Nobody would have thought that production of hand sanitizer business can become one of the most lucrative business ideas in Nigeria. After the Corona Virus epidemic hit the world, there has been greater demand for hand sanitizers, in other to fight bacteria.
But sadly, Nigeria imports hand sanitizers like other goods we import from China. But during Corona Virus (COVID-19), hand sanitizer became so scarce across the world. And the little we have left in Nigeria was sold at very expensive price because of its scarcity.
Later on, smart Nigerians started thinking of a way to produce the hand sanitizers locally and many were left surprised when they realized how simple it is to make an effective hand sanitizer.
In this blog post, I will tell you step-by-step guide to start hand-sanitizer production business in Nigeria and make some profits. And this is not about starting locally, I’m going to teach you about branding your products and selling them to the right consumers.
Before I jump on this, let quickly talk about the use of hand sanitizer.
Uses of Hand Sanitizer
According to World Health Organization (WHO) and Center for Disease Control (CDC), using of Hand Sanitizer made with pure alcohol is a good to prevent spreading of infectious diseases (or germs). Mostly, Hand Sanitizer kills “bacteria” whenever they’re in contact.
But don’t be deceived, using hand sanitizer doesn’t kill or cure Corona Virus (Covid-19). And yet, it’s advisable to use hand sanitizer to rub your hands from time to time in order to kill that micro-organisms that are ready to bless you with disease.
You may be asking…
Is Hand Sanitizer Production Business lucrative in Nigeria?
Yes, it is lucrative if done the right way and with good “packaging”.
Before the Covid-19 or Ebola outbreak, hand sanitizer has been in existence but only few people use it. When Corona Virus came with full speed and force, a lot of Nigerians started growing interest in using hand sanitizer to rub their palms, just you know… (lol)
I know even after Corona Virus is dealt with, hand sanitizer will still become one of the most sort after commodity in chemists or markets.
Hence and again, start a hand sanitizer production business in Nigeria is lucrative and will continue to be, as long as we all yearn for good personal hygiene.
So, how do you start?
Let talk about 5 simple steps to launch your hand sanitizer production business in Nigeria with simple ingredients or recipes.
How to Start Hand Sanitizer Production Business in Nigeria
Here are the 5 simple steps to start making hand sanitizer at home (in Nigeria) and actually turn it to a business;
1. Learn how to make the sanitizer
Initially (or till now), you might be thinking that making hand sanitizer is hell of a task and you can’t achieve making a better one. But right I this blog post as I’ve promised, I will show you the simple recipe and how to mix them together.
So, let talk about the recipe first:
Ingredients to Make Hand Sanitizer in Nigeria (and Anywhere)
- 1 cup of rubbing alcohol or 91% isopropyl alcohol
- ½ cup of Aloe Vera gel
- Essential oils like Tea tree or eucalyptus oil (15 drops for this mixture)
Functions of each ingredients involved to make hand sanitizer
- Alcohol: Generally, alcohol is used for “sterilizing” and at the same time, as drying agent before its chemical compound are volatile in nature, it dries quickly
- Aloe Vera: This natural plant has been saving life, it’s used to make most creams, medicinal drinks and as body care products. It is to smoothen rashes either outside or inside the body.
- Essential Oils like Tea Tree: They’re generally antibacterial and they’re use in making sanitizers.
So, these are the ingredients you need to make hand sanitizer. But let me tell you that only “Aloe Vera” and “Alcohol” are needed mostly. In some cases where you cannot find any essential oil, it is advisable to make the alcohol 60% of the mixture (while the aloe vera gel should be 40%)
I trust you can get alcohol and aloe vera.
So, let make the hand sanitizer if you’ve gotten your ingredients.
How to make hand sanitizer in Nigeria
- Pour the 1 cup of alcohol into a small bowl or something like cup
- Add your aloe vera gel
- Add the “tea tree oil” or any other oil you can get like eucalyptus or lemongrass oil
- Thoroughly mix them together until your mixture gives smooth gel
- Finally put your hand sanitizer into a clean and transparent bottle.
After making your hand sanitizer, give it to your family members and friends to use and get their feedback(s).
Remember I said you’re turning this to a lucrative business. So, how can you make money making hand sanitizer in Nigeria?
Let go to the next step;
2. Start Branding and Packaging Your Hand Sanitizer
After making your hand sanitizer and your friends or concerned people you share your home-made hand sanitizers with, are giving it a good review, the next thing is to make it something presentable to the general public.
You see, they imports most hand sanitizer we’re using in Nigeria but since the outbreak of this COVID-19, some of us are exposed to the secret behind making this expensive commodity. But what will make people grow interest and convinced enough is how you “package it” and “brand your business”.
So, how do you package your hand sanitizer before selling in Nigeria?
- The first approach is to find a local company that sells bottle in bulk. There are lot of them, you just need to do your research. It doesn’t cost too much because you’re buying in bulk and, you’re buying small sizes (of 30ml).
- After getting your bottles, look for a graphic designer to make label for you, with the name of your business, and some verbiage about your hand sanitizer. Don’t forget to add your contact phone number and address in the label.
Note: Make sure that the label (or sticker) you’ll be using is very beautiful and attractive.
It will create an impression of what you’re selling, if people should trust or don’t give a damn about your hand sanitizer. That’s why I advised you to hire a good graphic designer who know about this stuff.
The next thing is to woo your customers, but how?
3. Market your hand sanitizer
You’ve done a lot of work in other to start a hand sanitizer production business in Nigeria. But you’re not going to rest here until all your efforts turns to profit!
Adopt some strategic ways to market your hand sanitizer. And the best way is to approach people yourself. These days, banks and other institution around your area are ready to buy what your hand sanitizers provided you accost them the right way through the right person.
Where you can market and sell your hand sanitizer in Nigeria
- Banks
- Restaurants
- Supermarkets
- Markets
- Petty traders
- Schools
- Churches
- Individuals and so on
Apart from those categories, you can reach thousands of people on social media, mostly facebook and Instagram.
You can as well tell your family, friends or neighbor about what you’re into, and then tell them to refer interested people to you.
Note that you need to take this marketing aspect very serious because it will determine your success or failure rate.
So, after marketing your hand sanitizers and you’re getting sales as expected, is that all? No, you need to also;
4. Learn and Add Some Business Ideas
Don’t sit on selling hand sanitizer only. You can as well learn how to make related stuffs like making Izal, Shampoo, home-made dettols, liquid soap and anything you think you can learn, do and sell.
In the future, I will be writing on more simple business you can start without breaking the bank.
But in meantime, you can check on the following:
Now, the fifth step is to;
5. Register Your Business
It’s high time you go more legal and global!
Registering your business will boost your chances of selling more than your competitors who are thinking of starting a hand sanitizer production business in Nigeria. And it will save you from getting harassed by any revenue task force or association.
So, how can you register your business in Nigeria?
It’s simply by reserving a business name, registered it with the body responsible for business or company registration in Nigeria (Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC) and getting your business certificate.
Lol, that sounds too easy but it’s not that easy.
Well, I have a guide to help you! Read these tips on how to register your business in Nigeria
If you have any problem registering your business, kindly contact me, I have been there before (*wink).
And that’s it! – how to start hand sanitizer production business in Nigeria
So, that’s how to start make hand sanitizer in Nigeria and turn it into a business!
If you have any comment or question, I’ll be honored to answer you. And don’t forget to share this on your Facebook or social media timeline, if you found this post helpful.
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To your success!
