Mom to Mom

Good-bye, Goopy Hand Sanitizers

A healthier alternative to chemical-based hand sanitizers

-Julie Ryan Evans

Here's how hand sanitizing usually goes, in my experience: You squirt some on your child's hands, only to have half of it slide off and onto his pants. He manages to mush the other half around on at least a couple of his fingers, and then we do the shaking-and-waiting game, trying to get the stuff to dry. And most of the time, he just goes ahead and eats without waiting until his hands are fully dry - meaning he's probably ingesting hand sanitizer with many of his meals.

While it's convenient and better than nothing, Purell and its posse aren't exactly harmless. Most hand sanitizers are made primarily of alcohol - 60 to 90 percent alcohol - which is whole lot more than what's in your martini. And for smaller kids, it can be deadly if it's consumed in large quantities, not to mention the fire hazard.

So I was happy to find an alternative: For My Kids All-Natural Hand Wash. It comes in a great little spray bottle that provides a fine mist of witch hazel and essential oils, and it dries almost immediately - without a goopy mess. It does contain a little alcohol (14 percent) so you don't want to leave it sitting around for little hands to grab, but it has much less than the mainstream sanitizers. And its scent is nice: fresh and natural with a hint of lavender.

All my friends now ask if I have "that spray" with me. I can see I'm going to need to order more quickly. To order yours, visit ForMyKidsOnline.com. The company also offers a great supply of other all-natural, vegan, eco-friendly products, including a great lip balm.