DIY Hand Sanitizer Recipes for Massage Therapists

Do It Yourself Hand Sanitizer:

In the era of Covid-19, hand cleaning and sanitation is a vital part of self-care. Clean hands are especially vital for massage therapists and while many of us were already accustomed to washing and sanitizing our hands regularly for work, with coronavirus in play, we’re likely doing it all the more more often. As a result, we’re going through more hand sanitizer than usual and because of demand, prices have gone up and availability is spotty. No worries! We’ve got an easy, customizable, hand sanitizer recipe to save you money and ensure that you’ve got a steady supply on-hand. (See what we did there?)

Ingredients:

• Isopropyl Alcohol 99% purity
• Aloe Vera Gel
• Additional Options (see below)

The Recipe:

Making your sanitizer is very simple but, please keep in mind that alcohol is flammable so work in a safe spot away from heat, sparks, and open flame. Simply combine 3 parts of the isopropyl alcohol 99% with 1 part of the aloe vera gel (we found both on Amazon for reasonable prices) and mix until homogeneous. You can mix by hand with a whisk or simply by shaking the solution in a closed container until well integrated. This will give you approximately 74% alcohol in the resulting sanitizer, more than potent enough to kill most viruses and bacteria and still leaves enough aloe to be kinder and less drying to your hands.

Customization:

If you would like to make your sanitizer your own, there are several possibilities but, essential oils are an easy and excellent addition! Simply add a few drops of essential oil to your solution before you mix everything together. We’re fans of tea tree, orange, geranium, and lavender oil, all of which contribute additional antimicrobial effects as well as adding a hint of pleasant scent and an aroma-therapeutic component.

What’s that you say? You don’t have any essential oils? Never fear, you can infuse your isopropyl alcohol with raw ingredients such as orange peels or lemon peels, sprigs of rosemary or lavender flowers, or spices like clove or star anise. Just place your citrus peels, herbs, or spices into the alcohol and let them sit in there for about 48 hours before straining them out and mixing up your solution.

Storage:

Once you’ve made your sanitizer, just put it into an airtight container for long term storage so the alcohol doesn’t evaporate. A mason jar or empty plastic bottle can be reused for this purpose.

To keep your sanitizer close, you can fill a few small, 4 oz. travel bottles and stash them in places where you find you need them most often, one in your car, one in your bag, etcetera. When you get low, just refill your travel bottles from your main stash.

Spray It:

One additional recipe is to mix 3 parts isopropyl alcohol to 1 part witch hazel and then add a few drops of vitamin E oil. This allows you to put your sanitizer in a small pump spray bottle for easy transport and application.

Questions, thoughts, or comments? Did you make it? Let us know in the comment section below!