Maybe you forgot to send little Joey off in his own hermetically sealed bubble, or you are pretty sure he will trade it for his BFF’s retainer (because it makes him feel like a Transformer when he pops it in). Perhaps, the first day of school snuck up on you and you didn’t have time to figure out how he was going to breathe in his bubble? As parents we can be – anxious – about the school environment. We completely understand and can smell your fear. So we put together this uber-crunchy & effective, hand spray recipe and quick, how-to video just for you. Why?
Because…
…you can’t carry your blacklight everywhere.
…the substitute school bus driver is 1-degree left of a carnie.
…the only thing funnier than picking his own boogers is picking his buddies’.
…other Moms don’t keep their kids home when they’re sick.
…her gum fell into the toilet – but she got it, don’t worry.
…school toilet paper is barely one-ply.
…you know he doesn’t wash his hands (he barely washes his hands when you’re standing there).
…you can’t keep them in a bubble forever (you’ve checked into it).
…you aren’t there to flush the public toilet with your foot.
…they found a dead mouse at recess.
…janitors clean tables with the same rags they clean toilets with (Yes, they do!).
…that sucker they found under the slide still had flavor.
…someone left a condom on the playground Saturday night (Yes, they did!).
…used bandaids are irresistable.
…everyone wants to try on Jimmy’s mouth guard.
If any of these thoughts have ever entered your mind, you are definitely not alone. At the very least for some piece of mind we strongly suggest you throw together this quick recipe for our ‘Maybe You Touched POOP Hand Spray’. This essential oil based hand spray is a completely natural, non-toxic alternative to hand sanitizers that contain harsh and often toxic chemicals such as triclosan, which also contributes to the ever increasing antibiotic resistance problem. You can read more about the hidden dangers of common hand sanitizer ingredients HERE.
If you are in the Boise, ID area, check out our events page and join us for a Make & Take class! We have several scheduled this month and next where we will learn to make several other essential oil based recipes perfect for Back to School.
Here’s a quick DIY video demonstration to get you started:
On the other hand, essential oils have a long history (as long as known civilization, so probably even longer) of warding off microbial predators. Even the Romans used Rosemary to stimulate memory! More recently modern science has given copious credibility to the therapeutic value of essential oils. For those who are interested, check out the following small sampling of studies demonstrating the effectiveness of some of the essential oils included in this recipe:
Rosemary
Aziza Kamal Genena, Haiko Hense, Artur Smania, Simone Machado de Souza. Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) – a study of the composition, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of extracts obtained with supercritical carbon dioxide.
Ciência e Tecnologia de Alimentos, Campinas, 28(2): 463-469, abr.-jun. 2008
http://www.scielo.br/pdf/cta/v28n2/a30v28n2.pdf
Cinnamon
Long M, Tao S, Rojo de la Vega M, et al. Nrf2-dependent suppression of azoxymethane/dextran sulfate sodium-induced colon carcinogenesis by the cinnamon-derived dietary factor cinnamaldehyde.Cancer Prev Res (Phila). 2015;8(5):444-454.
Clove
Kara M, Uslu S, Demirci F, Temel HE, Baydemir C. Supplemental carvacrol can reduce the severity of inflammation by influencing the production of mediators of inflammation.
Inflammation. 2015;38(3):1020-1027
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25416233Iwamatsu T, Miyamoto D, Mitsuno H, et al. Identification of repellent odorants to the body louse, Pediculus humanus corporis, in clove essential oil.
Parasitol Res. 2016;115(4):1659-1666
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00436-016-4905-9Santin JR, Lemos M, Klein-Júnior LC, et al. Gastroprotective activity of essential oil of the Syzygium aromaticum and its major component eugenol in different animal models.
Naunyn Schmiedebergs Arch Pharmacol. 2011;383(2):149-158
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00210-010-0582-x
Eucalyptus
Cal K, Sopala M. Tremendous ex vivo child skin absorption and permeation of eucalyptol.
J Dermatol Sci. 2008;52(2):139-140
http://www.jdsjournal.com/article/S0923-1811(08)00197-7/fulltext
The Dirty Truth:
The CDC says: “Feces (poop) from people or animals is an important source of germs like Salmonella, E. coli O157, and norovirus that cause diarrhea, and it can spread some respiratory infections like adenovirus and hand-foot-mouth disease.” (Btw, not being limber enough to put your foot in your mouth does not protect you from “hand-foot-mouth disease”, although a lot of kids are).
Also from the CDC: “A single gram of human feces—which is about the weight of a paper clip—can contain one trillion germs. Germs can also get onto hands if people touch any object that has germs on it because someone coughed or sneezed on it or was touched by some other contaminated object. When these germs get onto hands and are not washed off, they can be passed from person to person and make people sick.”
“About 1.8 million children under the age of 5 die each year from diarrheal diseases and pneumonia, the top two killers of young children around the world.”
Do you smell it yet? I know, right?! It’s everywhere…
Our favorite essential oil hand spray recipe is based off of Dr Rosen’s (integrative pediatrician and co-author of Treatment Alternatives for Children) ‘DIY natural hand sanitizer’. You can read more about Dr Rosen HERE.
- Start with a 2 ounce spray bottle.
- Fill it about ¾ full with water.
- Add 1 TBSP of aloe vera gel.
- Add 10 drops of our **Immunity Blend of essential oils.
- Put the top back on the spray bottle and shake until mixed thoroughly.
- Spray two or three times on your hands and rub together.
- Repeat as needed.
**If you aren’t using the Immunity Blend, you can use:
5 drops each of cinnamon, clove, rosemary and eucalyptus essential oils.
10 drops of either lemon, wild orange or grapefruit essential oil – your preferred aroma.
Other Sources:
http://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/why-handwashing.html
Franks AH, Harmsen HJM, Raangs GC, Jansen GJ, Schut F, Welling GW. Variations of bacterial populations in human feces measured by fluorescent in situ hybridization with group-specific 16S rRNA-targeted oligonucleotide probes. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1998;64(9):3336-3345.
Liu L, Johnson HL, Cousens S, Perin J, Scott S, Lawn JE, Rudan I, Campbell H, Cibulskis R, Li M, Mathers C, Black RE; Child Health Epidemiology Reference Group of WHO and UNICEF. Global, regional, and national causes of child mortality: an updated systematic analysis for 2010 with time trends since 2000. Lancet. 2012 Jun 9;379(9832):2151-61.
Aiello AE, Coulborn RM, Perez V, Larson EL. Effect of hand hygiene on infectious disease risk in the community setting: a meta-analysis.Am J Public Health. 2008;98(8):1372-81.
Lau CH, Springston EE, Sohn MW, Mason I, Gadola E, Damitz M, Gupta RS. Hand hygiene instruction decreases illness-related absenteeism in elementary schools: a prospective cohort study. BMC Pediatr. 2012;12:52.