Julie's Aromatherapy Q&A - Antibacterial Hand Sanitiser

Question: Do you have, or do you have any plans to make an antibacterial gel that can be used to keep hands nice and clean? My son's nursery has implemented a rule (whilst Swine Flu is on the rise) to use an antibacterial gel whenever entering the nursery and for use throughout the day for the children. Although I fully agree with them, the gel that they are using is stripping our hands of moisture (especially my son's). I don't like them as they are full of chemicals and I really watch what my son uses! Amanda

Julie's Answer: I agree they are not very nice. My suggestion is to add 12 drops (0.5ml) of Tea Tree to 25ml of vodka and add a further 25ml of water. Soak gentle cotton wool pads in the mix until they are damp then pack a day's supply (we do about 20 per child in sandwich bags) and if you are making loads of packs in advance keep in fridge and use as required. Grain alcohol (vodka) is a lot more gentle than commercial alcohol and although it is more expensive your DIY cleansing pads work out much cheaper than buying them. Tea Tree is antibacterial and antiviral and the Tea Tree I have is such good quality that it smells very pleasant. If you want to make the scent even more pleasant add Geranium or Lavender. I like the quality of the LIDL vodka and their cotton wool pads are mega cheap too. You can also put the mix into a spray bottle and if we are camping I put it in an empty water bottle with a drinking cap (very well labelled of course) Hope this helps! Julie