Alcohol Based Hand Rub

Directions

1. Combine the thick aloe gel and essential oils (if using) in a glass pint jar and stir well. (Aloe juice or thin aloe gel are not acceptable substitutions for thick aloe gel (sometimes referred to as aloe jelly) as they do not adequately disperse essential oils in solution.)

2. Add the isopropyl alcohol and either cover and shake well or transfer ingredients to a very clean blender to mix and then transfer to glass pint jar for storage. (Note: A substitute for the alcohol is hydrogen peroxide or distilled water (World Health Organization) along with glycerin.)

3. Label and store out of reach of small children.

4. Shake well and pour into labeled small glass dropper bottles as needed.

5. Shake well before each use, then squirt onto hands, rubbing in thoroughly so the solution covers all areas of the hand. 

Notes:

• Other essential oils may be substituted at their appropriate dilution amounts. If using these recipes with children, opt for 10 drops of essential oils (this is a 0.25% dilution) or omit the essential oil altogether. Note that peppermint (Mentha x piperita) essential oil should not be used for children under age 6, while eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus) essential oil should not be used for children under age 10.

• While many essential oils have antimicrobial properties, keep in mind that the alcohol is doing the heavy lifting in these alcohol-based hand rub recipes, so the essential oils are not necessary for that purpose.    

• The aloe gel is the carrier agent for dispersion of the essential oils. If desired, you can replace some of the aloe gel with glycerin (but not all of it, unless you are not using essential oils). Limit glycerin to 5% of a recipe so the hand rub isn’t too sticky! For the 8 fl oz batches below, this is about 2.5 tsp (0.42 fl oz); substitute this for 2.5 tsp of the thick aloe gel. 

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