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  • Shelly Tschupp

DIY Aloe Sanitizer Fix for Lumps!

Updated: Jun 23, 2022

Why is my homemade Aloe Vera Alcohol Sanitizer Lumpy? They made it look soooo easy on the web! What's going on? How can I fix it? Do I need to throw it away? No, don't toss it out, it just needs a bit of water!



After having the same problem many others are reporting back where the Aloe gel is turning into unmanageable lumps I decided to try and figure out what was going on. After much research I discovered it's a chemical reaction and one that you can correct, thank goodness given how needed hand sanitizer is in these scary times! Here's what you need to know!

  • Aloe Vera Gel has other chemicals in it some of which keep it in a Gel state. In a Gel state it won't mix with Rubbing Alcohol.

  • To correct this you need to add distilled or boiled water to the Gel so that it can mix with the Rubbing Alcohol! If you have already made a lumpy mess use a mesh strainer to strain & separate the Alcohol into a bowl and put a lid on it, so it doesn't evaporate.

  • Add water to your Aloe Vera Gel: start with a 50/50 Water/Aloe mix, stir until the water has fully integrated. Then mix either 30% Aloe/Water to 70% Alcohol OR up to 40% Aloe/Water to up to 60% Rubbing Alcohol.

  • If it is still lumpy, which mine was, restrain to separate and then add 10% more water to the Aloe Gel/Water mix and try again. I found my particular Aloe worked at 35% Aloe to 65% water as a base. Then I took 35% of the Aloe/Water base and added 65% Rubbing Alcohol (mine was 99% Alcohol so if yours is 70% then it would be a different amount of water needed for the Aloe Vera Gel to absorb.

  • This results in a usable hand sanitizer you can store in a bottle or spray pump as it is no longer in a gel form.



Basic Hand Sanitizer Recipe: 30% to 40% Aloe Vera Gel mixed thoroughly with 60% to 70% Rubbing Alcohol. You can add in 2 to 3 drops of Essential oils if you like to each 8 ounce mix, I would add that after adding I the Alcohol, just keep in mind each new chemical added changes the mixture's properties!


I hope this helps you stay Safe & Healthy!

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