Every recipe I've found says essentially, a 2:1 ratio of alcohol to aloe vera gel.

"Well, heck, I'll try it!" I hated chemistry in high school, but this one should be so easy even a caveman could do it.

So I grabbed the alcohol and the gel, got out my best Pyrex measuring cup, and set after it.

Great goodness, this mix seems watery! Does it thicken on its own over time?

Recipes warn not to get the mix too heavy on gel, for fear it will dilute the cootie-killing effect of the alcohol. That prevents me from dropping a few more giant globs of aloe vera gel into the cup, but I still wonder.

This just doesn't seem right. Anybody here got experience with it?

Yeah, my wife made some. Pretty much 2:1 alcohol:aloe vera gel. It's meant to be used from a spray bottle. It has to be thin. Only needs enough "body" to keep it from running off your hands like water when you spray it on.

I made some at the beginning of all this virus brouhaha. It does thicken up a bit after you whisk the two ingredients together. So far it seems to be working just fine. I take my little plastic bottle with me when I go out for supplies.

We used up the first batch, so just made another.

The end result needs to be 70% (or is it 60%, watch video to find out) alcohol.
So the minimum alcohol needs to be 90% in order to use the 2-1 ratio.

I'll poke around to see if I can find a very informational video I come across about a week ago.

Here it is:
https://youtu.be/WVvtF5uOX3Q

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:
It's meant to be used from a spray bottle.

A spray bottle! Well, that makes better sense now. I was thinking it should turn somewhat gel-like, so as to be used in the [now-empty] pump bottles.

quote:

Originally posted by Excam_Man:

So the minimum alcohol needs to be 90% in order to use the 2-1 ratio.

Using 91% alcohol, 3:1 yields a 68% alcohol product, which is about the ideal level of alcohol. I am mixing it that way, with a few drops of tea tree oil (recommended on many sites).

My wife's been making it 3 parts alcohol and 1 part aloe vera gel. It's watery but smells pretty good.

Apply the ethanol internally and have a hottie apply the aloe vera externally and you cannot go wrong!

My son and DIL made some with 190 proof Everclear and aloe vera gel.

I told them they should’ve used Jello.

quote:

Originally posted by architect:
Apply the ethanol internally and have a hottie apply the aloe vera externally

Not a bad plan, sir.,

Use enough Everclear and it'll kill anything it touches!

Where's everyone finding the aloe vera gel? I've been looking for weeks at WalMart and can't find it.

^^^^^

Leftovers from last summer. And the one before.


- - - - - - - - -

Thank you for the vid, Excam_Man.

I tried making it with isopropal alcohol and the aloe vera gel. To keep it at the 70 percent alcohol level the consistency was much more liquidity than Purel. Since it was basically liquid anyway I just decided to use the straight isopropal in a squirt bottle.

Straight alcohol isn’t good. The water acts as a vessel for the alcohol to travel and pass through the envelope and render the virus inept.

quote:

Originally posted by MattW:
Straight alcohol isn’t good. The water acts as a vessel for the alcohol to travel and pass through the envelope and render the virus inept.

ITYM "inert?"

Anyway, my understanding was alcohol breaks down the virus' protective layer of fat, which is what "kills" it.

ISTM what the aloe primarily accomplishes is to make the alcohol more spreadable--and possibly retard evaporation?

quote:

Originally posted by Fundman:
I tried making it with isopropal alcohol and the aloe vera gel. To keep it at the 70 percent alcohol level the consistency was much more liquidity than Purel. Since it was basically liquid anyway I just decided to use the straight isopropal in a squirt bottle.

Straight alcohol is bad for your hands. The Aloe Vera helps condition and protect your skin.

NO BEANS!!!

^^ Beans and tomatoes.

Wife heard me listening to excams video and asked me what I'm doing listening to Lab Muffin. Aren't you usually looking at stuff from SIGforum. Told her I found it between cat videos and recipe threads.

I haven't been able to find a bottle of isopropyl alcohol since this whole circus started. I think there may be some in the garage for removing pine sap from my truck, but I can't find it.

So now i'm germ-laden and covered with sap.