- 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!