{"id":417,"date":"2020-10-27T18:40:24","date_gmt":"2020-10-27T16:40:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zerowastethings.com\/?p=417"},"modified":"2021-04-21T14:38:16","modified_gmt":"2021-04-21T12:38:16","slug":"homemade-hand-sanitizer-with-essential-oils","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zerowastethings.com\/homemade-hand-sanitizer-with-essential-oils\/","title":{"rendered":"How to make a homemade hand sanitizer with essential oils"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
How to homemade hand sanitizer with essential oils? Back in March 2020 I was living in Vienna, Austria. Things were starting to shut down, and the store shelves were empty. The only thing that was left in the meat loving Austria was vegan food. Soon to become obligatory masks were nowhere to be found. Hand sanitizers were impossible to get. Pharmacy after pharmacy, nobody had anything left. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Disclaimer: I am not a physician. Always consult your doctor prior to getting advice from a random person online. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Luckily we had some 100% isopropyl alcohol at home that I use for cleaning. Also, if you ever did gel nails at home, isopropyl alcohol is what is used to dehydrate the nails before applying the gel. I had some of that too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I did some research and here is what I found:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The best antimicrobial efficacy can be achieved with ethanol (60 to 85%), isopropanol (60 to 80%), and n-propanol (60 to 80%). The activity is broad and immediate. Ethanol at high concentrations (e.g., 95%) is the most effective treatment against naked viruses, whereas n-propanol seems to be more effective against the resident bacterial flora. The combination of alcohols may have a synergistic effect. The antimicrobial efficacy of chlorhexidine (2 to 4%) and triclosan (1 to 2%) is both lower and slower.<\/p>Kampf G, Kramer A. Epidemiologic background of hand hygiene and evaluation of the most important agents for scrubs and rubs. Clin Microbiol Rev. 2004 Oct;17(4):863-93, doi<\/a><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
WARNING: Never bring alcohol with such high alcohol content into a house with an alcoholic. Drinking such concentrations can be deadly, since humans can’t process such concentrations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
What not to use in a homemade hand sanitizer with essential oils<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
VODKA OR OTHER SPIRIT<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Vodkas and other spirits contain ethanol but is too small concentrations to kill all bacteria and viruses. Vodkas start with a minimum of 37%, most being 40-45% ethanol, which is not enough. The percentage will say on the front or the back of the bottle. In a lot of countries, drinks with such alcohol percentages are illegal<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“BURNING ALCOHOL” or “alcohol fuel”<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
This type is a mix of ethanol and processed methanol, which is toxic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
ACETONE<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Do not use ESSENTIAL OILS ONLY in your home formulations<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Though there are a couple of essential oils that have been proven to be anti-bacterial, but they are not a good UNIVERSAL kill all ingredient. Let’s see why.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
ANTI-BACTERIAL: it kills bacteria like E-coli, food poisoning, wound infections…
ANTI-VIRAL: examples of viral infections hepatitis B, SARS, measles, Ebola, herpes, HIV, and now covid
ANTI-FUNGAL: it kills fungi, like mold<\/p>\n\n\n\nIn “folks medicine” these terms are often used as synonyms – but they are not. <\/strong>Most studies look at bacteria and essential oils, and there needs to be more research. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
What is ANTI-MICROBIAL then? Microbe nowadays gets to be used as a general term for anything yucky that might make us sick. However not all microbes are bad, as not all bacteria is bad. Microbes are bacteria, fungi and other, plus maybe viruses, depending who you ask. So if you are looking at a study claiming an ingredient is anti-microbial, check their definitions and exclusions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Soap kills stuff very well. It’s crazy to believe something as simple and basic as soap can be that effective. But we are making a homemade hand sanitizer with essential oils now, so let me stay focused. <\/p>\n\n\n\n