If there's one thing the pandemic changed us for the better, it was our attitude towards personal hygiene. In the last one year, we thought we learnt everything about hand hygiene, a crucial factor in keeping the coronavirus at bay. However, while we started washing hands and using sanitizers enthusiastically, we didn't pause to ask pertinent questions about how to keep hands truly clean. Take a moment as we bust some myths and answer some questions that will help you make the right choices around hand hygiene.
Higher the alcohol, the better the sanitizer - myth or fact?
Alcohol based sanitizers have been the norm in the western world and we merely followed their lead.
These work when they have at least 60 per cent alcohol content in them to be effective on many types of germs, and could “merely reduce the growth of germs rather than kill them outright,” if the alcohol content is not right, according to the CDC.
The flipside is that the alcohol or isopropanol, both antiseptic ingredients that help kill germs and bacteria are also highly flammable, a fact that has long raised concerns in the health care community. Another concern is the potential toxicity hazards if you happen to ingest it accidentally.
On the other hand, non-alcohol based sanitizers are easier on the hands, and pose less threat in case anyone swallows it by mistake.
There's also some research to indicate that non-alcohol based sanitizers offer extended protection than alcohol based sanitizers, whose ability to kill bacteria ends once the product has dried on the skin.
Should all sanitizers smell like disinfectant
Over the last months, we started associating cleanliness with disinfection of everything around us - our bodies, possessions and surfaces at home and office. The smell of alcohol in conventional sanitizers is unmistakable and many find it offensive. Non-alcohol based sanitizers like Xen Ayurvedic Sanitizers, on the other hand, are just as effective by killing 99.9 per cent germs* without smelling awful. The added advantage of having four fragrance variants - Lavender, Lemongrass, Cucumber & Melon and Jasmine make the task of sanitising hands an even pleasurable one!
Must I suffer dry hands for great hand hygiene
Dry hands are a common side-effect often associated with the repeated use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers. The reason is the high concentration of alcohol which strips away oils in your skin that retain moisture, leading to increased skin irritation, and sometimes leads to symptoms of dermatitis. What you need is a non-alcohol based sanitizer like Xen, which has a hydrating effect on your hands and moisturises the skin. While it hydrates like water and protects like a sanitizer, Xen Sanitizer comes loaded with the power of Ayurveda, enriched as it is with the triple action of Aloe Vera, Neem and Curcumin. So, it's not just safe for you, it's soft on your skin too!
All sanitizers kill the germs on your hands
Active formulations in the sanitizers inactivate germs like viruses by attacking their cell structures and making it impossible for them to infect anyone. Most sanitizers either kill most pathogens that infest our hands (which are the primary vector that carries the germs to our mouths, nose and eyes) or reduce their growth. Xen Sanitizers have shown to kill 99.9 per cent germ*, with a strong triple action of proven Ayurvedic ingredients like aloe vera, curcumin and neem.
Go gentle on your hands even as you give them maximum protection with the 4 fragrance range of Xen Sanitizers. It's time to take the right informed decisions on correct hand hygiene back into our hands!
*As per standard testing protocol
