Protect your hands for more than a moment with a product that has more on its mind than just keeping germs away. Our natural hand protector moisturises the skin and defends your hands from nasty germs for up to 24 hours. Whereas hand sanitisers (including alcohol free hand sanitisers) are momentary germ killers that generally contain harsh ingredients that dry out the skin. Whether you have a family with busy littleys that touch everything they shouldn’t, or you’re a yo-pro constantly on the move, the byebyebad hand protector should be a staple in everyone’s life. We even have a pocket-size bottle suitable for anyone’s lifestyle, especially those who travel. Here’s our easy-to-understand list of the 5 reasons to use our hand protector instead of a traditional hand sanitiser, and how it’s suitable for all.

1. It protects hands with organic Bioactive Totarol™

First and foremost, it contains our hero ingredient – Bioactive Totarol™. Given that 80% of sicknesses are passed through the hands, this superhero is a natural antibacterial and antioxidizing compound that acts as a protective glove on your hands for a full day of defence against bad bacteria. It nourishes the good bacteria to aid your skin’s natural ability to maintain a healthy microbiome. Just two sprays stay active for 24 hours, and the more you apply, the more protected you are. Best of all, it’s sustainably sourced right here in Aotearoa, New Zealand. This healthy germ fighter cancels out the need to use drying alcohols in the formula. Totarol itself is so effective, that it’s being used in some parts of the globe to stop some oral bacteria from sticking and growing on dental implants for around 24 days at a time. If this is effective on a high-bacterial area like the mouth, imagine the miracles it works on hands! Bioactive Totarol™ keeps your hands protected by creating an inhabitable environment for nasty bacteria to survive on your skin’s microbiome.

Let’s compare this to the average hand sanitiser. Hand sanitisers are usually made with around 70% of ethyl alcohol (the type that’s used in liquor). By doing so, they only protect your hands from germs for a moment and need to be constantly reapplied after touching any surface. Because of the ethyl alcohol, regular and spray hand sanitiser can be particularly harsh on the skin with drying effects that can result in cracked and painful hands, especially when used as regularly as it’s meant to be. While hand sanitisers kill ALL bacteria, they also remove vital good bacteria that are there to keep us healthy and well.

2. The ingredients are natural and safe for all skin types.

Whether you have easily irritated skin or healthy, hydrated skin, this is the perfect protecting friend for you. It is made with 99% natural ingredients that are safe for all ages to use. We are transparent with all our ingredients and don’t hide anything nasty from you. Our unique formula has been tested and proven to protect you against 99.9% of bugs (including a range of household pathogens) while successfully inhibiting the growth of bacteria rapidly and effectively. It’s a skin rejuvenation system utilizing Totarol, Echinacea, Manuka, Kawakawa, Hemp, and Aloe Vera to moisturise and restore skin PH levels. The bonus is that it makes your hands smell amazing naturally. Best of all, it’s cruelty-free, vegan-friendly, alcohol-free, nasty chemical-free, and NZ-made.

The ingredients in our hand protector do include Benzyl Alcohol – which is not to be confused with regular ethyl alcohols used in the traditional sense (spirits, petrol, beer, sanitiser, etc). Benzyl Alcohol is found in plants and essential oils. It is renowned for its preservative properties when it comes to beauty products. 

3. It keeps the skin hydrated and nourished

Formulated with the help of scientists, our impressive hand protector is one that keeps your skin thriving. One spritz and a rub over the hands will make you feel like you’ve put a moisturising marvel on your skin. Proving again that our hand protector has more on its mind than just making your skin nourished. Plus, the Bioactive Totarol in this product is seven times more effective than vitamin E on the skin. Unlike hand sanitisers, our hand protector works by moisturising your skin and maintaining a healthy pH level to keep your hands free and fresh for the whole day. Another moisturising ingredient we include is the infamous aloe barbendasis leaf extract (aloe vera). Aloe vera moisturises and soothes dry or irritated skin with its amazing anti-inflammatory abilities. This super-effective ingredient can also help lessen the appearance of irritation, wrinkles, and blemishes on all skin types.

The byebyebad hand protector is all about making your hands inhabitable to bad bacteria. Both good and bad bacteria tend to latch into hands quite easily, which is why people in the medical field are constantly reapplying sanitiser. The problem is that alcohol sanitiser evaporates in less than 20 seconds and then makes hands susceptible to germs again. It also burns off a layer of your natural skin oils, and the long-term effects can be very harmful. Hence our hand protector is a great innovation to your hand care routine.

4. It’s suitable for any lifestyle and any person

Our hand protector is suitable for all lifestyles and is available in two convenient sizes. We have a pocket size 75ml bottle for anyone that travels and needs a smaller size that can fit anywhere, and a 550ml pump bottle for those who need to have a big bottle on standby for the whole family at home, or at the office. It’s a fantastic addition to the baby bag, desk drawer, school bag, car, gym bag, night-out bag, or even your morning-walk fanny pack!  Best of all, our hand protector will keep you protected from bad bacteria for a whole day and complements our byebyebad Prebiotic Hand Wash perfectly.Incorporating this product into your daily routine can ensure peace of mind when going about your life. It is the perfect protection that’s safe for skin of all ages including young children that are unpredictable as to what bacteria they will expose themselves to on a daily basis.

5. You will help the environment

By purchasing our hand protector, you’re helping us commit to our non-negotiable sustainability commitments. We save two plastic milk bottles from going to the landfill when you purchase a 550ml pump bottle of our hand protector (or any of our other 550ml pump products), and one milk bottle when purchasing a pocket sized 75ml travel spray bottle. All our packaging is made from 100% recycled milk bottles. Unlike traditional hand sanitisers which are sadly made with raw plastic and unsustainable manufacturing practices, our Hand Protector has been designed with the planet and people in mind.

When we source our hero ingredient Bioactive Totarol™, we do it the best possible way by only extracting from naturally fallen Tōtara trees. Despite the ingredient being so potent and a little going a long way,for every fallen Tōtara tree we use, we plant 500 others with the help of our friends at Trees That Count. By doing this, we continue to repopulate and protect our precious native giant. The current focus for our first 500 Tōtara trees being planted, is primarily on the Banks Peninsula in the South Island. That’s why we think it’s another one of the 5 reasons to use our hand protector instead of hand sanitiser.

FAQs

What is Bioactive Totarol?

Bioactive Totarol™ is an extract found in the New Zealand native Podocarpus Tōtara tree. These trees have been growing in New Zealand for around 100 million years. The Totarol is what has kept these trees protected for so long with its ability to defend the mighty tree from environmental factors and preserve them for centuries. This powerful antioxidizing element cancels out the damaging effects of free radicals while acting as an effective anti-inflammatory for irritated skin. While Bioactive Totarol™ is effective at creating an environment where bad bacteria cannot survive, it leaves good bacteria and microorganisms thriving on your hands. It is excellent at protecting the skin’s natural barrier against harmful environmental factors.

How does byebyebad source their Totarol?

Here at byebyebad, our parent company only extract our Totarol from either offcuts or fallen Tōtara trees. Our Bioactive Totarol™ goes through the up-to-date CO2 method, which is a patented super-critical extraction method. Firstly, the tree’s timber is found in forests across New Zealand and then chipped for transportation to the extraction plant. Secondly, the chips are pumped with supercritical CO2 into a big vat, where the extracts are dissolved and turned into a solution. Next, the solution is put through a pressure reductive valve so that the extracts precipitate from the CO2 and compile in a separator. Then the extract is compacted into a solid which is freeze-dried and pulverized into a powder. Lastly, the powder is sent off where required in protective foil bags.

What is best for travel?

While you could use traditional hand sanitiser for travel, it would be a more beneficial option to use the byebyebad pocket sized hand protector. This bad bacteria-fighting gem will keep you protected better, for longer. It’s a great addition to a traveller's pocket and can be taken in a carry-on bag when travelling by plane because the pocket-size bottle is 75mls (under the standard limit of 100mls that applies at most airports around the world). Super smart and super handy.

What happens if you don't protect your hands?

If you don’t protect your hands, you can expect germs to get into your body through areas that are penetrable such as the nose, mouth, and eyes. Once those germs get into your body, they can compromise your immune system and make you quite ill. Luckily, our hand protector can protect you against 99.99% of germs for up to 24 hours, making it a good way to keep you and your family safe from illnesses by ensuring you have safe hands when being around one another.

How long do germs live on hands? 

Germs can live on hands anywhere between seconds and hours. Generally, cold germs can remain active on your hands for up to an hour if you don’t wash them. Flu such as influenza can stick around hard surfaces for up to 48 hours, while Covid19 can stay for a couple of hours or a few days. The bacteria that cause hideous effects if they’re caught are salmonella and E. coli. Those bacteria can live for up to around 20 minutes on hands.

Is there a moisturising hand sanitiser?

While there are some moisturising hand sanitisers on the market, a more effective product is our moisturising and nourishing hand protector. This is because our product contains ingredients that boost and strengthen the skin microbiome with ingredients like Bioactive Totarol™, aloe vera leaf extract, organic cannabis sativa seed oil (better known as hemp oil), echinacea purpurea root extract, kawakawa leaf extract, calendula officinalis flower extract, sunflower seed oil, and glyceryl caprylate. These components have been specifically put together by scientists to create an effective moisturising hand protector.

Is hemp good for your hands?

Hemp has proven time and time again in clinical settings that it is an effective component for hand products because of its ability to help hydrate cracked, dry, or chapped skin. It is a great irritation soother, especially for skin conditions like eczema or other conditions that often get triggered by environmental factors. Hemp is a legal ingredient and will not give you a high like marijuana in the recreational sense. Hemp oil (or the cannabis sativa seed oil) has renowned healing properties and is starting to be used more in skin care products around the globe for potentially healing skin while providing anti-inflammatory abilities. Researchers are now finding that this amazing ingredient also has anti-aging properties.

Is alcohol free hand sanitiser safe for babies?

You could use an alcohol free hand sanitiser for babies' hands in moderation and supervision while it dries, but a better product would be our natural hand protector that’s made with 99% natural ingredients and no alcohol. Our hand protector helps to keep hands protected from all the bad while leaving all the good. It comes in eco-friendly packaging and is a sustainable product. This is one of the ways we ensure babies' hands can be protected while helping towards making our planet just a little bit more sustainable for them to enjoy in the future.

Shop natural hand protector here.