DIY Hand Sanitizer – Homemade Hand Rub with Essential Oils

See how to make an all-natural DIY hand sanitizer with essential oils for you and your family! This homemade hand rub contains natural, non-toxic ingredients. Essential oils provide anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties that can help to fight germs and microbes. The hand disinfectant recipe includes free printable labels.

DIY hand sanitizer – Homemade hand rub with essential oils

With cold and flu season in full swing, washing your hands regularly is a must. But sometimes you’re out in public and soap and water simply aren’t available. In these situations, a hand sanitizer comes in handy. Plus, a hand rub is also useful for added protection after washing.

But have you read the long list of unpronounceable chemicals in most hand sanitizers? Sorry but not sorry, I don’t want to put this on my skin or children! Let’s ditch the chemical-heavy disinfectant, make a kid-friendly, all-natural DIY hand sanitizer recipe with essential oils!

Here is what you’ll learn in this post:

• how to make and use DIY hand sanitizer with and without essential oils
• tips to make the hand sanitizer safe for kids and pets

Tools and materials to make this easy hand sanitizer spray

This natural hand sanitizer formulation isn’t difficult at all. Let’s look at the DIY hand rub ingredients:

• 1/3 cup / 80 ml / 2.7 fl oz high-proof alcohol –A hand rub should contain at least 60% alcohol for the best hand sanitizer effectiveness (source). High-proof alcohols like grain alcohol or 150 proof vodka are good choices. Rubbing alcohol, ethanol 95% or isopropyl alcohol 99.9% can also be used, but since they are poisonous when consumed don’t use them if you have small children.
• 1/8 cup / 30 ml / 1 fl oz distilled water – Boiled cold water can also be used in this hand rub sanitizer recipe.
• 1 tsp aloe vera gel – Aloe vera gel protects the hands from drying out, and can be subbed for 1 tsp glycerin.
• vitamin E oil (optional) – Vitamin E oil is moisturizing as well and has a mild preservative effect.
• 10 drops hydrogen peroxide (optional) – To make the disinfectant even more effective, add hydrogen peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide fights those bacteria that are resistant to alcohol and makes the hand sanitizer even broader.
• clean container for storage – A cosmetic glass spray bottle is a great choice.

Where can I buy these materials?

Click on the links to order the ingredients for this homemade hand sanitizer online. You can also buy the hand sanitizer ingredients at a pharmacy or drugstore.

Essential oils for homemade hand sanitizer

My homemade disinfectant recipe is effective as is. But to boost the hand sanitizer effectiveness, we can make a DIY hand sanitizer with essential oils. Essential oils are powerful, plant-based extracts that can be beneficial for health and skincare.

You can add up to six drops of the following essential oils:

For adults and kids:

• tea tree essential oil
• lavender essential oil
• lemon essential oil
• sandalwood essential oil

For adults only:

• eucalyptus essential oil
• oregano essential oil
• thyme essential oil
• clove bud essential oil

All of these essential oils are said to have potent anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties, some are even anti-fungal and antibiotic. And if you wondered How do you make scented hand sanitizer? The answer is essential oils!

By the way, you don’t have to use them all. I listed 2 suggestions in the DIY box at the end of the post. You can also add a premade essential oil blend in your DIY hand sanitizer, for example, Plant Therapy’s Germ Fighter.

How to make DIY hand sanitizer with alcohol  – Homemade sanitizer spray

Can you make your own hand sanitizer? A disinfectant is a must to protect your family during cold and flu season. Thankfully, this DIY hand sanitizer recipe is quick and easy.

Here’s how we’re making hand sanitizer spray at home:

• Fill the alcohol, water and aloe vera gel (or glycerin if using) into a spray bottle.
• Add the essential oils.
• Close and shake the bottle until all ingredients are well combined.

DIY hand sanitizer without aloe vera gel

Glycerin can be used to make a homemade hand sanitizer spray without aloe vera. Glycerin is a natural, plant-based humectant, which means the ingredient attracts water to the skin.

In this natural disinfectant recipe, glycerin can be used as a 1-to-1 substitute for aloe vera gel. The process remains the same.

Is this homemade hand rub safe for kids?

Yes, this DIY hand disinfectant is safe for kids and can be used for your entire family – just use the kid-safe essential oils. If you are unsure about allergies, I recommend skipping the essential oils.

What about pets?

This DIY hand disinfectant isn’t safe for pets. Citrus, cinnamon, clove, eucalyptus, tea tree, thyme and oregano essential oils can be harmful to cats and dogs. So be careful when using the product around pets and never use it on your pets.

How to package and store the hand sanitizer

It’s best to store the hand sanitizer in an amber or blue glass spray bottle.

When and how to use a DIY hand sanitizer

The benefit of a hand sanitizer is that you can rub the product directly onto the skin without adding water or needing to rinse. Here is how to use hand sanitizer effectively:

• Shake the bottle before use.
• Spray a little product to the palm of one hand.
• The rub your hands together for 1 minute. Cover all surfaces until your hands are dry.

You can also use the natural sanitizer spray to disinfect solid surfaces, e.g. door handles or countertops.

Is hand sanitizer a disinfectant? How does hand sanitizer work? Does hand sanitizer kill germs?

Ready for some hand sanitizer facts? “Alcohol rub sanitizers kill most bacteria, and fungi, and stop some viruses.” (source) But while a hand sanitizer can help killing microbes, it isn’t effective on all germs and may not prevent you from getting sick.

Hand rubbing vs hand washing – Is it better to wash your hands or use hand sanitizer?

While this alcohol-based hand sanitizer can reduce the number of microbes on your hands, it doesn’t eliminate all types of germs. So try to wash your hands with soap and water whenever possible. As they say: Stay healthy wash your hands!

Healthy people should only use this DIY hand disinfectant when washing your hands isn’t possible. For example, when you commute to work on public transport or visit the playground with your kids. Overuse kills the the good bacteria on your skin and can have a negative effect long term.

Aside from the hand sanitizer benefits, one of the disadvantages of alcohol-based hand rubs is that it dries out the skin. Use my homemade hand cream and DIY cuticle oil to keep your hands moisturized and healthy.

Printable hand sanitizer label

Cyna created a printable so you can label your homemade disinfectant hand sanitizer. The printable hand sanitizer labels come in different sizes and can be download at the end of the post.

Disclaimer: A DIY remedy is no replacement for a medical product. In the case of a suspected infection, seek advice from a doctor or medical caregiver.