Stay protected with the best hand sanitisers

We have heard the message loud and clear – wash your hands and upkeep hand sanitisation! But beware of the homemade hand sanitiser.

Soap and water will always be your best option when you have access to soap and a supply of water. The next safeguard is hand sanitiser which as we all know has been increasingly hard to come by. You may be tempted to make your own at home but before you do, keep reading.

One of the key ingredients of hand sanitiser is isopropyl alcohol, the solvent of choice for hand hygiene, it’s is important to remember that many commercial hand sanitisers are made following strict guidelines so mixing up your own at home may not be the safest option.

That’s not to say that homemade hand sanitisers don’t have their uses – they should just be left for where they are made – at home. Using these homemade sanitisers outside of your home may put you at risk.

Trust your tried and tested commercial hand sanitiser and remember to moisturise your hands before you go to bed at night.

One of the key ingredients of hand sanitisers is isopropyl alcohol and whilst effective in sanitisation, it is still a skin irritant – not to be messed with in your bathroom. Trust the chemists that are mixing it for you.

Some things to remember:

• Don’t forget that any isopropyl alcohol you may be mixing with other ingredients lessens the strength and therefore may not be as effective as therapeutic grade sanitisers
• Isopropyl alcohol is a solvent and therefore a skin irritant
• Use therapeutic grade hand sanitiser when you are out and about and then a gentle sanitiser when you are at home (and keep washing!)

There are some brilliant local businesses that have turned their processing premises into hand sanitiser production, like St Ali.

Stay safe!