Thursday 9 April 2020

DIY Hand Sanitiser with 70% Alchohol


We are all living in unusual circumstances with social distancing and the fear of covid19 abounds evrrywhere which has resulted in a shortage of hand sanitiser, disinfectants, latex gloves and toilet paper.   Modern history students 30 years from now will learn about the hardships we endured and the number of deaths sadly created by this disease.
Washing your hands with soap under running water is the best cleansing option but so too is a hand sanitiser with between 62 and 70% alchohol.

I denuded my parents aloe vera patch.  The cut stalks need to stand upright for 30 minutes to allow resin to drop out which can irritate your skin.  Then cut away the dark green skin tomexpose the gel like flesh inside.  This is then pureed to make an aloe vera gel.  This will store in the fridge, covered, for up for one week, you can add vitamin C powder to it to lengthen its shelf life or freeze it in ice cube blocks for up to 6 months
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Then you need to procure alchohol, isopropyl or 95% pure alchohol which you can buy at the supermarket if you are lucky.

Hand Sanitiser

3.5 cups pure alchohol plus 2 tablespoons
1 cup Aloe vera gel
1 tablespoon vegetable
glycerin
1 tablespoon xanthum gum
12 drops tea tree or lavender essential oil

Mix the xanthum gum and vegetable glycerine with a little alchohol until it is blended.  Then add the remaining alchohol with the aloe vera gel and blend until smooth.  Add the essential oil of your choice and then pour into a dispenser pump or bottles of your choice.

I measured the ABV to be at 70% but the alcoholmeter is not 100% accurate when other materials are incorporated with the alchohol so gove or take 1 -2% which is still in the perfect zone.  I have brewed wine, sake and mead previously so have experience in this area.

Please everyone, stay safe, stay inside and stay well.
Let me know if you make your own hand sanitiser.
Kindest regards, Merryn xx

9 comments:

  1. I gotta try this if I am lucky enough to get some pure alcohol in the stores! Stay safe and be well, Merryn, and happy Easter!

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    1. Dear Angie thank you for comment. I hope you and your family are healthy, please stay safe too. Happy Easter to you too x

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  2. You are lucky to have those ingredients -- aloe vera and alcohol. I hope that the volunteer efforts of many distilleries and beer breweries will replenish supplies for the medical profession and for the rest of us.

    be well... mae at maefood.blogspot.com

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  3. Yes Mae it us gre a t they are stepping up to create more sanitiser, something we will need plenty of this year. This product is gorgeous and non drying as well. Happy Easter to you and your family, please stay safe x

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  4. We got some isopropyl alcohol a while back and who knew that it would become such a hot commodity but we need to do everything that we can :D

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    1. You were lucky to get isopropyl achohol it is so hard to source now. Yes we need to keep pulling together to get through thos as quickly and painfully as possible, hold your alchohol dearly and stay safe Lorraine and family x

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  5. Very clever "recipe!" Times are weird at the moment, aren't they? Stay safe!

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    1. Yes times are very strange indeed, likewise, please keep yourself and family sale as well.

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  6. how very clever and enterprising of you merryn! funny how things are getting slowly back to normal and now we can buy oodles of loo paper and sanitiser:) just not much rice or pasta. what the heck are people doing with it all?... hope you're keeping well. cheers sherry

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