3 Things To Look Out For In An Effective Hand Sanitizer

Posted by amrina alshaikh on September 17th, 2021

The pandemic continues to impact our lives despite vaccination effectiveness and safety protocols. With COVID-19 likely to stay for a while and eventually turn into an endemic, it isn’t an overstatement to say that we need to maintain a safe and hygienic lifestyle for the foreseeable future.

Unfortunately, this is extremely difficult, especially in India’s crowded cities. It is almost impossible to step into market and public places without coming in close contact with people and objects that have been in close vicinity of possible COVID-infected patients. Hence, it is important that you wearing protective face masks, try to minimize contact, and continue to sanitize your hands frequently. This can go a long way in reducing the risk of infection, especially during the festive season and the winter season, when chances of catching an infection are higher owing to increased social interactions and the weather.

In fact, if you are wondering if you are truly better off with a hand sanitizer, here are some scenarios that will help you understand why you need to continue investing in hand sanitizers.

Situations Where A Hand Sanitizer Can Come Handy

• When you have to shake hands without acquaintances or strangers outside the home or office
• If you need to touch your face while commuting via public transport
• When you have gone shopping, touched several objects along with other shoppers, and want to dig into some food.
• If you need to visit medical premises where several kind of germs and virus might be present on any contaminated surfaces
• When you are visiting friends and families and are unsure about other guests’ health and the safety of surfaces they might have touched

Key Qualities That Define An Effective Hand Sanitizer

Clearly, a hand sanitizer can be useful in more situations that one. However, it is important to select an effective hand sanitizer from a trustworthy source. This is because, owing to the demand, several manufacturers and sellers markets hand sanitizers that have low alcohol content, are harsh on the skin, and often have a repugnant smell that can cause headaches. Further, some of them are packaged in bottles that are inconvenient to use.

Basis all these factors, here are some qualities that you should look out for in an effective hand sanitizer.

• Adequate alcohol content

This is the important thing to look out for an in effective hand sanitizer. It should have 60% to 95% alcohol according to the FDA to ensure germs and viruses die immediately when exposed to the sanitizer. While most hand sanitizers from trustworthy brands focused on safety come with such high alcohol content, it is best to read the labels and make an informed decision. Further, you need to be aware of fakes in the market as well as locally packaged hand sanitizers which may, or may not be effective in doing the job.

• Safe and gentle on the skin

A significant impact that regular use of hand sanitizers has is, well, on our hands and the skin. Since hand sanitizers must include certain chemicals in them, it is important that these are presently only in necessary quantities. Further, they should have other ingredients that counter the harsh effect of such chemicals on skin and provide some relief. For instance, it should have ingredients such as Vitamin E and aloe vera for a moisturizing effect. This will not just keep the skin from drying due to frequent use of hand sanitizers, but also give a smooth and comforting feeling during application.

• Pleasant fragrance

Now this is perhaps the most underrated thing that one looks out for in hand sanitizers. However, a pleasant fragrance delivers more than just a feel-good effect. It actually has a calming effect on the mind and the body, which is an important factor given the additional stress everyone is experiencing owing to a host of pandemic-related effects. Further, it can help calm several physiological problems, and help prevent headaches and other similar conditions if they are physiological in nature. A pleasant and mildly fragrant hand sanitizer can also have a positive impact on inter personal relationships at work and socially. Citrus, floral, and classic fresh are some of the popular fragrances that work best in all settings.

Clearly, there are multiple factors and situations we need to consider while evaluating a hand sanitizer’s effectiveness. This can go a long way in not just ensuring our safety, but a pleasant day-to-day experience. Further, it is important to opt for hand sanitizers that come in convenient pocket-friendly sizes. This lets you stock them at multiple spots – near your main door at home, your pocket, purse or bag, car glove box, and so on. Further, it ensures limited quantity is sprayed on your palms for optimum usage.

Happy sanitizing!