My DIY advice: Don’t Do It!

It’ll be easy, they said. It’ll fun, they said. It’ll only take five minutes, they said. WELL, I’m not sure who “they” are. The only thing I DO know, is that “they” lied...

Covid-19 is creating chaos around the world. These are crazy days we are living in. Quarantines are mandatory, toilet paper is being hoarded, and cleaning supplies are scarce. My face hasn’t seen make up in days. Sweats and a t-shirt means I’m dressed up. I’ve spent way too much time watching tv, scrolling Facebook, and saving all the easy Pinterest projects that I’m never going to do. 

About that... I saw a 5 minute recipe for Do it Yourself hand sanitizer that only required a few ingredients that I already had. I figured I could whip it together and reuse some empty travel bottles I had kept just in case I ever needed them.
 

 

I mixed the alcohol, aloe vera, and essential oil together with a whisk for 5 minutes, just like the directions said. Nothing was mentioned about the gross glob of plant fibers that had formed in the bowl and would not separate. 
 

I refused to be defeated. I decided to try using an empty water bottle in hopes of shaking loose the slime ball. So, I transferred the bowl blob into the bottle and started shaking. Surprise! That didn’t work either. Then, I noticed the blender bottle that I used for my morning protein shake. It was just sitting on the counter like a great big bright idea and beacon of hope. Sadly, that little metal ball was useless in the fight. Still, I continued to shake until I thought my arms might fall off... but, the evil clump of junk was still clinging together. 
 



 



At that point, my 5 minute DIY project had stolen an hour of my life that I would never get back. I was not a happy camper. I also had never been a quitter, and wasn’t about to start. So, I broke out the big guns. Those little beaters on my electric mixer worker their little steel selves at high speed for at least another 15 minutes. 

 

 



Either the contents evaporated, or were lost in the mixing splatters all over my counter. In the end, my 1 cup of ingredients produced 1/2 cup of “finished product.” 

 



YES, I know there are still floaties.

NO, I don’t care!

It never turned into gel like it was supposed to. It smells like straight rubbing alcohol. There’s not even a trace scent of the lemon essential oil.

Obviously, I am Domestically Challenged. My attempt at making my own hand sanitizer was less than satisfactory.

SO, here’s a SHOUT OUT to purell, germx, and all of the other companies out there! THANK YOU for making those cute little bottles of crystal clear antibacterial gels in an array of happy scents. I appreciate you and will never complain about paying a dollar for the tiny miracle again!

Good Luck to all of the brave quarantined souls out there who want to give this a try. My advice would be to skip it. If you are unable to purchase the coveted hand sanitizer, just wash your hands with soap and water until they completely dry out... and carry around a bottle of rubbing alcohol for times when washing isn’t an option.

 

Trust me, it’ll save your time, sanity, and dignity! You're welcome!