Be Prepared For Anything With This Chemical-Free First Aid Kit

First aid kits are meant to benefit our health and well being by solving immediate concerns such as cuts, burns, bruises or scrapes. But if you have concerns regarding the toxic ingredients in first aid kits, such as those found in alcohols or on cleansing swabs, a natural first aid kit can provide your family with the same care, minus the toxic ingredients.

There are only two downsides to this first aid kit: firstly, you might have to replenish some of the items yearly. Some of the ingredients are right from mother nature, and thus have a shorter shelf life than artificial alternatives. This seems like a pretty small price to pay in order to keep your family chemical-free.

The second downside, which may not be a downside at all if you have the time to spare, is that this is not something you can readily purchase at the store. You will have to put everything together on your own. Luckily, it does not take long to make, and when you make it once, all you’ll have to worry about is replenishing it once every year.

Aloe Vera Gel

Uses: Soothes and heals burned, bitten or otherwise injured skin.

In a perfect world, we could all walk around with a fresh aloe vera leaf, its cooling gel ready to be used at a moments notice. But the shelf life of most plants does not make this very practical. A store bought aloe vera gel will work just fine. Just make sure you read the ingredients on the gel to ensure no harmful additives were added to it for cosmetic or preservative purposes.

Bandages, Gauze, Scissors, Tape, Thermometer, Cotton Balls

Uses: Keeps wounds clean and free of contamination.

Natural first aid kit or not, these products are essential to every first aid kit to monitor health, close up wounds, stop bleeding and shield the affected area from harmful bacteria.

Cayenne Pepper

Uses: Stops bleeding.

Dump a little pile of this helpful seasoning on your wound before you wrap it up. It doesn’t burn or sting too much, and can even stop the bleeding from deep kitchen cuts.

Epsom Salts and a Bottle of Water

Uses: Soaks wounds, treats poison ivy/oak.

Campers in particular can benefit from this natural first-aid kit addition. Mix the salts with water to form a paste when using epsom salts to treat poison ivy/oak.

Ginger Chews or Crystallized Ginger

Uses: Helps with nausea, motion sickness and morning sickness.

Avoid medicinal products with potentially harmful ingredients and chew on something natural to cure nauseous feelings.

Homemade Black Salve

Uses: Absorbs toxins, soothes bites and stings.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons of bee’s wax

3 tablespoons of cocoa butter
3 tablespoons of Shea butter
2 tablespoons of jojoba oil

1 tablespoon of vitamin E
1 tablespoon of honey powder
2 tablespoons of activated charcoal powder (sounds dangerous but it’s not!)

3 tablespoons of rhassoul clay
Herbal extracts, essential oils (optional)
You will also need 8 ½ ounce clear jars.

Directions

Put Beeswax, cocoa butter and Shea butter in a small pot and heat it on medium high until it is melted. Turn off the burner and let it sit for 15 minutes.
Add the rest of the ingredients and stir until well blended. You can find activated charcoal in your local health food store or herbal medicine store.
Feel free to add any relevant herbal extracts to the formula just before you spoon it in. Make sure it is very cooled off before adding any extracts, essential oils, or fragrance.

Once it is smooth, spoon into 1/2 ounce jars. Give a jar to everyone you know. They will thank you for it!

If you’re not in the homemade mood, a simple mixture of water and baking soda is a quicker and cheaper alternative to the salve listed above.

Neem Oil

Uses: Reduces pain, kills bacteria that causes infection, reduces scarring, repels insects.

This oil is a must-have component because of its effective versatility. Many people complain about how strong the odor is. You can mix neem oil with other oils such as tea tree oil, (which has antifungal and antimicrobial properties on its own,) to combat the smell.

Raw Honey

Uses: Sterilizes wounds kills off bacteria.

Honey is a natural antibiotic that should be applied to an open wound. A small lip-gloss style container is all you really need.

Tweezers

Uses: dislodging tiny objects from under the skin i.e. splinters.

Vinegar

Uses: Cleans infections.

Vinegar is a cheap, convenient antibacterial substance to have in a natural first-aid kit. You probably already have a jug of this useful stuff at home. Fill a small squirt bottle with vinegar for easy application.