7 Simple Homemade Hand Sanitizers Made Using Natural Ingredients

Homemade hand sanitizer is an effective and affordable way to keep your hands germ-free without using unwanted chemicals on your skin or your children’s skin. Ideal to tuck in your purse or backpack to use when soap and water are unavailable or as added germ protection after washing hands.

Homemade hand sanitizer is made with just a few simple ingredients. It only takes a few minutes to mix up a batch and it will keep illness-causing germs at bay for months. Check out the ingredients in these 7 simple homemade hand sanitizers which you can make using natural ingredients.

Homemade Hand Sanitizers Recipes

1- Witch Hazel and Aloe Hand Sinitizer

Clean, kill germs, heal and sooth skin with this one inexpensive DIY hand sanitizer by livesimply. Witch hazel is a natural astringent that removes dirt, disinfects minor abrasions, kills germs and reduces inflammation. Aloe vera contains healing properties that soothes rough dry skin and promotes healing for minor skin abrasions and jagged cuticles.

A few drops of your favorite essential oil and vitamin E added to the witch hazel and aloe mix will keep hands looking youthful and smelling great while keeping them germ free.

Always use a small glass bottle for storing and carrying homemade hand sanitizers that consist of essential oils. Essential oils compromise the integrity of plastic bottles and will soon cause the plastic to weaken and begin to leak.

2- Kids Friendly Hand Sanitizer

Most commercial hand sanitizer products are made with rubbing alcohol to kill germs. Rubbing alcohol is effective at killing germs, but it also dries the skin and is too harsh for tiny kid’s hands. This natural hand sanitizer by wellnessmama does not contain any harsh ingredients and is kid friendly.

A simple mix of aloe vera and kid safe Germ Destroyer Essential oil will keep kid’s hands clean and germ free without drying them out.

Germ Destroyer Essential Oil also promotes a healthy immune system and respiratory system with its blend of natural spruce hemlock, rosalina, lemon, lavendar and marjoram essential oils.

3- Essential Oil Hand Sanitizer

Hand sanitizer ingredients like this one by helloglow can smell good and be effective at the same time. Most commercial hand sanitizers have a strong alcohol and medicinal scent that fills up the entire room with an unpleasant fragrance. Homemade hand sanitizers can fill the air with natural fragrance while working hard to keep your hand clean and germ free.

Use lemon, lavender and tea tree oil to create a DIY product that will clean hands, kill germs and smell good. Lemon oil is a natural cleanser, tea tree oil promotes healing for dry, cracked skin and lavender is a fragrance that calms and relaxes.

4- Hand Cleaning Gel

If you would like a product that is a little thicker than traditional sanitizer products, give this recipe a try. It’s an alcohol-free hand sanitizer by mommypotamus that is in gel form, so it doesn’t run off hands and drip on the floor while using it. This DIY sanitizer will stay on hands so it can be rubbed in thoroughly to cleanse and kill germs.

A mixture of several essentials oils and aloe vera make this homemade hand sanitizer effective and fragrant. The cinnamon leaf and fir needle oils create a fragrance that would make this an ideal DIY Christmas gift to use as a stocking stuffer. Place in decorative bottles and give to everyone on your Christmas list so they can stave off colds and flu and have a fragrant reminder of your thoughtful gift each time they use it.

5- Grown Up Sanitizer

Due to the ingredients in this homemade hand sanitizer product by gardentherapy, it’s not suitable for use on small children. Perfectly safe for grown ups and is very effective at killing germs and boosting the immune system.

This grown up blend of ingredients contains one essential oil few are familiar with – Thieves Oil.

Thieves oil is a blend of  lemon, cinnamon, clove, rosemary, and eucalyptus oils (not safe for children) that creates a potent germ-killing hand cleaner.

Grave robbing thieves in the fifteenth century targeted the graves of the wealthy who died from the bubonic plague. When the thieves were finally captured and still appeared to be healthy, authorities cut a deal with the grave robbers; leniency for their secret of staying healthy and not contracting the highly contagious bubonic plague.

The secret was this mixture of essential oils aptly named Thieves oil and it still works to keep people healthy today.

6- Spray Hand Sanitizer

This recipe for homemade hand sanitizer by mamainstincts creates a thin germ killing liquid that is ideal for using in a spray bottle. Spray on hands (alcohol-free so it’s safe for kids) or hard surfaces to clean and kill germs.

Illness causing germs are everywhere; shopping cart handles, door knobs, seat and tables in restaurants, menus, etc., and it’s great to have a small spray bottle tucked in your purse filled with a natural spray product that will kill the germs, yet be safe on small hands and food surfaces.

A combination of essentials oils cleans and sanitizes safely. This DIY hand sanitizer does not contain preservatives, so make in small batches to prevent it from going rancid.

7- Citrus Hand Sanitizer

This recipe will show you how to make hand sanitizer like this one by fabulesslyfrugal that smells like citrus and is more effective than alcohol based commercial products.

An invigorating blend of citrus oils for cleaning and fragrance are combined with a protective blend of essential oils that kill germs and boost the immune system. Mix in a little aloe vera and vitamin E for healthy skin and you’ve created an ideal product that will help keep you and your family free from colds,, flu and other illness causing germs that are lurking on every public surface.

This citrus blend is also great for use as surface cleaning product. Use to clean surfaces in your home when a family member is sick and you don’t want the sickness to spread though the entire family.