Hand sanitiser recipes

Cleaning your hands at places you cannot easily wash them.

Hand sanitiser

While hand washing is much better against spreading disease, sometimes a hand sanitiser can be more practical. The formula is sufficient for about 100 grams of hand sanitiser gel.

Requirements and ingredients

  • Alcohol 70% 100ml*
  • Glycerin 3 ml [10630]
  • HPM Cellulose 1g [16030]
  • Beaker 250 ml [30038]
  • Spatula [14907] or teaspoon
  • Weighing scale accurate to 0,1 g or Measuring spoon plastic 2.5 ml [30107]
  • Dropper plastic 3 ml [30110]
  • Bottle HENRI 24/410 natural HDPE 100 ml [14071]
  • Flap cap for HENRI bottles 24/410 [14073]
  • Appropriate label.

* Not sold by De Hekserij, try a pharmacy.

Method

Put 3 ml of glycerin in the beaker. Add one gram of HPM cellulose to that. If you do not have a suitable scale, you can use our 2,5 ml plastic measuring spoon: one level measuring spoon of HPM cellulose is approximately 1 gram.

Mix this well together. Then add a small amount of alcohol and stir well. If everything seems well mixed: add another amount of alcohol and stir well again. Repeat until you’ve added all the alcohol. You now have a thin gel. The gel will thicken a little during the first 24 hours and become clearer.

Put the gel in the HENRI bottle, a funnel is not really necessary, but of course you can use one. Put the flap cap on and make a label for it.

The gel will not spoil quickly, because it contains a lot of alcohol. If the gel is not used for a long time, skin or lumps may form, but this can usually be solved with good stirring or shaking.

Is the gel too thick, or if you feel and see all kinds of grains and such in your hands when using it, you have used too much HPM cellulose. If the gel is too thin you have used too little. The balance is at about 1 gram.

Variations and additions

  • You can perfume the gel. For example with EO Lemongrass. Use up to about 15 drops of fragrances per 100 ml of gel according to taste. It is best to add the perfume to the glycerine and HPM cellulose before adding the alcohol.
  • Instead of regular alcohol (ethanol) you can also use isopropyl alcohol / isopropanol.