Hand Sanitizer Too Expensive? Make Your Own!

By Ameera Rosli  •  09 Mar 2020 in News

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Hordes of people are barging into pharmacies, drugstores and supermarkets. You may think to yourself, “Oh, sure ada sale ni” but you’d be wrong. There’s no sale, just an alarming virus that’s apparently spreading like wildfire and killing numerous people around the world. We’ve all seen the zombie movies… We know what this means; it’s time to either stock up on supplies or join the walking dead.

in target. all the soap is literally still here. the hand sanitizer is sold out.

…our school systems have really failed us. 😭 pic.twitter.com/TpFbGfYq7g

— tired. (@DaShaunLH) March 6, 2020

As seen from this video of Malaysians queuing up at SS15 (no, not for Boba), the paranoia has ultimately peaked and people are hurrying to stock-up on hand sanitizers and face masks. Of course, with the quick proliferation in demand for these materials, the price is bound to hike-up because you know, capitalism is a disease far greater than the Covid-19.

The Star even reported that consumers have been noticing the drastic change in price and have been filing complaints to Domestic Trade, Cooperative and Consumerism Ministry. With that, maybe you might not be able to afford hand sanitizers come next week which might evoke concern. Don’t worry, we gotchu!

Here are the steps to make your own hand sanitizer according to Anne Marie Helmenstine, a biomedical scientist. And no, you can’t just pour Absolut vodka on your hands and call it a day…

What you’ll need (all easily ready at home or at Daiso):

1. Bowl & spoon
2. Funnel
3. Bottle with pump dispenser

Materials (all easily purchasable at pharmacies/drugstores):

1. 2/3 cup 99 percent rubbing alcohol (isopropyl alcohol) or ethanol
2. 1/3 cup aloe vera gel
3. 8 to 10 drops essential oil (lavender and chamomile to soothe, thyme and clove for antimicrobial properties)

Steps:

Get your ingredients together.

Make sure all your materials are ready and accurately measured.

Mix ingredients

Mix all your ingredients into a bowl and mix it thoroughly with a spoon.

Pour into bottle with pump dispenser

Carefully, use the funnel and pour the mixture into the bottle. It’s better to have a pump dispenser so it’ll make it easier for you to use and it won’t contaminate the mixture with pollutants in the air.

And there you have it. DIY hand sanitizer that you can continue to make whenever you run out.

Being safe and maintaining personal hygiene as well as the cleanliness of our surroundings is important and has been for a long time. However, paranoia is causing people to act to the extreme due to the sheer mysteriousness of the disease and how the media sensationalises it to be a death sentence. In actuality, the mortality rate for the disease is an estimation of 1%-4% according to The Guardian. Most patients infected with the disease have been successfully treated upon early detection.

With that, I suggest we all practice good hygiene and stay proactive when it comes to our health. Hopefully, we won’t succumb to a dystopia in the next few months. Fingers crossed!

JUICE wishes you the best of health!

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