With the scarcity of available hand sanitisers on the market, many small skincare makers are now making their own hand sanitisers so here are 3 things you need to know about hand sanitisers so you can ensure you are using a reliable product to protect yourself and your family. 

1. Alcohol concentration - Make sure the alcohol concentration is a minimum of 70% as this is required to effectively kill germs. As pure ethanol and isopropyl alcohol becomes harder to source, they are more available forms of alcohol but in lower percentage concentrations such as 96% ethanol. It is important that the overall formula of the hand sanitiser is over 70%. 
2. Essential oils - Essential oils are amazing for covering the nasty alcohol scent from ethanol/isopropyl alcohol. They however do not mix with alcohol and water - essential oils will float on top and will not disperse evenly...this may cause a large amount to be spritzed out unevenly causing irritation and be quite unsafe. However, there is a certain percentage that will solubilise in water. If the hand sanitiser you are using contains essential oils, it may be worthwhile to check with the maker if it contains a solubiliser or if it is mixed in well. Shaking a bottle does not make it safe.
3. Aloe Vera - This is a common ingredient added for  its moisturising properties and help protect against the drying effect of alcohol in the hand sanitiser. Pure aloe leaf juice (including those that are reconstituted from powder) often used by natural skincare makers is a source of bug food. This ingredient does defeat the purpose of a hand sanitiser which is formulated to kill bugs . If your hand sanitiser does contain aloe vera, just be certain to check that it has the`appropriate antimicrobial and preservatives to combat this issue. 

I hope you found the abovementioned useful and wish you and your family well during this challenging time.

Hand sanitisers are increasingly hard to source - we have managed to secure some ethanol and make a small batch of hand sanitisers for limited release. 

Check out HAND CLEANSE - Sanitiser Spray for more info!