DIY: Natural Hand Sanitizer Spray (Alcohol Free)

If our hands could talk! Just think about everything we touch on the course of one day, and all the germs we are exposed to…excuse me while I go wash my hands. Although it is a good idea to keep our hands clean to prevent the spread of disease, commercial hand sanitizer sprays may not be a good solution. So I decided to make my own home made natural hand sanitizer spray using every day natural ingredients. You can find the step-by-step instruction guide and recipe at the bottom of this page.

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Issues with Commercial Hand Sanitizer Sprays

The main ingredient is alcohol or triclosan
They contain other yucky, not-good-for-you chemicals
Clinical studies show they are not any more effective than plain old water and soap*
They kill beneficial bacteria*
They strip our hands or natural oils*

Yet, these little suckers are everywhere, even in hospitals which seem counter-intuitive. I get it, it’s convenient to carry one of these bottles, I am a mother of a busy toddler I know about a mess and about convenience. So what’s one to do?

Why home made natural hand sanitizer spray?

This recipe took me 30 seconds to make, no nasty chemicals, and I used an empty bottle of natural sanitizer spray I had previously purchased, which was fine and dandy until I ran out and couldn’t find it in the store anymore, and at almost $4 for 2 oz. I decided to make my own.

The problem with many home made hand sanitizer recipes that I have found online is that they are alcohol based, and I didn’t want that on my toddler’s hands. So this recipe is a combination of a couple other recipes I found and I customized it to what I had at home and to the proportions I needed.

Homemade Natural Hand Sanitizer Recipe

2 tbs pure aloe vera. Gel or liquid, but make sure it is 100% pure
(get at amazon.com)
2 tbs witch hazel. Commercially prepared is OK just try to find without alcohol
(get at amazon.com)
1 tsp of apple cider vinegar. (Bragg’s raw and organic)
15 drops or 100% pure lavender essential oil (get at amazon.com)
5 drops of 100% pure tea tree essential oil (get at amazon.com)
Mix all ingredients together and with a small funnel transfer into a small spray bottle.
Shake well, and you’re done!

Why use Apple Cider Vinegar in our Natural Hand Sanitizer Spray?

Apple Cider Vinegar is a really powerful natural bleach killing 99% of those nasty germs we hate. Most vinegar’s will kill germs actually but I would recommend avoiding using anything sweet. Using a Apple Cider Vinegar for our natural hand sanitizer is generally inexpensive and far safer than using chemical based hand sanitizers,

Natural Hand Sanitizer Spray Notes and Tips:

Tea tree oil although highly effective an antibacterial agent, the smell is very strong and not many like it. Just the lavender essential oil will do, but you can add any other you like, or not.
If you are wondering if your hands will smell like vinegar, don’t worry, the lavender essential oil will mask the smell.
If you have pure vitamin E, you could add a few drops. It will act as a moisturizing agent and as a natural preservative.
These proportions resulted in about 1.5 oz. increase evenly as needed.
If you prefer a gel, just buy aloe vera gel and a 1:5 gel to witch hazel ratio for the consistency to remain.
You could get the spray bottle at the trail size aisle at any story.