Homemade Natural Hand Purifying Spray using Essential Oils

A simple and easy recipe to make your own natural hand purifiying spray using essential oils and witch hazel that's safe for the whole family!

Hand Purifying Spray using Essential Oils and Witch Hazel

Even though my kids are young, aren't in school and it's still hot outside, we keep getting viruses that often, at least for me, turn into bacterial infections. I take them to the nursery at our local YMCA, so they pick up all kinds of yucky stuff from the younger siblings of kids who are in school. We don't have nearly as much trouble in the summertime.

They eat very healthy, drink mostly water and almond milk and are very physically active so about the only way to keep our little dirt magnets from being so attractive is lots of hand-washing (which is hard to do when public bathrooms have no stools and I've got a baby and two toddlers…I will love the day when moms design bathrooms!), taking a daily probiotic (where to buy) and multivitamin (where to buy), and hand purifier.

Alcohol Irritates My Skin

Before making my own purifier, I hardly ever used it because the most are full of alcohol, which is very effective against germs but makes my already eczema-prone hands breakout and hurt. However, alcohol is very low in toxicity, according to the EWG.org, so if you would like a recipe with alcohol (it has been proven to kill the flu virus) that that also follows the CDC guidelines for effective hand sanitizers, click here for my Hand Sanitizer Recipe.

There are a few natural sanitizers out on the market, but I find making my own things (like laundry detergent, cleaning supplies, and body butter) is far cheaper and I know exactly what's in it.

Make no mistake, though, I'm not a germaphobe. My kids play in the dirt outside all the time and never get sick from that (even when they eat and haven't washed the dirt off their hands). I do believe that they do need to be exposed to germs to build their immune systems, but also try to practice good hand-washing habits and use sanitizer when necessary. We seem to only ever get sick from being around other children, so unless we become hermits, we're gonna pick up germs.

Essential Oils for Hand Purifying Spray  - Lavender, Thieves, and Purification

A Note About Working With Essential Oils

Proper Dilution

When working with essential oils topically and internally, it is very important to know how to dilute them so they are safe, but still effective. Too little and the sanitizer won't sanitize, too much and it can be harmful (cause irritation, burns, etc.) for your skin and body. According to aromaweb.com, proper dilution of essential oils for topical use is 2%, which is about 12 drops per ounce. I used a four-ounce bottle, so proper dilution calls for 48 drops of essential oils. Read more about the essential oils I use here.

Moisturizing with Witch Hazel and Aloe Vera

I love the Thayer's pure witch hazel with aloe vera (where to buy) because it is so moisturizing and alcohol-free. The best blend for this is Thieves, however it does contain some hot oils like Clove and Cinnamon Bark and might irritate my childrens' hands, so I decided to use Lavender and Purification (which is a blend of Lemongrass, Rosemary, Melaleuca, Myrtle, Citronella and Lavandin). Bergamot is also a strong oil that'll keep duckies away and has a lovely smell, so that'd be a nice addition if you're using Lavender or Tea Tree oil by themselves (got that info from this awesome book, Quick Reference Guide for Using Essential Oils (where to buy)). If you really want to use Thieves, I'd mix dilute it with Sweet Almond Oil (see how to dilute here) and rub in on the hands instead!

Why Witch Hazel?

I use witch hazel instead of water because the oils dissolve better in it, although still not completely. They don't dissolve in water at all (oil and water don't mix). Plus, witch hazel has it's own skin-healing properties and even may help fight bacteria, so I also use it on bug and ant bites, poison ivy rashes, acne, cuts, burns, etc. But, you do not have to use witch hazel to make hand sanitizer – it's just a nice bonus. The germs will still meet their utter doom if you use just water.

Use a Glass Bottle

In my early days of using essential oils, I would store them in used plastic bottles. I learned very quickly that it simply doesn't work – the bottles collapsed completely and became unusable because the EO's cause the plastic to disintegrate. So, now I buy these gorgeous blue glass bottles from Amazon.

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Homemade Natural Hand Purifying Spray using Essential Oils

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  • Author: Sara McFall

Ingredients

Scale
  • 4 oz. glass spray bottle
  • Witch Hazel, a little less than 4 oz. (1/2 cup) 
  • Printable label as shown in the picture (from my Etsy shop)
  • 44 Drops of any combination of powerful essential oils. There are many different oils that work well, but here are the ones I've used and recommend:
    • Thieves
    • Purification
    • Tea Tree Oil (Tea Tree by itself really isn't a pleasant scent, in my opinion. I'd soften it with lavender or bergamot.)
    • Lemon
    • Lavender
    • Bergamot
    • Eucalyptus
      (Tip: Just make sure that whichever oils you choose are safe to apply to the skin – some are irritating (like clove, cinnamon, and ylang ylang)).

Instructions

Put 3 oz. of Witch Hazel in the bottle first. Next, add the essential oils. Top off with more Witch Hazel. Spray onto the hands and rub in whenever you aren't able to wash your hands. 

Notes

Want to make an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that follows the CDC guidelines and is proven to kill the flu virus? Click here for my hand sanitizer recipe.

As a mother of three, I have to be on 100% all day long and can't afford to be sick. So I use this hand sanitizer on their hands and mine as soon as we leave the YMCA and any other time we're out in public and it isn't easy to wash their hands.

Alchohol-Based Hand Sanitizer Recipe

DIY Natural Hand Sanitizer Gel Recipe

Looking for an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that follows the CDC guidelines and is proven to kill the flu virus? Click here for my hand sanitizer recipe.

See all my essential oil recipes here!

DIY Natural Hand Purifier Spray Recipe using Essential Oils and Witch Hazel

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