Dyes are Everywhere! (An Ongoing Series)

With two young boys and two dogs, I feel like we all need to wash our hands at least 50 times a day.  But sometimes, washing at the sink isn't always an option so we use store bought hand sanitizer.

When we ran out a few days ago, I just grabbed the first bottle I saw at the store, not even thinking about what might be in it. Because all hand sanitizers are made the same and made to clean hands, right?

Huh.

Well much to my dismay, the name brand I grabbed, has artificial dyes in it. Really? In hand sanitizer?  Yes, indeedy. It has Blue 1 and Yellow 5. It also has fragrance in it (but that's a whole other blog post).

If you're into this type of stuff, it's long been known that artificial dyes really aren't good for you. In fact, there has been scientific proof that some cause behavioral issues in kids. Lovely.

Here's some fun facts about Blue 1

• The dye is poorly absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract and 95% of the ingested dye can be found in feces (Source)
• It has been linked to ADHD, allergies, and asthma. Several European countries have banned Blue 1. (Source)

And about Yellow 5 (Tartazine)

• It is derived from coal tar and is the number one allergy-causing dye.
• It is a common dye in candy, cereal, and many other processed foods.
• It has been banned in many European countries. (Source)

I should've guessed as much, considering this sanitizer is green and not clear like the other brand we had. Not that the other brand is so healthy and safe.

Here is my beef with this sanitizer: Why must it be colored? Seriously, it's just a hand cleaner. It doesn't need to look pretty and colorful. Those dyes add NO VALUE to the sanitizer. Instead, those pesky dyes just add more proven harmful chemicals to my family's body. Not cool.

There's got to be a better, more natural way for a quick clean of the hands when good old soap and water aren't available!

Do you have any tried and true homemade hand sanitizers? Please share them!