Homemade Hand Sanitizer and Aloe Vera Gel

Hand sanitizers can be used to kill most germs, including the coronavirus, on the hand before using the same hand to touch your nose, eyes, or mouth and becoming infected with the virus. Apart from the issue of the
coronavirus, it is highly recommended to disinfect your hands any time you touch surfaces that may have been contaminated with germs. Right here, a hand sanitizer comes to the rescue. The product can be carried around in a small bottle or container.

Essential Ingredients to Prepare a Hand Sanitizer

Making a hand sanitizer at home does not require much, but just a few ingredients that can be sourced locally or online (e.g., Amazon). The following ingredients can be used to produce a perfect hand sanitizer that can disinfect surfaces and kill most germs.

Ingredients

1. Alcohol (Isopropyl) (up to 99% alcohol volume).
2. Aloe vera gel.
3. Tea tree / lavender essential oil.
4. Lemon.

The minimum amount of alcohol needed to kill most germs is 60%, and this can only be achieved by mixing a 2:1 alcohol to Aloe vera ratio. This ratio would produce an effective, germ-killing sanitizer. This is a recommendation coming from the Center for Disease Control (CDC).

Direction to Produce a Hand Sanitizer

1. Place all the required ingredients as mentioned above into a clean bowl. A bowl with a pouring spout is most recommended.
2. Mix with a turning stick to blend everything together.
3. Turn the mixture into an airtight bottle or an old sanitizer container, but remember to remove the original label from the container. You can then label it “My home-made hand sanitizer” or ignore labeling it.

Tips:

• Make sure everything is prepared in a clean space and on a sterilized surface.
• Make sure your hands are clean.
• Use a clean spoon and whisk to mix.
• Use undiluted alcohol.
• Wear gloves to work with the mixture if you need to touch it.

 

How to Prepare the Aloe Vera Gel at Home

You can purchase the Aloe vera leaves at a grocery store, farmer’s market, or harvest it from your garden if you cultivate it and extract the gel easily.
What you need

1. Aloe vera leaves.
2. A knife.
3. A blender.
4. A container for storage, which must be airtight.
5. Powdered vitamin C / E (optional).

Note: The Aloe vera gel lasts for about one week, and it’s recommended that you process only a quantity that you need at a time and use all. You may have to add
preservatives (powdered vitamin C / E) if you intend to keep it for a more extended period. You can also keep it refrigerated.

Direction

It takes about 20-30 minutes to produce an Aloe vera gel.

1. Prep the Aloe vera leaves

• Cut the leaves from the plant. You can also buy it from a store.
• Wash and remove all dirt. Stand it upright for up to 10 minutes or more to drain out the yellow-tinted resin. This step is vital because of the latex present in the resin.
• Wash off any remains of the resin and peel off the skin using a vegetable peeler or knife.

2. Make your gel

• Peeling the leave exposes the natural Aloe vera gel.
• Scoop it using a spoon into your blender. Don’t allow particles of the Aloe vera skin into the blender.
• Blend the gel to liquefy it.

3. Add preservatives (optional)

This step is required only if you plan to keep the Aloe vera gel for more than a week. Vitamin C or E can be used as a preservative to extend the life of the Aloe vera gel. You may choose to add only one or both of these vitamins. For every 60 ml or ¼ cup of Aloe vera gel, add only 500 / 400 mg of vitamin C /
E, or both. Add the vitamin to the mixture and stir to mix well.

Storage directions

• Store the Aloe vera gel without a preservative in the fridge and use it within a week.
• Adding the vitamins considerably increases the shelf life of the Aloe vera gel for more than a week and up to two months refrigerated.
• When kept frozen, you can keep it for up to 6 months.
• Store it in an airtight container.