DIY Moisturizing & All-Natural Hand Sanitizer
Body DIY DIY Skincare & Beauty Natural DIY
I’ve got the winter itch…
And no, I’m not just talking about being sick and tired of the winter and ready for the spring! I’m talking about my skin. Ooh the dry winter air is just so harsh and sometimes it feels like no amount of coconut oil can help!
The worst for me has always been my hands. When I was younger, they used to be so painful since they would get very deep cracks and bleed. Unfortunately, conventional antibacterial handsoap and sanitizer are so drying (in addition to being chock-full-o’-nasties), which only made the situation worse.
Luckily now I’ve got this DIY moisturizing & all-natural hand sanitizer.
…which along with my DIY antibacterial & moisturizing all-natural foaming handsoap has kept my hands both silky-smooth and clean this chilly winter.
This is mainly due to two ingredients:
- Vegetable glycerine
- Red thyme essential oil
Vegetable glycerine is an absolutely amazing moisturizer, and the only moisturizer that can smooth my scaly winter hands (at least that I’ve discovered so far). It is a naturally produced product from various plant oils such as coconut oil, olive oil, and palm oil. Vegetable glycerine is a humectant, meaning it attracts moisture to the skin and locks it in.
Red thyme essential oil is a natural anti-bacteria powerhouse. It is what a lot of commercial natural antibacterial products use (like this one!), which is what first drew me to it. And based on these products, my awesome sister did the math and determined that per every 1 oz of [liquid/soap/carrier oil], 3 drops of red thyme essential oil is required to make it “antibacterial”.
DIY Moisturizing & All-Natural Hand Sanitizer
Ingredients:
You’ll also need a small container. I really love these food-safe silicone squeezable tubes
Directions:
- Simply fill half of your container with aloe gel, and the other half with vegetable glycerine.
- Top it off with appropriate amount of red thyme essential oil. For example, I used a 3 oz container (so 3 oz of aloe and vegetable glycerine combined) so I used 9 drops of EO.
- I also added 3 drops of lavender essential oil for scent, and also because lavender is known to be soothing to skin and has antibacterial properties.
- Put the cap on your container and give it a shake to mix everything up!
And now you your very own DIY moisturizing & all-natural hand sanitizer. Go ahead and pat yourself on the back while saying, “I’m so clever…”
I’m allergic to aloe vera, can you make a hand sanitizer gel recipe without it please?
Great! Yes, both are because of the veggie glycerine – it’s super moisturizing but sticky. It’s not really a great solution, but after I let it sit on my hands for a bit (so the essential oils can do their work to fight the germs), I wipe the palms of my hands on a towel or paper towel.
I made this at the start of winter (although now here in Cali we r pushing 80° in February! ) and I love that for the first time my hands are not painfully cracked. They actually look BETTER than before. However, the formula feels very sticky even after it dries. I try to get around this by using very tiny amounts, but still end up with that sticky after-thing. Any ideas or suggestions on how to prevent it?
This is great. I just made it and should’ve added another eo to it. I didn’t realize how strong the red thyme eo smells! Would the amount work the same if I added it to 1 oz of homemade lotion?