It has been a couple of months since the Coronavirus disease (also known as covid-19) outbreak cause a global panicking. First, it was just within China, Wuhan and less than a month it has spread out the whole of China. It was so sad to see people dying every day, prayers have been a daily routine for me. Hoping lesser people suffering in the world.
While Singapore is the most popular tourist destination; like Hong Kong, we are the first few countries that are highly concerned with the spread of the disease. A month ago, while we are still celebrating Chinese New Year, we are also living in fear. Facing uncertainty, the whole community are worried about the disease.
And when our government has raised the DORSCON level – from yellow to orange. Empty shelves can be seen in the supermarkets and malls especially the pharmacy. Not to mention that both the face masks and hand sanitisers are out-of-stock. The basis needs and staple foods are all gone in shelve – although the situation has been getting better with the help of our brilliant government. We have enough supplies on the shelves all the time now but it is no harm to make your organic products.
So let us share with you some tips for making your own.
Soap vs Hand Sanitisers
The primary purpose of hand soap is to remove germs and bacteria, not kill it. When washing your hands with soap, dirt and germs trapped in the natural oils of the skin are lifted and suspended in water.
Alcohol-based hand sanitizer, on the other hand, is proven to kill viruses and bacteria. The alcohol kills the bacteria by softening the bacterial membrane, allowing the alcohol to render bacteria ineffective.
As we can’t use soap all the time outside, so using hand sanitisers has proven to be more effective. It is always good to keep one with you when you are out! There are many homemade hand sanitizer recipes but the only good ones are those with alcohol as it helps to kill the kill viruses and bacteria.
But repeated and frequent use of hand sanitiser has the potential to cause irritation to your hands over time and even minor damage through dryness. So we decide to give our hand sanitizer a lift with skincare protection – having essentials oils, vitamin e and aloe vera gel to give a moisturising boost.
Tips: To protect your hands from becoming overly dry and chapped, or to repair hands that are already suffering, it is best to generously apply moisturiser after each time you use hand sanitiser.
Why Homemade?
Minority commercial hand sanitizer based on the professional it contains ingredients as scary as the germs they protect you from. Lifebuoy, Dettol is highly recommended, we decided to make ours because we can’t find these two reliable brands most of the time these days as it was just gone quickly on the shelve. Now there are many new brands but most of them are simply alcohol-ish with no proper skin care treatment which can be harmful to you and your children so why not make your own hand sanitizer from ingredients you select?
This is an excellent project for kids as well as adults since the project can be expanded to include a discussion about hygiene and disinfection. You’ll save money in the long run, protect yourself from germs, and can customize the scent of the hand sanitizer so it doesn’t smell disgusting!
Essential Oils in Hand Sanitizer
In addition to adding fragrance to your hand sanitizer, the essential oil you choose may also help protect you against germs. For example, thyme and lemon oil have antimicrobial properties. If you are using antimicrobial oils, only use a drop or two, since these oils tend to be very powerful and might irritate your skin. Other oils, such as lavender or chamomile, may help soothe your skin. With citrus, it creates a refreshing scent to keep you cheerful all the time.
So what’s your best bet if you really can’t find a hand sanitiser? “Wash your hands with old-fashioned soap and water for 30 seconds or the time it takes to sing Happy Birthday twice,” said Dr Bagdasarian. Let us now protect ourself and our loves one by practising good hygiene. Share us your experience by sending us an email, tag us on Instagram, tweet us, anything. Take care!
xoxo, Angela
Homemade Citrus Hand Sterilizer
Material
30ml spray bottle
2 tablespoons witch hazel with aloe vera
2 tablespoons 70 – 99.7% Isopropyl Alcohol
(the % we are using are within WHO guidelines)5 drops lemon essential oil with Vitamin E
5 drops wild orange essential oil with Vitamin E
5 drops tea tree essential oil
Distilled (or at least filtered, boiled, and cooled) water
Methods
- Nothing could be easier! Simply mix the ingredients together and then use the funnel to pour them into the bottle. Screw the pump/spray back onto the bottle and you’re ready to go. Just like attending a chemistry session.
Notes
- Vitamin E helps support the immune system, cell function, and skin health. It’s an antioxidant, making it effective at combating the effects of free radicals produced by the metabolism of food and toxins in the environment. You can purchase Vitamin E oil separately to add in. Hence if you purchase good essential oil, most of them contian Vitatmin E inside.
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