I’m working on updating my herbal first aid kit. We are undertaking new to us adventures at our new property – chopping wood, building garden beds and playhouses, cutting limbs, etc. Since these activities have the potential for new injuries, I figured I should need up my first aid supplies. But I’ll post more about that later.

I have a collection of herbal oils at the ready (see photo above). The one I use the most in first aid situations is an essential oil blend we like to call Tiny Oil. I’ve used it since mine kids were babies for soothing and disinfecting scrapes, bites, and stings. You can find the recipe on the Homemade Baby Products Page. This is a great natural alternative to over the counter antibiotic ointment.

But, in pondering what else I would need in my herbal first aid kit, I was reminded not to discount some of the most basic things that I already have on hand. Primarily, using cloth as a bandage. 🤕

I encountered two instances recently for which I found cloth to be preferable to standard bandaids or bandages.

The first was a bite that I had right under my hair line that healed over on the top but still was puffy underneath. I wanted put plantain on it as well but I couldn’t put a bandaid on without pulling my hair out when it was time to take it off. Enter my cute little cloth headband. It holds the plantain in place and is fashionable at the same time. 😉

The second instance was realizing that my youngest child is very allergic to the adhesive on bandaids. 🩹I guess I don’t use them on her often. I used one to put some plantain on an old bite that she had that had gotten inflamed. Well, the bite got better, but now she has welts from the bandaid. 😞 Enter cotton baby socks. You know, all those little socks that the washing machine eats. Save them. They make excellent cloth bandages for little arms, wrists, and ankles.

Cut the cuffs off all those orphaned baby socks and add them to your first aid supplies. If you fold them over, it makes a little pocket where you can tuck loose herbs in to apply to bites, cuts, or stings.

And lastly, the best remedy I’ve used for inflamed bites and stings you probably already have in your kitchen cabinet – herbal tea bags! ☕️ I’ve used this for years on my kids and it works wonders. Apply it when it is comfortably hot directly to the skin and leave until cold. The moist heat pulls out the toxins and reduces swelling. And the cuffs of those little baby socks are great for holding tea bags, plantain, or any other herb on a little person who won’t hold still, or they work if you are a grown up as well. 😊

Stay tuned for more. I’ll be posting about my Herbal First Aid kit as it comes together.