With deadly diseases like COVID-19, pneumonia, dengue & jaundice on the rise, it has become imperative for people to double up their safety measures and protocols. From wearing a mask to maintaining social distance, a lot has become essential for good health & survival. Even handwashing is given prime importance. Hence, you’ll often find people searching for the right soaps & hand sanitizer in the market. But did you know that finding a good sanitizer is not a piece of cake. You have to know all the ingredients involved before you make the right choice. Here are some tips that can help.
Alcohol Content
Hand sanitizers usually contain somewhere between 60-95% alcohol, which makes it highly effective for people to kill germs. Also, products that are more than 60% absorbed in alcohol tend to work a lot faster and easily kill many types of germs, but they could also easily irritate the skin. The usual range recommended is somewhere between 60-90%, making such sanitizers most easily effective. There are two different kinds of alcohol. However, the FDA only approves one that contains ethyl alcohol.
Choose the right brand
With so many brands rising in popularity, make sure that you choose a product and a brand that has a well-established reputation and delivers efficiency and performance in an excellent manner. You could also look up your local shops or popular delivery apps to see what’s the most trustworthy sanitizer in the block.
Don’t be afraid to try extra ingredients
While most sanitizers are considered good & healthy, don’t limit yourself to a basic hand sanitizer. You could also go for products that contain extra ingredients like aloe vera gel. Aloe vera gel is highly reputed as it reduces skin dryness & balances hydration levels too.
Make sure to apply the sanitizer correctly
- Use copious amounts of hand sanitizer to ensure all germs are fully inactive. They should be able to cover up the entire surface of the hands.
- Next, let your hand sanitizer dry. Rub it on both palms and make sure to wipe off all the excess to reduce effectiveness.
- Ensure that your entire hand and surface is covered, including the nails, back, wrist and fingertips.
- Apply moisturizer right after the sanitizer has dried. If you wash your sanitizer a couple times a day, your hands will easily get dehydrated. This could also lead to cracks and fissures.
- Wash your hands instead of simply using a hand sanitizer. Simply washing your hands for 20 seconds is far more effective in reducing germs.
- You could also lower all risks of dryness & irritation by looking for a simple sanitizer that comes with all emollients.
What kind of sanitizers should you avoid?
FDA also warns people to avoid sanitizers that come from certain countries like Mexico since they contain methanol, which is a wooden alcohol that is required to antifreeze & fuel. It could also be toxic once it gets absorbed in the skin and could be fatal if ingested. Hence, make sure you stay away from products that contain methanol.