or other base carrier) for young children.  So that would be no more than 12 drops of essential oil per 12-ounce bottle of lotion.  In that case, for young kids, I might add this to a 12-ounce bottle of lotion or aloe: 2 drops each Lemon, Orange and Cinnamon Leaf, 3 drops each Tea Tree and Lavender.  Or I might just do 4 drops each Orange, Tea Tree, and Lavender.  These should be gentle enough for young children.  But read the rules and cautions for yourself to see what's best for you and your family.]     

(Also note: There are no guarantees that this blend will help fight any germ or virus.  But it couldn't hurt either.  I personally believe in the power of these essential oils to help kill germs.  I have seen lavender take away hot, red, spreading, infected spider bites, cellulitis from an infected mosquito bite, a black-line blood infection running up someone's arm from an infected burn, etc.  And so I always go to these oils first, for prevention and to help treat infections before trying something stronger and less natural.)