Homemade First Aid: Patch Up Common Ailments in a Pinch

It's the middle of the night, you child comes stumbling into your room scratching like crazy. You riffle through your medicine cabinet, but no one in the family has had a rash for a while so you are fresh out of cortaid and calamine. Its happened to all of us, the midnight run to the all night pharmacy, but with the right knowledge it can be avoided. Often, we have just what is needed to tame that rash or heal that boo boo right under are noses.

Baking Soda

Okay we all have baking soda in our kitchen, either taking the stink out of our freezer or sitting in the back of the cabinet from our last round of cookie baking. Baking soda is a time honored item that many have used for a multitude of ailments for eons. Mixed with water into a thick paste baking soda sooths itchy rashes rather quickly. People have used this little trick for all sorts of ailments from Poison Ivy to Chicken Pox. You can also make a thinner mixture of baking soda and water for treatment of bee stings and other insect bites. Obviously, you want to keep an eye out for a more serious reaction to bee stings, but this solution works well for normal reactions.

Oatmeal

No need to go out and purchase those pricey envelopes of oatmeal bath, pour a cup of good old fashion oatmeal in a tub of warm water and you have the same result. Making a homemade oatmeal bath is great for relieving the sting of a bad sunburn. Soak in the bath for about 20 minutes and then when you get out of the tub make certain to leave a light layer of the oatmeal on your skin. This will help to relieve any itchiness or sting your still experiencing. Oatmeal baths also work well for soothing rashes caused by hives, Poison Ivy and illness.

Lemon Juice