Skip to main content

The Manual may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

How to Make DIY Hand Sanitizer at Home

In these unprecedented days of the ongoing public health crisis, many commodities we once took for granted are suddenly in short supply, including diapers, bleach, and toilet paper. Among the items you probably once paid narry a second thought to, but now you’d pay twice the usual price for, is hand sanitizer, which all but disappeared not only from store shelves but even from online retailers.

Now entering the third month of America’s bout of viral outbreak, hand sanitizer remains hard to find. But if you must leave your home from time to time, or if you are an essential worker who has to venture out daily, then you simply have to have this stuff at hand.

Recommended Videos

What to do if you can’t find hand sanitizer anywhere? Hey, this is America: You make it yourself.

hand sanitizer homemade diy recipe
Chalffy/Getty Images

In order to effectively kill off germs, hand sanitizer must be at least 60% alcohol — better yet, 70%, according to the CDC. Yes, you could just pour isopropyl alcohol (AKA rubbing alcohol) on your hands and rub them together as needed, but they’ll quickly leave your hands dry and cracking. And yes, you could dump Bacardi 151 or Everclear on your hands, as that would work, too. But don’t do that.

Instead, here is a step-by-step guide to making hand sanitizer at home using ingredients you may well already have (or can still find online). And a reminder: Hand sanitizers are a close second to washing your hands with soap and water as the most effective way to kill germs.

Ingredients

How to Make DIY Hand Sanitizer

The process could not be much easier. All you need is a two-to-one ratio of alcohol to aloe vera (so two ounces isopropyl alcohol to one ounce aloe vera) mixed in a sterile vessel.

  1. Mix a two-to-one ratio of alcohol to aloe vera (so two of ounces isopropyl alcohol to one ounce of aloe vera) in a sterile vessel.
  2. Add a few drops of scented essential oil and mix again. ‘
  3. Pour the blend into a container from which you can pour or pump small amounts.

When you rub about a teaspoon’s worth on your hands for at least 30 seconds, you will reliably kill off viruses and bacteria and lift off bits of dirt and other unpleasantness, and the aloe vera should prevent your skin from becoming overly dry.

And if you need to make an extra-large batch of hand sanitizer, you can try this decidedly large-scale recipe from the World Health Organization. (You’re going to need a fair amount of odd science-lab equipment, FYI. Maybe stick to the small batch for now.)

Steven John
Steven John is a writer and journalist living just outside New York City, by way of 12 years in Los Angeles, by way of…
Dr. Chris Tomassian’s top 10 skincare tips every man should know
His skincare tips often go viral, so here are his top ones
Dr. Chris Tomassian board-certified dermatologist

When it comes to the evolution of men’s skincare, Dr. Chris Tomassian has played an integral role in the industry’s ongoing development. Dr. Tomassian is a board-certified dermatologist who also founded The Dermatology Collective, and he currently has over 2.7 million followers on social media. Part of the reason his tips go viral is his penchant for simple, down-to-earth skincare advice,  and he’s also gained a reputation for debunking the skincare myths that often catch fire online.
Given his track record, The Manual decided to get his top 10 men’s skincare tips of all time, especially since they’re very different from the ones typically given to women. Dr. Tomassian also weighed in with some advice and info in a Q&A, which follows the tips.

The doctor is in: Dr. Tomassian’s top 10 men’s skincare tips

Read more
Is too much shower time bad for your skin? What a new study says
This study was conducted on eczema patients, and its good news for them
Relaxed young African-American man takes shower standing under hot water jets in contemporary unit in bathroom close side view

Unless you’ve been living in a cave for the last couple of years, you’ve probably read or heard a few things about the importance of our skin biome. It’s being compared in importance to our gut bacteria, which many researchers and scientists believe determines the strength of our immune system.
However, the rise of the skin biome has come with several unintended consequences. One is the idea that bathing too frequently or spending too much time in the shower weakens or damages the skin biome, but a recent study suggests that this might not be true at all.

This in-depth study was conducted on eczema patients
 
The fact that this study was conducted exclusively using eczema patients might seem like a good way to produce idiosyncratic results, but if you look at the details of the study, the struggles these people experience suggests a weaker skin biome that makes them ideal for this kind of test.
The Eczema Bathing Study was designed by people with eczema, together with researchers and healthcare professionals. Subjects were divided into two groups: Those who bathed or showered at least six times a week were classified as “daily bathing,” while those who showered or bathed once or twice a week were designated “weekly bathing.”
These people followed the same routine for four weeks, and they made no changes in their eczema routine, i.e., they used the same moisturizers and other skincare products to counter their condition. The amount of bathing is a vital variable for those struggling with eczema, and there were 438 people in the study, including both adults and children.

Read more
Mushrooms for men’s skincare? Verdoie adds new shroom-based supplement
These two products harness the healing power of mushrooms
Verdoie skincare product

Mushrooms are everywhere. They surround us in the woods when we go for a walk after a heavy spring rain. They’re omnipresent in recipes, both around the world and across the internet. They’ve even turned up in our coffee lately, so it was probably just a matter of time before they appeared in skincare products.
The company to thank for this latest development is a French firm called Verdoie, which just added a supplement called Le Complement Alimentaire to its existing line of mushroom-based moisturizers.

The science behind the shrooms

Read more