Over the past years, people seem to have been more inclined to doing things on their own and veering away from patronizing what the market has to offer. Whether it’s a way to test their resourcefulness or boost their self-esteem or bring out their inner artist or scientist, many are tempted to do things DIY-style (e.g. DIY room makeover, DIY face mask, DIY wall decorations, and many more).
If you are to ask industry experts — especially those who are in the healthcare sector — not all things should and can be done in this manner. Case in point: the hand sanitizer. In this article, we’re discussing why you should never make this rather essential personal care product on your own.
Reasons To Avoid Making DIY Hand Sanitizers
Here we’ve compiled the ultimate reasons why health experts don’t recommend making your own hand sanitizer at home:
They are complicated. Though the World Health Organization itself has released guidelines on how to make hand sanitizers, the document is not meant for the layman. Ordinary citizens might end up getting the wrong ingredients or mixing the wrong measurement of the correct ingredients — the final product of which can do more harm than be beneficial.
The ingredients are hard to acquire. Granted that you understand what is stipulated in the WHO-released guideline, the next problem you’ll encounter is the lack of ingredients. Homemade sanitizers are typically made up of alcohol (ethyl or isopropyl), water, and aloe vera. Trying to get these ingredients (except for water) can waste too much resources compared to when you can simply purchase your own sanitizer.
They are not cost-effective. As mentioned, making your own sanitizer is not that cost-effective. You won’t be only using up your money and time, but also your energy which you can channel to other more productive things.
They can cause damage to your skin. There are reports recorded wherein people who availed homemade sanitizers have obtained burns on their skins. This can be due to wrong measurements and/or incorrect ingredients.
What You Can Do
Given that making a hand sanitizer is not like a high school science project you can do on your own, but something that should be left in the hands of the professionals — here’s what you can actually do on your own:
Wash hands often. While hand sanitizers are effective in helping stop the spreading of germs, they are not designed to replace the traditional hand-washing method using soap and water. If you are to observe proper hand hygiene, you should prioritize washing your hands often.
Order hand sanitizers online. If you want to supplement the soap-and-water combination or want to have an alternative when regular hand-washing is not readily available, you can resort to purchasing hand sanitizers online. Especially with the COVID-19 taking over the world, buying from a reputable source on the web is the safer and more convenient option.
Check out organic products. If the reason why you’re keen to make your own sanitizer is to keep track of the ingredients used (truthfully, other products in the market contain toxic substances), you can simply choose an organic one. Check the label and identify if the ingredients used are natural, safe, and duly-approved.
A rinse-free hand sanitizer saves you a ton of time especially when you’re on the go. Sun Laboratories offers hand sanitizers with organic ingredients.
