Making Homemade Hand Sanitizers is Easy and Fun
Hand hygiene is one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of illness and maintain personal health. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends washing hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. However, when soap and water aren’t available, using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, with at least 60% alcohol content, can be a viable alternative.
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In this Post:
Key Times to Use Hand Sanitizer
Hand sanitizer is useful to have on-hand when hand washing with soap and water is not available, such as:
- Before, during, and after preparing food when camping or picnicing
- After using the toilet or changing diapers when away from home
- After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
- After touching animals, their feed, or waste (think: at the zoo)
- After touching garbage or high-touch surfaces
- Anytime when traveling.
Important Notes on Hand Sanitizers
- When hands are visibly dirty, hand sanitizers are not the best choice.
- Hand sanitizers get rid of germs, but not all germs.
- Hand sanitizers do not kill germs like the norovirus, Cryptosporidium, and Clostridium difficile.
- When made and used correctly, DIY hand sanitizers can be an effective alternative to hand washing.
Travel Tips:
- Pack a few small bottles of hand sanitizer in your small carry-on, your cosmetic bag, and your overhead carry-on.
- Pack a few essential oils, like Lavender, Eucalyptus, and Peppermint. Add a drop or two to a steaming cup of water in your hotel room. Put a drop on the floor of the shower to steam—great for germ control, too!
- Pack a portable diffuser, like this one, for use in your hotel room or car.
- Pack a few atomizers of Before You Go-Go spray.
⭐Basic DIY Hand Sanitizer Recipe
This recipe makes 100ml, just over 3 ounces, of hand sanitizer and contains 3% essential oils. One batch will fill a TSA approved toiletry bottle, which is 3.4oz (100ml), or several smaller bottles.
Sanitizer with Everclear (190 proof)
- 69ml Everclear
- 25ml Aloe Vera Gel
- 3ml Glycerin (or Botanical Glycerite)
- 3ml Essential Oils (about 60 drops)
Sanitizer with Vodka (150 proof)
- 87ml Vodka (150 proof)
- 8ml Aloe Vera Gel
- 2ml Glycerin (or Botanical Glycerite)
- 3ml Essential Oils (about 60 drops)
A Note on Vodka: Using 100 proof (50% alcohol) or 80 proof (40% alcohol) vodka does not meet the CDC standards for 65% or more alcohol content in a hand sanitizer. This would be considered a hand cleanser.
Sanitizer with 99% Isopropyl Alcohol
- 66ml 99% Isopropyl Alcohol
- 28ml Aloe Vera Gel
- 3ml Glycerin (or Botanical Glycerite)
- 3ml Essential Oils (about 60 drops)
The CDC recommends using hand sanitizers with 60-95% alcohol. The recipes provided above produce sanitizers with 65% alcohol content.
TIP: You can scale these homemade hand sanitizer recipes up or down, depending on how much you’d like to make. Simply replace the “ml” with “%”.
For example, if you only want to make 2 ounces (60ml) of sanitizer with Everclear, the recipe would look like this:
- 60ml x 69% = 60 x 0.69 = 41.4ml Everclear
- 60ml x 25% = 60 x 0.25 = 15ml Aloe Vera Gel
- 60ml x 3% = 60 x 0.03 = 1.8ml Glycerin
- 60ml x 3% = 60 x 0.03 = 1.8ml Essential Oils (about 36 drops)
- Essential oil note: about 20-25 drops are in 1ml essential oil
🌺See my Recommended Suppliers below
How to Make Your DIY Hand Sanitizer
The first step is always to sanitize all containers, tools, and surfaces. Spray everything with 70% Isopropyl Alcohol and allow to air dry. When you’re ready to blend, please wear gloves.
Measure the Aloe Vera Gel and Glycerin into the graduated cylinder. Pour into a small bowl or beaker, using the long-handled spatula to remove as much as possible from the cylinder.
Add the Alcohol to the graduated cylinder. Use the long-handled spatula to incorporate any remaining Aloe Vera Gel or Glycerin into the Alcohol. Pour into the bowl or beaker.
Use a mini whisk or battery-powered frother to mix all ingredients until uniform.
Pour completed homemade hand sanitizer into your chosen hand sanitizer bottle(s). Affix a label.
FREE: Essential Oils Sourcing Checklist
- Reduce essential oil supplier confusion
- Tips on what to look for in a quality supplier
- Become confident in your choices!
Essential Oils for Homemade Hand Sanitizers
One of the best aspects of a homemade hand sanitizer is the fun you can have with essential oils. Here are a few blends to get you started.
⭐Citrus Fusion (3%)
- 20 drops Sweet Orange (Citrus x sinensis)
- 18 drops Green Mandarin (Citrus reticulata)
- 12 drops Lemon (Citrus x limon)
- 10 drops Lime (Citrus x aurantifolia)
⭐Heavy Hitter (3%)
- 24 drops Eucalyptus radiata
- 18 drops Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)
- 10 drops Tea Tree (Melaleuca alternifolia)
- 8 drops Peppermint (Mentha x piperita)
⭐Kid-Friendly (1%)
For a kid-friendly DIY hand sanitizer, we reduce the essential oils to 1ml or 1% of the blend (about 20 drops). When making this version, increase the Aloe Vera component by 2ml or 2% (the amount we removed from the essential oils).
- 10 drops Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)
- 6 drops Sweet Orange (Citrus x sinensis)
- 4 drops Lime (Citrus x aurantifolia)
This DIY hand sanitizer is safe for use with children over 5 years old. I recommend demonstrating correct usage, dispensing the sanitizer for them, and helping them rub their hands until completely dry. Always supervise use of hand sanitizer by young children.
🌺See my Recommended Suppliers below
Why I Love Lavender
Lavender is both gentle on skin and a powerful germ-fighter of both airborne and surface germs. It’s the all-around wellness essential oil!
You can learn more about the oil and how to use it to support your wellness in my book Lavender: Lavender Recipes & the Plant Behind the Oil. You’ll find Lavender at:
- My Etsy Store (signed paperback, US)
- Amazon (paperback & Kindle Unlimited, international).
Hand Sanitizer vs Hand Washing
Hand washing with soap and water is the most effective way to remove germs, especially when hands are visibly dirty. Hand sanitizer is best when soap and water are not readily available, such as on public transportation or while traveling. Hand washing removes germs from the skin, while hand sanitizers reduce (“kill”) certain germs on the skin.
To make the most of your homemade hand sanitizer follow these simple steps:
- Apply a quarter-sized amount of sanitizer to the palm of one hand.
- Rub hands together to cover all surfaces, including between the fingers.
- Continue rubbing vigorously until hands are completely dry.
- Do not wipe off a hand sanitizer before it has dried.
Final note: For an effective DIY hand sanitizer, follow the basic recipes provided above to the ml! And get creative with your essential oils and hand sanitizer names!
DIY Hand Sanitizer Shopping List
- Travel-Friendly PET/BPA-Free bottles (on Amazon):
- MHO flip-top 2 ounce in Clear (like commercial hand sanitizers)
- Juvitus disc-top 1, 2 & 3 ounce in Amber, Blue, Clear, & Black
- Toiletry Bottles 100ml Clear (TSA approved size).
- Tools (on Amazon):
- Graduated Cylinders, borosilicate glass, in several sizes
- Mini-Whisks, 304 stainless steel
- Mini-Frother, battery powered
- Beakers, borosilicate glass
- Long-Handled Mini Spatula
- Aloe Vera Gel (Aloe barbadensis):
- Seven Minerals, organic, Texas grown (on Amazon)
- Aromatics International, organic.
- Glycerin:
- Seven Minerals, organic, for skin care & crafting (on Amazon)
- Starwest Botanicals, organic, for tinctures & baking (on Amazon).
- Eucalyptus radiata essential oil:
- Lavender essential oil (Lavandula angustifolia):
- Lemon essential oil (Citrus x limon):
- Plant Therapy, organic (Direct and Amazon)
- Edens Garden, sustainable (on Amazon)
- Aromatics International, organic (Direct and Amazon)
- Lime essential oil (Citrus x aurantifolia):
- Green Mandarin essential oil (Citrus reticulata):
- Plant Therapy, organic (Direct and Amazon)
- Edens Garden, sustainable (on Amazon)
- Aromatics International, organic (Direct and Amazon)
- Peppermint essential oil (Mentha x piperita):
- Sweet Orange essential oil (Citrus x sinensis):
- Tea Tree essential oil (Melaleuca alternifolia):
This information has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. It is for educational purposes only.
All recipes provided are for personal use and are not designed for re-sale or large-scale manufacturing.
Please consult your doctor, naturopath, herbal practitioner, or other qualified health professional for medical advice and before starting any herbal regimen, particularly if you are pregnant or nursing, have any existing medical conditions, or are taking any medications.
Christine Pressler | Author, Certified Aromatherapist, Natural Skin Care Formulator
Christine is an avid reader, writer, lifetime learner, and proponent of self-care for better mental health and energy. She enjoys formulating bespoke aromatherapy, skin care, and herbal products to support her family, pets, friends, and clients. She also loves experimenting with recipes in the kitchen.💚 (Learn more >>)
What if the scents we surround ourselves with not only affect our mood but also influence our physical health in unforeseen ways? Can certain essential oils act as catalysts for emotional healing, and could they even trigger unexpected side effects when combined with other natural ingredients in skincare products?
You’re absolutely right! The influence of scent goes far beyond a simple mood boost. When you inhale an essential oil, the molecules travel through the olfactory system directly to the limbic system, the brain’s emotional center. The chemical constituents found in essential oils can enter the bloodstream via inhalation or skin absorption, influencing everything from inflammation markers to immune function. Choosing the “right” essential oils in a blend, even one for a hand sanitizer, can have a direct impact on our physical health and mental energy. For example some essential oils can lower cortisol levels (think Lavender or Ylang Ylang), some can reduce mental stagnation (think Lemon or Peppermint), while others can support emotional processing (think Frankincense or Neroli). So, yes! Essential oils have incredible impact on health. And remember, when incorporating essential oils into any product, always check the safety concerns for each one!💚~Chris
I appreciate the detailed DIY hand sanitizer recipe shared in your article. I’m curious, though—how does the Healing Waters White Tea Pear Hand Sanitizer compare in effectiveness and ingredients to your homemade versions, especially in terms of alcohol content and essential oils? Would love to hear your thoughts!
Hello Jeffrey! While I can’t comment on the percentages of the ingredients in the product you reference, we can assume that because it’s called a hand “sanitizer” that it contains at least 60% alcohol. The ingredients list for that product doesn’t include essential oils, but it does include synthetic ingredients, such as fragrance and colorants, that are not in this DIY hand sanitizer recipe. Thanks for reaching out!💚