Is surgical spirit the same as rubbing alcohol?!

[Flossie44]

I’m wanting to make my own hand sanitiser. Read rubbing alcohol and aloe Vera does the job.
Is surgical spirit ok for the job?!

It's the same thing. It's called rubbing alcohol in the USA.

Yes.

Thank you. Let the lab begin!!

Do it in a well ventilated space

Is it exactly the same? I thought surgical spirit was used to clean paint brushes (i.e. v. strong), but rubbing alcohol can be used on human skin to treat acne?

I wouldn't put regularly put surgical spirit on my skin, I think it's probably much stronger than rubbing alcohol.

Isn’t that white spirit for paint brushes??

I got this stuff in Boots

It's not white spirit. That's different. Like turpentine, I think.

Oh yes...duh, don't listen to me, I've lived in the USA for too long.
I remembered some "spirit" my parents used to clean paint brushes.

Surgical spirit can be used on the skin but it's very drying. You can use it to intentionally harden skin. The surgical spirit I have in the house has got caster oil in it.

White spirit is the paintbrush cleaner.

Cross posted

Mine has arrived. Along with the aloe vera gel. Haven't started the chemistry class yet though 😂

Don't use natural/organic aloe Vera it'll turn to liquid when mixed. I bought banana boat green aloe Vera aftersun gel from Asda and it holds well, really got for keeping moisture in the hands too as the alcohol can cause dryness

*really good

Oh bugger. My aloe Vera is organic. No good at all???? Or will it be ok

If it’s too watery put it in a spray bottle instead. Works fine that way.. and technically you could wipe a surface with it too if it’s a mist.

I thought surgical spirits is made from meths. And rubbing alcohol made from ethanol? Both are alcohol but made from different natural ingredients? Happy to be corrected though as chemistry was not my thing at school!!
you can use both on your skin....but not on broken skin coz ouch ouch ouch! If you use too frequently it will harden the skin as I used to use surgical spirit on my finger tips to harden them for guitar playing!

I put mine I a spray bottle. Was quite watery but sprays a mist and dries quickly. I also added lavender to smell a bit better

Surgical spirit is ethanol with castor oil added to make you vomit if you try to drink it.

Not the same, rubbing alcohol is ethanol. Surgical spirits have a different feel to them imo. I am no chemist but grew up in the US and used rubbing alcohol regularly - tried to buy some over here once and the pharmacist explained surgical spirits were the closest UK equivalent but not the same.

I made some with Ethanol and some aloe gel but like others have found, it turned to liquid and I don't want to add more gel because that'll weaken the strength of the alcohol. Mine also separated into little white strandy solids (must have been the aloe vera) which doesn't rub in.

TBH I've also just put some of the ethanol into a little travel spray bottle and use that on supermarket trolley handles, and occasionally hands.

'Rubbing alcohol' may be surgical spirits (mostly ethanol) but it may be isopropyl alcohol (aka isopropanol) which is a different chemical. The bottle should say, I'd have hoped.

Whether the latter works as a hand sanitizer I don't know.

Ok, according to wiki it can 'A 75% v/v solution in water may be used as a hand sanitizer'

Dr Hillary Jones said 75% surgical spirit and 25% you favourite moisturizer has anyone tried that?

Surgical spirit has increased massively in price in recent days. Since it became known that it is possible to make hand sanitiser with it.
Greedy people are bulk buying and charging a fortune for it.

Got mine in boots today. Was fairly cheap. Got two bottles. There were still two bottles left on the shelf too.