6 Reasons You Will Stop Using Hand Sanitizers Regularly

How many of you are avid users of hand sanitizers? Do you stash them everywhere – in your car, on your work desk, at your kitchen counter, or probably anywhere you tend to spend more than just a few minutes. But how sure are you that these clear-colored panaceas are only helping you keep your hands off those germs and aren’t actually causing you any harm?

But before we get into that, let’s tell you why people opt for hand sanitizers instead of a regular hand-wash. One, because all advertisements and commercials guarantee that taking a drop of this viscous liquid and rubbing it on our hands ensures that our hands are 99.9 percent germ-free (that’s what the descriptions on most of these hand-sanitizer bottles say). And, another important reason is that you don’t need any water to wash your hands (maybe it was invented for the lazy bums out there). Nevertheless, if you’re iffy about using this liquid sanitizer, we are on your team! We’ve put together a list of 6 reasons which show that the hand sanitizers are actually doing you more harm than good.

1. It Can Adversely Damage Our Skin

Let’s not forget that all hand sanitizers have at least 60 percent alcohol content in them (that’s how it kills the germs). So, by using these liquids the skin of our hands is more likely to be worn out when compared to the skin on the other parts of our body. We’d like to warn you that another name for alcohol is skin irritant (1). It disrupts the production of natural oil, thereby making our hands dry. It also ages our hands more rapidly, and could also lead to blemishes. Therefore, we advise you to use a hand lotion immediately after sanitizing your hands. It will moisturize your hands.

2. It Leads To Production Of Superbugs

If you aren’t using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer then your sanitizer is more likely to contain “triclosan” – an antibacterial agent. A study says that overuse of antibiotics like triclosan could lead to the outburst of the tough-to-kill bacterium (generally called as ‘superbugs’) (2). Another study reveals how triclosan can actually take a toll on our immune system, making us more susceptible to common illnesses like common cold (3).

3. It Smells Good But It Also Contains Unknown Hazardous Chemicals

The fragrance is synthetic which clearly means that it contains phthalates (chemicals used to make plastic more flexible). And the fact that phthalates can hamper your normal hormone production is enough for us to say ‘no’ to sanitizers (4). Hand sanitizers could even contain parabens that are absorbed easily into our skin (5). It isn’t mandated for a company to mention all the ingredients that a hand sanitizer contains, especially when it comes to its artificial fragrance. Therefore, it’s best for us to use stuff that doesn’t have any additional artificial fragrance in it.

4. It Increases Our Skin’s Absorption When It Comes To BPA

In the world of chemicals, if there’s one chemical that we all need to be thoroughly aware of, it has to be the BPA or Bisphenol A. Okay, for those of us who don’t know what BPA is, just know that it is treacherous! It can really mess up our endocrine system that could lead to chronic diseases like cancer and various other body issues.

If we use a hand sanitizer immediately after touching anything that contains BPA (for example, thermal receipt paper) it can increase your skin’s absorption of BPA by a hundredfold (6).

5. It Isn’t That Good For Our Kids

Yes, we get it, the liability of our kids touching unclean things is more and to make matters worse they even have the habit of putting their hands in their mouth. And most of the helicopter moms have considered hand sanitizers as the fix to all their cleanliness woes. But mothers, have you ever read that fine print behind every sanitizer bottle? It says, “Warning! Keep this away from kids.”

This one warning is enough for us to keep it away from our kids (7).

6. It Isn’t That Effective Either

Even after reading all of the above, if you’re still thinking that it at least kills the germs, well, it isn’t the case. See, a hand sanitizer can surely be great to kill microbial life but the fact that it rids our hands off the natural oils dents our body’s defense mechanism. In fact, studies have shown that the traditional method of washing hands with water and soap is much more effective (8). Therefore, unless there’s no access to water, stick to the traditional method peeps.

We might have convinced you all that hand sanitizers are a big no-no. But, what are the alternatives? After all, keeping us clean, especially our hands, can reduce the risk of getting ill greatly, right? All we can say is try home-made sanitizers, organic or natural sanitizers, or just wear gloves every time you think you are stepping into a highly toxic environment (no, your ex doesn’t count). So, what’s your personal call about hand sanitizers now? Let us know in the comments below.

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