How to Make Homemade Hand Sanitizer With Witch Hazel

As the mom of three kids under age 5, I have never used hand sanitizer more than I do now. And since many stores are completely out of hand sanitizer, a lot of people have resorted to making hand sanitizer from-scratch by following internet recipes. But even with the price-gouging going on, it’s almost impossible to even find rubbing alcohol (60% – 80%) in the stores. Sure, there’s vodka (unless the you’ve already depleted your supply in an effort to calm your nerves about coronavirus) but you can also use witch hazel. Witch hazel is less potent, but it can be found in bulk and it is certainly better than nothing. Plus, the aloe vera has anti-bacterial properties in spades.

And of course, washing your hands with soap really anytime you can is the best bet, for the length of ‘Happy Birthday’ twice or if you have kids, maybe the ‘Baby Shark’ tune. Avoid touching anything you don’t need to touch, and be mindful of what you do touch – such as door handles and public transportation poles or straps.

Here’s how you can make your own DIY hand sanitizer.

Supplies:

2 oz. travel-sized spray or squeeze bottle (depending on whether you prefer to spray or squeeze it)
aloe vera gel
witch hazel
OnGuard essential oil (I use this for so many all-natural cleaning and disinfecting things around the house, and it lasts forever) or Thieves oil (people swear by this one too—both do about the same thing)
water

Instructions:

Step 1: Fill your bottle about half full with the witch hazel.

Step 2: Add approximately 1 teaspoon of aloe vera gel (or until bottle is ¾ full).

Step 3: Add 12–15 drops of OnGuard or Thieves oil.

Step 4: Add water till bottle is just short of full (you don’t want to overfill because you need room to screw on the spray nozzle), or add more aloe vera instead of water if you want to put this in a squeeze travel bottle instead of a spray bottle.

Step 5: Shake well.

More DIY Ideas for Healthy Living:

Help Prevent the Spread of the Coronavirus

Visit the Centers for Disease Control at CDC.gov or the World Health Organization at Who.int for the latest information on the coronavirus and learn what you can do to stop the spread.

Chandra is a mom of three boys (8, 4, and 3) and the founder of Oh Lovely Day, a lifestyle blog with a honest look at motherhood. She is trying to create more of an open dialogue with a no-judgement attitude about the struggles of mothers, mental health, postpartum depression, breastfeeding, baby wearing, and just doing the best we can and not being too hard on ourselves. In that vein, she started the hashtag #battlefieldmotherhood to encourage her fellow mothers to share on Instagram as well. She believes in dance parties, desserts during nap time, and a good hike can cure almost anything. And someday she hopes to sleep and date her husband again. You can also find Chandra on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook.