Mother’s Therapy Organics
I know some may think it silly to write about hand sanitizer. I mean, a whole blog post about it? But if you have young children like I do, or work in a hospital or day care setting, it really does deserve a lengthy diatribe about it, and a sponsored blog review about my new find: Mother’s Therapy Organics Hand Sanitizer, and some ideas on how to tot around hand sanitizer so it is easy to access for you and your kids.
When my son started going to various play dates and playgroups about 2 years ago, I saw the various germ filled things he was touching. Upon leaving the place and/or space, I would wipe his hands with hand sanitizer before he had his snack or started playing with his own toys. I thought I was pretty cool in that I was so on top of the germ thing. Until I saw him put his hand-sanitized hand in his mouth.
Germs or chemicals?
Not so cool.
So I switched to a natural hand sanitizer and have been continuing even now with my daughter. We had tubs (seemingly) of the stuff since she was born a year ago (newborn paranoia). Yet, in the dead of winter, I dreaded using it. My hands would get so dry! And when we are traveling or in the daycare center, I have to still use the generic harsh chemical-laden sanitizer. {Ugh.}
When I tried the hand sanitizer from Mother’s Therapy Organics, I immediately loved three things about it. The smell. Great scent that doesn’t make you smell like you just came from a science lab like other hand sanitizers do. (2) The various sizes. They even sell wall dispensers for day care centers and public spaces. (I want one by my front door.) (3) My hands were not dry! It was creamy and moisturizing since it uses aloe vera. Not so much that it is like lotion (though they do have germ fighting lotion too), but definitely a (huge) step up from other hand sanitizers (natural and unnatural).
Mother’s Therapy Organics does use alcohol in their ingredients. Just a little over 60%. It is natural alcohol, meaning it is derived from plants and is not synthetic (important to note when you look at the ingredient lists of other hand sanitizers.) I know there are other organic and/or natural hand sanitizers out there using nonalcohol antimicrobials. According to scientists, these do kill germs, but alcohol-based sanitizers have more published research showing real-world benefits, such as lower incidence of illness among college students or reduced infections in hospitals. Thus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) still recommends alcohol-based products.(WSJ, 02/11/13) It is important to note that the CDC still recommends hand washing over hand sanitizer, but when you are on the go, it is realistic alternative. (Personally, I can’t live without it.)
So it is up to you to decide if you want a natural/organic hand sanitizer to contain or not contain alcohol, but at least look for natural alcohol. Plus, the alcohol evaporates quickly after zapping the germs, so just let it dry before your kids stick their hands in their mouths, and don’t slab it on. A little bit will do you. Then, due to the other ingredients in Mother’s Therapy Organics, you’re not left with dry hands (a common complaint from other alcohol-based hand sanitizers.)
You can buy Mother’s Therapy Organics from Amazon. The price point is higher than your average hand sanitizer but then again, this is not your average hand sanitizer. It’s $32 for a 32 oz dispenser (perfect for busy houses) and $10 for the 8oz size (perfect in the car.)
Consider leaving a travel size in your purse, and put another in a diaper bag if you are in that stage of life. They have one with a cute clip so clip it to a diaper bag, or if you have older children, clip it to a backpack for school. Since I have one of each (a baby and a preschooler who is starting school this year) I’m doing double duty.
I also leave a container of it in my driver’s side car door and in the door storage area, in the backseat of the car, for each of my kids. After we go somewhere, I get them settled in the car seats, and I clean their hands so they are free to play, snack and do whatever in the back seat. When I hop back in the car after pumping gas, it’s easy to lather up.
In my opinion, I think it is great that so many public spaces have public hand sanitizer dispensers now – everywhere from the local gym and local school, to outside grocery stores and bathrooms at the airport. I know Mother’s Therapy Organics Natural Hand Sanitizer is probably too expensive for whole schools and airports, but smaller places like a daycare or next to diaper changing areas in the airport, should have it in lieu of commercial hand sanitizer. It makes great fiscal sense, practical sense, environmental sense….and, of course, mom sense.
So, what do you think? Do you use hand sanitizer? What kind and why?
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All words, resources, content, and opinions are my own.