Hand Sanitizer/Hand Soap

Washing our hands and keeping them free of germs and bacteria is so important. I read once that it was very important to wash hands at least one whole minute in order to thoroughly clean any part that needs to be washed. I think cleaning under the nails when we wash our hands can be important too. I read a study once that said we get sick 40 percent of the time, through our eyes. I know when I wore contacts, I was constantly rubbing my eyes. If my hands had germs on them, that would be one way I would become ill.

Since antibiotic hand soaps and sanitizers have been on the market, many doctors believe they may be contributing to the development of super strains of viruses and bacteria. Also, they absorb right through our skin into our blood stream, so using an antibacterial soap or hand sanitizer is basically like taking an antibiotic. The antibiotic kills all bacteria, including the good bacteria in our body that keep the bad bacteria in check. These good bacteria are a main part of our immune system. Before antibiotics were invented, natural oils and foods were used to help protect the body from pathogens.

In a New York Times article about Dr. Lawrence D. Rosen, a New Jersey pediatrician who makes and sells natural health advice and remedies, Rosen recommended his recipe for a homemade hand sanitizer called thieves oil.156 His mixture of oils came from a legend about a group of 15th-century European perfumers who started robbing bodies during the Bubonic Plague. They stole anything of value off of dead bodies. They made a mixture of essential oils that had antibacterial and anti- viral properties, and covered their bodies with the mixture. They also used this oil on their bodies to protect themselves from the germs— hence the name “thieves oil.” Dr. Rosen’s recipe includes equal amounts of cinnamon bark, lemon, eucalyptus, clove, and rosemary therapeutic- grade essential oils. Mix the oils with coconut oil or jojoba oil as a car- rier, and use it on hands as a sanitizer. For soap, you can mix it with a pure castile soap.

I also use a colloidal silver hand protection gel. It’s great if you are going traveling or are going to shake hands with a lot of people.

I use a mouthwash with this blend of oils in it as well. Essential oils are very potent. You may find it wise to do a skin test first, to make sure you don’t have any adverse reactions to the oils of choice. In my opinion, these natural antibacterial oil combinations are a great, natural alternative to the “antibiotic” versions.

 

Here is a hand washing article, called Hand Washing 101.  I saw and thought it would be nice to share with  you. Click here to read.

 

Let me know if you have any comments, ideas, better recipes or questions!