Are Your Hands Red and Raw from Constant Washing?

Here in West Virginia at the Larkin Tea Company, we’re not actually distilling hand sanitizer but because our hands are raw from washing them fifty thousand times a day, we’ve made our own hand lotion using green tea and coconut oil. (It could also be used as a body lotion.)

It is a very easy recipe and can be made from ingredients found in your pantry.

Coconut & Green Tea Lotion

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup Coconut Oil
• 2 Tablespoons Loose Green Tea

Instructions:

1. Use a double boiler over medium heat to melt the coconut oil.
2. Stir in the green tea.
3. Cover and simmer on lowest heat setting for 1 hour.
4. Strain tea from oil through cheesecloth or a coffee filter.
5. Let cool until almost solid.
6. Whip until creamy.
7. Place into airtight containers. Keep in a cool to prevent the coconut oil from melting.
8. To use, scrape a small amount out of the container and rub into skin. Warmth from your hands and body will melt the moisturizer into your skin leaving it soft and supple.

If you really need to make hand sanitizer, here is a simple recipe we found and tested. It leaves your hands soft from the aloe rather than drying them out like most store options.

This is an excellent project for kids since it can include a discussion about hygiene and disinfection. You'll save money, protect yourself from germs, and can customize the scent of the hand sanitizer so it doesn't smell medicinal.

The active ingredient in this hand sanitizer recipe is the alcohol, which needs to comprise at least 60% of the product in order to be an effective disinfectant.

DIY Hand Sanitizer

Ingredients:

• 2/3 Cup Rubbing Alcohol (Isopropyl Alcohol, at least 60%)
• 1/3 Cup Aloe Vera Gel
• 8 to 10 Drops Essential Oil (Optional)

Simply mix the ingredients together and use a funnel to pour them into a bottle. Screw the lid onto the bottle and you're ready to go (works in spray bottles as well as regular squeeze bottles).

We split the recipe in half and made two versions. One half was the regular recipe and the other half was infused with green tea. To do this, steep the alcohol in green tea for 30 minutes to an hour then strain through fine metal sieve or coffee filter before mixing everything together. (When steeping alcohol in tea you should use 1 heaped tsp. loose tea per ¼ cup of alcohol. We did 1-½ tsp. in 1/3 cup of the alcohol.)

Watch out for our April newsletter, which will feature how to make your own skincare with tea.