As we approach the cold & flu season, you may be thinking about how you can prevent your family from getting sick this year. The best place to start is by working on boosting your immune system. We come into contact with germs all day long, but it only leads to sickness when our immune defenses are down. I will be writing more on the topic of herbs to boost the immune system in the near future…
Another thing parents tend to reach for to prevent the spread of germs is hand sanitizer. As my kids and I were leaving the children’s museum the other day, there was a big tub of hand sanitizer and I gotta say it gave me the creeps when my son went to put some on his hands. I am just gonna admit it, I am not into hand sanitizer. That stuff is everywhere these days! And after doing more research into what is found in commercial hand sanitizers, I am feeling pretty confident in my hesitation. They are loaded with pretty toxic ingredients, the main being Triclosan, which can be harmful to the health of our bodies and our environment. If you would like to learn more about it, check out the profile of Triclosan on the Environmental Working Group’s website. If you have never been to their site, it is an amazing resource.
When you think you have been exposed to germs the best thing to do is simply wash your hands with soap and water. Sometimes, when you are out and about, there may not be a sink available. In this case, I would like to suggest making your own all natural hand sanitizer using antimicrobial essential oils. It is simple, effective and safe for your family and the environment.
Tools Needed: 2 ounce spray bottle
Ingredients:
1 fluid ounce of Water
1 fluid ounce of Liquid Aloe Vera
10 drops Lavender Essential Oil
6 drops Ravensara Essential Oil
4 drops Tea Tree Essential Oil
Aloe Vera is cooling, hydrating and soothing to the skin. In this formula it helps to soften and balance the essential oils.
Lavender Essential Oil is one of the most useful and one of the safest essential oils. It can destroy bacterial, viral and fungal infections. And it also has a calming affect on the nervous system.
Ravensara Essential Oil is a personal favorite of mine for the prevention and treatment of infections. It fights against both bacterial and viral infections. It also can boost the immune system.
Tea Tree Essential Oil is another gentle yet powerful antibacterial oil, useful in the prevention of bacterial, viral and fungal infections.
Directions: Combine all ingredients together in the spray bottle and shake well before each use. I suggest a two ounce bottle because it is easy to carry around in your purse or diaper bag, but you can make any size you would like. Spray directly onto the hands and rub them together.
shared on thank goodness it’s monday #43 blog hop, mostly homemade mondays #53 blog hop
Disclosure: There are affiliate links in this post. If you decide to purchase any products through these links, I do receive a small commission. The prices stay the same for you. You have my deep appreciation if you choose support the little herbal when making your purchases. As always, I only recommend companies & products that I believe in 100% and buy from myself.
5 Comments
Natalie
November 5, 2013 at 11:22 amThis is a great idea as I hate the hand sanitizers in my daughters preschool. The water in the tap is too hot so they can not wash their hands.
I was wondering if you could suggest something to replace the lavender as lavender contains estrogen and can be harmful to boys development. I would like to replace it with something else.
the little herbal
November 5, 2013 at 10:35 pmHi Natalie. I am so glad you asked this question because it is a common misunderstanding about Lavender Essential Oil. It does not contain estrogen at all, but it has gotten the reputation that it can mimic estrogen. This is all due to a very poorly done study in 2007. The study only included three boys that were given a topical application of something that had Lavender or Tea Tree in it. They did not take into account that these products probably also contained other potential hormone disruptors including parabens and phthalates (from the packaging), two ingredients that have been known to mimic estrogen activity. There has since been better studies done, none of which have linked Lavender or Tea Tree to estrogen. There is a lot more to this story. Heather, Author of the mommypotamus, has an excellent and clearly written post about it on her blog. Here is a link to it if you would like to read further It may help to clear up some of the confusion about this issue. I personally have used it on my boys with no adverse affects. And it has a long history of safe use with children.
That being said, if you still prefer to avoid using Lavender, you can sub it for more Ravensara. Even just a strait spray with Ravensara would be quite an effective antimicrobial spray. Thanks again for bringing up this question. I think it will benefit all of our readers.
Have a great day
Faith
Zoe
January 27, 2014 at 6:39 amHi Faith,
I’ve been struggling to get my girl to wash her hands after she gets home from school (and other times too…)
I am excited to make this hand sanitizer tomorrow and offer it to her as a choice.
THANKS!
the little herbal
January 28, 2014 at 3:13 amYay! I hope this works for you guys
Super Immunity Tea Blend – the little herbal
September 23, 2015 at 11:21 am[…] stocking my herbal medicine chest. I have made fresh batches of my Immune Boosting Syrup and my All-Natural Hand Sanitizer. We are making sure to take our daily doses of multi-vitamins, vitamin d and probiotics. We have […]