DIY hand sanitizer recipe for when you can’t find it in the store! This homemade hand sanitizer is easy to make with just two simple ingredients.
Even though washing your hands with soap and water is the best way to kill germs and stay healthy, sometimes that’s not possible.
If you find yourself without a way to wash your hands, hand sanitizer is the next best thing.
DIY Hand Sanitizer
This DIY hand sanitizer recipe follows the CDC guidelines for hand sanitizer, as it contains at least 60% alcohol.
As stated on the CDC website:
If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.
Most homemade hand sanitizer recipes recommend using 99% Isopropyl rubbing alcohol. But I could only find 70% Isopropyl rubbing alcohol.
This easy hand sanitizer recipe uses 70% rubbing alcohol, but I’ll give you the proportions for other strengths of alcohol, just in case you happen to have those available.
In order to make sure your hand sanitizer contains at least 60% alcohol, use these guidelines.
70% Isopropyl Alcohol: 9 parts alcohol to 1 part aloe vera gel
91% Isopropyl Alcohol: 3 parts alcohol to 2 parts aloe vera gel
99% Isopropyl Alcohol: 2 parts alcohol to 1 part aloe vera gel
Supplies Needed for This Recipe
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You only need a few things to make this recipe.
- 70% Isopropyl Alcohol
- Aloe vera gel or glycerin
- Essential oils (optional) I used lavender
- Spray bottle (I used these)
- Funnel (any funnel will work, I used this one for my small bottles)
- Bowl
- Tablespoon
- Labels (optional)
You don’t have to add essential oils to this recipe. I used lavender essential oil in mine, just to give it a bit of scent.
If you do decide to add an essential oil, here are a few options:
- lavender
- tea tree
- clove
- eucalyptus
- peppermint
How to Make Hand Sanitizer
For my DIY hand sanitizer recipe, I knew I wanted to fill two 2 oz. spray bottles, because that’s what I had available.
After a bit of math, my husband helped me figure out the amounts (being sure the final product contained 60% alcohol) to perfectly fill my 2 oz. bottles.
They turned out just right!
To make the hand sanitizer, all you do is add the ingredients to a bowl:
- 9 Tablespoons of alcohol
- 1 Tablespoon aloe vera gel
- 5 drops essential oil (optional)
Then mix the ingredients together very well.
Pour into your clean spray bottles.
Add a label (I used these), and you’re done!
DIY Hand Sanitizer Spray Recipe
Ingredients
- 9 Tablespoons of 70% alcohol
- 1 Tablespoon aloe vera gel
- 5 drops essential oil optional
Instructions
- Mix the alcohol and the aloe vera gel together in a small bowl.
- Add essential oils if using.
- Use a funnel to pour into the spray bottles.
- Add a label to each bottle.
How to Use Your Homemade Hand Sanitizer
This recipe makes a more watery hand sanitizer, so the spray bottles are necessary. I haven’t tried the recipe with the higher strength alcohol, so I can’t say what the consistency would be like with those.
With the 70% alcohol, you have to use so much alcohol (to keep the 60% alcohol proportion) that it will be more watery.
Spray enough hand sanitizer on your hands to cover the surface of your hands. Then rub your hands together until they feel dry.
It should be noted that this DIY hand sanitizer is very drying to the hands. It is recommended that it not be used on children, because it may be too drying for them.
Personally, I’m using hand sanitizer only as a last resort, when I don’t have access to soap and water.
Be sure to do a patch test on a small area of your skin to make sure you’re not sensitive to it.
And remember that using hand sanitizer isn’t as effective as washing hands thoroughly with soap and water.
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Disclaimer: I am not providing medical advice. I’m just a mom, sharing a recipe I made for our personal use. I recommend that you always consult a medical professional for anything health-related. Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Read my full disclosure here. Sharing here.
I tried to make this and my aloe just clumped up??
Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that! I haven’t had that happen the times I’ve made it. I’m not sure why that would happen.
I just bought some aloe vera gel to make this, so I’m glad I saw this post! Thanks so much for sharing it with us at the Thursday Favorite Things link party.
Hi Pam! So glad it was helpful!
Hi Joy, your sanitizer post was chosen by our Julie to be featured on the next Blogger’s Pit Stop 🙂
Kathleen
Thank you, Kathleen!
Just saved this to Pinterest! Even when all this comes to pass, this will be so good to keep on hand for making my own scented sanitizers for on the go. Thank you for this!
Thanks so much for sharing!
It soundsGreat easy. Will the alcohol in it dry my hands out?
Yes, the alcohol is very drying, unfortunately. That’s the downside of making sure the final product contains 60% alcohol. I would only recommend using it if you have to be out and you’re not able to wash your hands with soap and water.
We have plenty of sanitizer here at our home as we always buy the one liter size refill bottles. We keep smaller bottles of it in our vehicles and always one in my purse. However, since covid-19 several family members are wanting me to make them some sanitizer but I cannot find aloe vera gel nor alcohol above 50%. Sending your recipe over to them if and when they can find the ingredients.
So glad it was helpful! I was thankful we already had the aloe gel, and our small town pharmacy had the alcohol. I hope they’re able to find the supplies! It’s frustrating how many things are unavailable now.