ABSTRACT:
Aim: To develop essential oils based hand wash because hands are prime mode of transmission of microbial and nosocomial infections. Synthetic hand wash formulations may possess side effects like irritation, itching, dermatitis etc. Methods: In the present research various essential oils viz. pine oil, eucalyptus oil, cardamom oil, neem oil etc were employed for developing liquid herbal hand wash formulations. The formulation was evaluated for organoleptic evaluation, foam height, foam retention time, pH, viscosity, volunteer’s feedback and antimicrobial activity. Results: The formulation was organoleptically evaluated, pH of the liquid herbal hand was found to be 6.5. Initial foam height and foam retention after 10 minutes was 250ml and 30ml respectively. The viscosity (599±55 cps at 100rpm to 2993±105 cps at 20rpm) of the liquid herbal hand wash was found to decrease with the increase in shear rate. Hence, the formulation could be regarded as pseudoplastic or shear thinning. The liquid herbal hand was exhibited comparative antimicrobial potential when compared with commercial hand wash as a reference and ciprofloxacin as standard against E coli and S aureus microbial strains. Conclusion: Thus, on the basis of above results we conclude that the formulated liquid herbal hand wash have shown good antimicrobial activities. Effective hand washing is extremely important for the prevention and management of serious health conditions.