Makes 120ml (Approx. 130 grams)
Hand Sanitizer's are always popular, especially during Fall and Winter, as their disinfecting and deodorizing properties make them popular for use after things like sports events, hikes and the daily hustle and bustle of life. With that in mind, we are happy to provide our customers with this Lavender Hand Sanitizer Recipe utilizing such ingredients as Lavender Essential Oil, Clear Jojoba Oil and Isopropyl Alcohol 99%.
Ingredients:
- Lavender Floral Water -- 90 grams (6 tbsp.)
- Isopropyl Alcohol 99% -- 44 grams (4 tbsp.)
- SepiMAX Zen Polymer -- 1 gram (1/2 tsp.)
- Clear Jojoba Oil -- 3 grams (1 tsp.)
- Polysorbate 20 -- 3 grams (1 tsp.)
- Lavender 40/42 Essential Oil -- 20 Drops (1/4 tsp.) (Or Scent to Personal Preference)
- Germall Plus Preservative -- 1 gram (1/5 tsp.)
- Royal Purple Lab Colour Premixed -- 5-10 Drops (Optional)
Equipment:
- Whisk or Stick Blender
- Measuring Cup or Mixing Bowl
- Measuring Spoon or Scale
- Apron
- Gloves
- Paper Towel or Wash Cloth
- Spatula
- Plastic Mixing Cups
Directions:
1. In a mixing bowl or measuring cup, combine your Lavender Floral Water with the 99% Isopropyl Alcohol. Gently stir to combine.
2. Sprinkle the SepiMAX Zen into the floral water / alcohol mixture and gently stir for 1-2 minutes. Take your whisk or stick blender and briskly mix the mixture until the product begins to thicken to a gel. This process of re-hydrating the SepiMAX to form a gel can take up to 10 minutes. For additional information on SepiMAX Zen and how it functions see the additional information section at the end of this guide.
3. Add the Clear Jojoba Oil to your mixture and stir to combine.
4. Add the Germall Plus Preservative to your mixture and stir to combine.
5. Combine your Lavender 40/42 Essential Oil with the Polysorbate 20 in a separate mixing cup and stir. Once thoroughly combined, pour the polysorbate / essential oil mixture into the hand sanitizer and stir.
6. With your mixture now combined, you can if you want add drops of colourant to your mixture such as the Royal Purple Lab Colour Premix that we used, until you achieve a colour that is to your liking. In this example, we used 5 drops of colour.
7. Pour your finished product into bottles and leave it overnight to allow it to thicken.
Your product is complete and ready to use! Below is some additional information as well as ideas on how you can adjust this recipe with different scents colours and additives to make it your own unique creation.
Additional Information:
Germall Plus Preservative:
- Germall Plus Preservative is a broad-spectrum antimicrobial preservative which works well in a wide variety of cosmetic products.
- In this recipe, it is used at a concentration of 0.5% by weight; however, you can lower the concentration to as low as 0.1% if desired.
- If you choose to adjust the recipe but continue to use the Germall Plus, remember to always add the Germall at the end of the mixing portion, but before you add your Essential Oils and Colourant.
SepiMAX Zen Polymer:
- SepiMAX is a pre-neutralized thickening and stabilizing polymer. This polymer functions by rehydrating in the aqueous phase of a product until it forms a gel.
- This product is very versatile as it works with some oils (like the clear jojoba oil), surfactants, electrolytes like aloe vera extract, and much more. This variety of abilities allows us to add moisturizing products like AHA lactic acid, aloe extract, and oils to the product to leave the skin feeling soft.
- Keep in mind, SepiMAX does not work well with positively charged ingredients like Honeyquat, Polyquaternium 7 or Incroquat. If these products are added they will turn your product back into a liquid state and not return to a gel form.
Polysorbate 20:
- Polysorbate 20 is a natural emulsifier derived from lauric acid (coconut oil). It keeps your essential oil fully combined into your product and prevents separation.
- If you wish to add more Essential Oil than we used in this recipe, remember to first combine the essential oil with Polysorbate 20 then, add it to the product. A rule of thumb is to have 2-parts polysorbate to 1-part essential oil.
Recipe Variation Ideas:
- We know our customers love to get creative and make products that are unique to themselves and their own customers. This recipe allows for lots of variation like adjusting the colour using any of our Premixed Lab Colours.
- You can also substitute an ingredient like the Lavender Floral Water for Distilled Water which can then allow for different Essential Oils to be used. As an example, we tried our Pink Grapefruit Essential Oil with a Peach Lab Colour to give a citrus variation on the recipe.
- If your hand sanitizer needs a bit more oomph in the moisturizing department, you can substitute the Lavender Floral Water with Aloe Vera Gel, while also removing the SepiMAX Zen Polymer (the aloe gel is already in gel form, so no gelling agent is necessary). This option leaves the skin feeling moisturized and soft; however, as the product is still soaking in to the hands the aloe gel can have a slightly sticky feel. This sticky feel does disappear once the product is fully soaked in.