Does Hand Sanitizer Kill Coronavirus?
How to Make a Natural Essential Oil Hand Sanitizer for Protection From Virus Infection.
The outbreak of COVID-19, the coronavirus, has the whole world on guard in a fight to prevent virus infection.
Beyond the most effective prevention; stay home, wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds, and avoid touching your face; using a hand sanitizer offers an added protection.
A very effective antiviral natural hand sanitizer contains 50 to 70% of 190+ proof (96%) ethanol (alcohol) and essential oils, such as lemongrass, oregano, eucalyptus radiata and palmarosa.
How To Make a Natural Essential Oil Hand Sanitizer Spray
To make a hand sanitizer spray, simply add 17 mL 190+ proof alcohol to 10.5 mL of distilled water and 1 mL vegetable glycerin into a one ounce bottle with a spray top.
Add 30 drops of any essential oil, or blend, for increased protection and desired fragrance.
This may include good antiviral oils like sandalwood, anise seed, clove, grapefruit, lemon or litsea cubeba.
Shake before each use.
To convert, 1 teaspoon is approximately 5 mL and 1 tablespoon is 15 mL.
17 mL 190+ proof alcohol
10.5 mL distilled water
1 mL vegetable glycerin
30 drops essential oil blend
How to make a natural essential oil hand sanitizer gel
A hand sanitizer gel with essential oils is effective protection when using powerhouse anti-viral essential oils such as copaiba, lemongrass, lemon myrtle, eucalyptus radiata, tea tree, palmarosa, bay laurel and thyme thymol-type.
In a bowl, add 7 mL aloe gel, 19 mL 190+proof alcohol, 2 mL vegetable glycerin, 30 drops of an essential oil or a blend.
Mix well and put into a 1 ounce bottle with a pump top.
This may be a runny gel, depending on the thickness of your aloe.
7 mL aloe gel
19 mL 190+ proof alcohol
2 mL vegetable glycerin
30 drops essential oil blend
Are plant-based and essential oil hand sanitizers safe and effective?
Many commercial hand sanitizers have been criticized for their aggressive killing action and potential disruption of the skin’s biome, the beneficial microbial flora of the skin surface.
The use of plant-based (such as neem and calophyllum oils) and essential oil hand sanitizers may be more harmonious with the skin’s surface biome, though there is not enough study or evidence to say either way.
The denatured alcohols, like isopropyl alcohol, are drying to the hands, breaking down the skin’s natural lipid barrier. Repeated hand washing with soap will also dry the skin of the hands.
The non-denatured alcohol, or denatured with essential oils alcohol, has less potential for damage. Adding vegetable oils or glycerin helps to reduce the drying impact of the alcohol.
Essential oils in therapeutic dilution are very safe, offer effective protection from infectious microorganisms, and are harmonious for use on the hands, as long as the hot oils, like cinnamon, oregano and thyme thymol, are used at lower concentrations.
Do essential oils protect from virus infection?
Essential oils are studied and shown to be very effective at eliminating viral infections, mostly enveloped viruses like influenza, COVID-19 and Herpes simplex.
Most essential oils are antiviral.
Some very effective essential oils would be: the lemon smelling oils like lemon myrtle (Backhousia citriodora), lemongrass (Cymbopogon flexuosus or Cymbopogon citratus), and Eucalyptus citriodora; the hot oils like cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum), oregano (Origanum vulgare), clove (Eugenia caryophyllus), thyme (Thymus vulgaris CT thymol); and the oils containing high amounts of monoterpene alcohols Eucalyptus smithii, Eucalyptus radiata, palmarosa (Cymbopogon martini) tea tree (Melaleuca alternifolia); and citrus oils grapefruit (Citrus paradisi), lemon (Citrus limon), lime (Citrus aurantifolia), orange (Citrus sinensis or Citrus aurantium).
Essential oils are studied and shown to be very effective at eliminating viral infections, mostly enveloped viruses like influenza, COVID-19 and Herpes simplex.
Photo of microphotography of a Melissa leaf and the essential oil pockets.
The essential oils Melissa officinalis and rose (Rosa damascena) are very effective in eliminating viral infection, though they may be cost prohibitive when used in high amounts.
Other good essential oils are anise seed (Pimpinella anisum), bay laurel (Laurus nobilis), Atlas cedarwood (Cedrus atlantica), copaiba (Copaifera langsdorffii), black pepper (Piper nigrum), ravintsara (Cinnamomum camphora leaf oil from Madagascar), sandalwood (Santalum album), spearmint (Mentha spicata), black spruce (Picea mariana).
Measuring an effective essential oil dose for hand sanitizers
There is not a documented effective dose of essential oils, so most aromatherapists estimate a 2-10% dilution for hand sanitizing. Twelve drops per ounce (29.6 mL) is approximately 2% essential oils, 60 drops is approximately 10% in one ounce.
Using a drop measurement is not at all accurate and is dependent on the size of the dropper used. For more accuracy use a measured pipette, where 0.6mL is approximately 2% per ounce, 1.5mL is slightly higher than 5% per ounce and 3 mL is about 10% per ounce.
A dose of essential oils in the 2-5% range will be effective in a 60% alcohol (190 proof) base. Lower proof alcohol, like vodka, would require a higher percentage of essential oils, such as a 5-10% content of essential oils in 60 -70% vodka.
For example, in one ounce, 5 percent of essential oils is 30 drops, or 1.5mL, with 17.5mL (60%) 190 proof alcohol, and then 10.5 mL of the remaining ingredients. This could be water and glycerin or aloe and glycerin.
In vodka, you would increase the essential oils to 60 drops (3 mL) with 20.5 mL vodka.
What essential oils work best in antiviral sprays and hand sanitizer gel?
It becomes very obvious from the previous extensive list that there are many essential oils that demonstrate strong antiviral properties.
All the listed antiviral essential oils, and many more, would be ideal in a hand sanitizer spray or a hand sanitizer gel.
The choices become focused on the desired fragrance.
A blend for a spray would be designed differently than an essential oil blend for a gel.
Article continues below…
This is pretty basic. Spearmint and peppermint will give a cool refreshing minty fragrance to your sanitizer.
Using deeper woods, like cedarwood and sandalwood, with resins like frankincense, will provide a more earthy, masculine or spiritual scent.
Citruses are happy and appeal to children, and to adults looking for an uplifting aroma. How cool is it that a hand sanitizer can be a wearable fragrance.
Here are some scent blending ideas: When formulating for a spray, it’s good to add more of the oils considered to be base notes in perfumery, the thicker, deeper scented oils. These will help to hold the essential oils onto the skin.
Here’s an example of a citrus-mint, spray-on mixture (for a 1oz bottle):
6 drops Atlas Cedarwood
5 drops Copaiba
5 drops Spearmint
3 drops Bay Laurel
5 drops Orange
6 drops Grapefruit
This would go into a one-ounce spray bottle using the above alcohol/water/glycerin recipe.
If just using water, or if you only have vodka, double this essential oil recipe.
Here’s an example formula for a spicy-herbal scented gel formula:
3 drops Sandalwood
7 drops Black Pepper
4 drops Palmarosa
5 drops Clove
3 drops Oregano
8 drops Lemon
Add to the above gel recipe. Double this essential oil recipe if using vodka.
Where to Get 96% Alcohol
The alcohol content for an effective hand sanitizer according to the World Health Organization is 96% ethanol. That means vodka, at 40% ethanol (80 proof), won’t be effective. Vodka with essential oils may be effective enough, though there is no more than empirical evidence to say this absolutely.
Everclear is a good alternative to vodka, at 95% ethanol. Most liquor stores carry this.
There are some good organic alcohols available online. This type of organic, non-denatured alcohol, used for herbal tinctures and essential oil perfumes, is considered a consumable alcohol, and some sales are dependent upon state alcohol laws and licensing.
Neem and calophyllum for added antiviral protection
Through the history of Ayurveda, the oil of neem (Azadiracta indica) has generated a popular use as a powerful medicinal plant oil. Many in the Western world have become familiar with this potent oil, sometimes commenting on its unusual fragrance.
It is a known antiviral extract and when used in a hand sanitizer will enhance the antiviral, and moisturizing, properties. Use neem at a careful dilution, meaning 2% or less, mostly due to its pungent scent, though a higher percent will be more effective.
Calophyllum inophyllum, known as tamanu in the Philippines and foraha in Madagascar, is another good topical antiviral healing oil. This has become a great addition to botanical skin care due to its skin rejuvenating properties.
In aromatherapy literature it has been popularized as an effective treatment for shingles. The antiviral properties of calophyllum would be useful in a hand sanitizer as well as a moisturizing ingredient to avoid the dryness possible from the high alcohol content of the sanitizers.
Calophyllum can be used at a high percentage, 50+%. Its somewhat fatty and nutty aroma may push through when used over 2%, though the fragrance is much more pleasant than is said of neem.
Experiment with these oils, they will make the formula a little more oily depending on the amount used.
How to Choose a Store-Bought Hand Sanitizer
There are many hand sanitizing choices available, spray, foam and gels. When making a hand sanitizer decision the most important factor is the effectiveness of the product. The FDA has recently banned the use of the controversial antibacterial triclosan, so this is no longer an issue in being sure products don’t contain this ingredient. The three main active ingredients now used are benzalkonium chloride, ethyl alcohol (ethanol or drinking alcohol), and isopropyl alcohol. The preference for this article would be the non-denatured (or denatured with essential oils) ethanol. The benzalkonium chloride and isopropyl alcohol have allergen and skin irritant potential. Most commercial products use a series of ingredients for appearance, shelf stability and texture. Carbomer is a common gelling agent that is known to be safe.
Choosing a Store Bought, Natural, Essential Oil Product
A natural, essential oil based, product with 60% alcohol will be a safe bet for antiviral and antimicrobial results.
Buying a natural product without at least 60% alcohol may be ineffective. An essential oil product in a base without alcohol would require additional information from the product manufacturer, such as the quality of the oils and percentage used, and some knowledge of the effectiveness of the essential oils contained as active antivirals.
Mostly, a trust that the manufacturer is educated in the effective use of essential oils will direct your product purchase. A well-formulated, alcohol-free essential oil product does have the potential to be effective.
References
“Show Me the Science – When & How to Use Hand Sanitizer in Community Settings,” CDC.gov, 2020
National Library of Medicine. “WHO Launches Global Patient Safety Challenge; Issues Guidelines on Hand Hygiene in Health Care.” Indian Journal of Medical Sciences, vol. 59, no. 10, Oct. 2005, pp. 461–63
Astani, Akram, et al. “Screening for Antiviral Activities of Isolated Compounds from Essential Oils.” Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, vol. 2011, Hindawi Publishing Corporation, 2011, p. 8
“Researchers at University of Heidelberg Target Complementary and Alternative Medicine.” Health & Medicine Week, NewsRX, 5 Sept. 2011.
Han Wei-li, et al. “Antiviral activity of Mentha spicata Linn.extracts against porcine parvovirus in vitro,” Jiangsu Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 2011-03
Xu, J., et al. “Antiviral Activity and Mode of Action of Extracts from Neem Seed Kernel Against Duck Plague Virus in Vitro1.” Poultry Science, vol. 91, no. 11, Nov. 2012, pp. 2802–07, doi:10.3382/ps.2012-02468.
Gupta, Subash Chandra, et al. “Neem (Azadirachta Indica): An Indian Traditional Panacea with Modern Molecular Basis.” Phytomedicine, vol. 34, Elsevier GmbH, Oct. 2017, pp. 14–20
Schnaubelt, K, Medical Aromatherapy: Healing with Essential Oils, Frog Books, Berkeley, CA, 1999, pg 238