Natural First Aid Kit and Homemade Toothpaste (And Fire Ant Rescue Salve...)

Now that's an odd title... But, interestingly enough, it's true!

I've been eager to write this article but I couldn't remember the exact recipe for my toothpaste, which I wanted to share with you, so I had to make another one up and make sure I got it right.

We took a family vacation to Myrtle Beach the last week in July and drove down in two days.  We had an awesome time - the boys loved the beach, we got some good quality family time in, everyone did great in the car, and we got to tour a really neat cave on our way back.  As for personal experiences, I was pretty tickled with the fact that this was quite possibly the only vacation I came back from that I didn't weigh more than I did when I left.  I packed coolers with lots of healthy foods (turkey, lettuce for wraps, pickles, carrots with homemade ranch dip, fresh cherries, etc.) and we stopped at rest areas to eat lunch on our way there.  This also helped us save money too since we didn't have to eat at so many restaurants.  I also skipped breakfast on some days to help prevent me from consuming too many calories on days that I knew weren't going to be as healthy, and I did notice I felt pretty good those days.  Check out my last article about Intermittent Fasting for more information on that.

Before we left I packed my natural first aid kit.  The only item from a typical Western pharmacopeia was ibuprofen, which we fortunately did not need.  I tried to think of everything we might need as far as common ailments go, and I think I did pretty well.

Natural First Aid Kit

I know I've written about this before but I've added to it and changed some things.  Here's my original post about a traveling first aid kit, but now that I'm no longer with Young Living I've changed a few things (there were a few YL oils in the first one).  Here's what I brought on this vacation:

Olive Leaf Extract: It's a preventive measure, it strengthens the immune system to help fight off something you may have already caught or are dealing with, the health benefits are endless.  This is our go-to whenever we come down with something.

Papaya Enzyme: Great for indigestion and settling an upset stomach.  They're chewable, taste waaaaay better than Tums, and are safer for you too.  Harlee loves them, we call them "tummy candy".

Arnica 30X or 200C: Homeopathic remedy for muscle aches and pains.  Definitely necessary if someone falls or hurts themselves.

Ipecacuanha 30X: Homeopathic remedy for nausea and vomiting.  Don’t wanna be doing that on vacation!  Settles the stomach and keeps ya going!

Nux Vomica 30X: Another homeopathic remedy for stomach upset, especially from overeating.  We all know that happens on vacation.

Chamomilla 30X: A very calming homeopathic remedy.  I wasn't sure how the boys, especially Elliot, would adjust to sleeping in a new environment and being away from home so this was good to have on hand.  Luckily we didn't need it.

Homeopathic Eardrops and Eyedrops

Coconut Oil: To mix with the EOs listed below:

Lavender EO: Still one of my favorite essential oils due to its versatility.  Calming and soothing to the nerves to help with sleep, very healing for bumps and bruises or burns, can work as a bug repellant, and takes the itch out of bug bites.  It's also a natural antihistamine, so it's great for allergies too!

Tea Tree EO: This is a great disinfectant while being safe for kids (most EOs are not safe for little kids, please be aware of that).  So it's my go-to for wound cleaning and healing.

Peppermint EO: In case Mom or Dad get indigestion.  Peppermint is not safe for little kids, we use papaya tablets if Harlee gets a tummy ache, or a homeopathic remedy for Elliot.

Germ Fighter EO blend (Plant Therapy, it's equivalent to Thieves or OnGuard): A powerful immune system booster and helps ward off illness.  Not safe for kids, though if we're dealing with something severe I'll dilute it with a good amount of coconut oil and put it on their feet or back.  It helps, but I only use it sparingly and usually as a last resort.  It's got some powerful oils in it and should be used with caution.

Aloe Vera Gel: For sunburns

Natural Sunscreen: I used Blue Lizard, and I'll probably write about sunscreen one of these days, as the conventional stuff just isn't good for you and could potentially cause you just as much skin cancer as too much sun exposure could.

And Homemade Toothpaste.  Which would originally have been put in a personal care category but it made it to the natural first aid kit list because it pretty much saved the day.

Homemade Toothpaste

First of all, why did I make my own toothpaste?  Well, I've decided it's best to save the answer to this for the next post, because it's a topic in and of itself covering a lot of different areas from fluoride to plastic to carcinogenic (cancer-causing) substances.  Lots of stuff I don't want in my mouth, or in my family's.

Please take the time to read that post when I get it published.

Homemade toothpaste is pretty easy to make!

Here's my recipe:

1/4 cup coconut oil (I used refined because I don't really care for the flavor of coconut in toothpaste)
1 tbsp baking soda
1/2 tsp Bentonite clay
1/4 tsp colloidal silver
1 packet stevia powder
~5 drops of pure spearmint essential oil (I don't get caught up in the hype of the multi-level marketing EO companies.  Young Living and DoTerra are just fine, but I'm happy going the more inexpensive route and ordering from Plant Therapy.  Mountain Rose Herbs is another company I've heard good things about too, but there are plenty more out there to choose from.  Keep an open mind when it comes to EOs!)

I mix all that together in a small mason jar and either dip into it with my brush or use a pallet knife (or Elliot's spoon) to scoop some on.  I love how clean my teeth feel when I use it too - it's fabulous!

What's the Bentonite clay for?  Well, it's a mild abrasive, so it's great for scrubbing the teeth and gums and whitening teeth, but it's also a very absorbent clay.  It has the ability to attract and absorb toxins in the body, including fluoride and heavy metals, and allow them to either pass through the digestive system if you take it internally (look for calcium bentonite clay for that purpose).  I'll fill you in on the benefits of taking bentonite clay internally in a later post.  But absorbing toxins in the mouth is definitely a good thing!

And what about the colloidal silver?  Bacteria can't live on silver, and silver in turn kills bacteria it comes in contact with.  Ever heard of Norwex cleaning supplies?  Their cloths and products have silver woven into the fibers, which allows you to clean contaminated surfaces just with water, no chemicals!  It's great to use as a natural antibiotic when you're sick, and I definitely like adding it to my toothpaste both to keep bacteria from living in it, and to kill the bacteria in my mouth.  Win-win!

Why is this in my first aid kit?

So on our second day of travel, we stopped at a rest area in South Carolina for lunch.  Harlee wanted to try to climb a tree, and just as he stepped at the base of the tree, he started SCREAMING.  It was awful, but we couldn't figure out what the problem was.  Justin picked him up and we immediately both saw quite a few ants all over his foot.  We both started brushing and swatting them away, all the while Harlee was clearly in a lot of pain (he wouldn't stop screaming and we were attracting a lot of attention from passers-by).  Luckily I had Elliot strapped in his stroller so I didn't have to worry about him wandering off.  I carried Harlee back to the car where I fortunately had my first aid kit in an easily accessible location.  He was still crying quite a bit, but had at least calmed down enough for me to figure out what to do.  I asked him what the pain felt like, if it was a burning pain or stinging pain, and he said it burned.  I was thinking all along that I was pretty sure these were fire ants.  I immediately put a few drops of lavender and tea tree oil on his foot with some coconut oil.  Lavender is good for burns and insect bites, and it's also very healing.  Tea tree is disinfectant, so I put that on there to be safe.  I also rubbed some aloe gel on his foot as well, just in case that helped with the burning.  He was still crying, but he said it was starting to feel a little better.  But I guess another burst of pain kicked in because he started screaming and kicking again, and that's when I saw my homemade toothpaste.  A lightbulb went off - it's got everything in it!  The coconut oil is healing and soothing, the baking soda is neutralizing for stings and burns, and the bentonite clay draws out toxins.  I started slathering it on his foot like it was going out of style, and that's when he finally relaxed.

After rubbing some oils on, before my lightbulb moment

I got him buckled into his car seat, transferred the first aid kit to the front seat with me, Justin had already buckled Elliot in and ready to go, and we hit the road.  Harlee did start complaining that it was burning again about five minutes or so down the road, so I slathered on some more toothpaste and a little lavender oil, and he relaxed again.

Left: you can see the bumps have gone down.  Right: Slathered with toothpaste

He fell asleep, and when he woke up he said it didn't hurt anymore, and he never mentioned it again for the rest of the trip.  I did look up information about fire ants, and I'm pretty much 99.9% certain that's what got him.  They're pretty prevalent in the south east, they attack anything that steps on their nest, and they don't stop stinging until you get them off of you.  The pain burns too, like he described.  Ugh, poor Harlee...

The next day at the hotel - bumps are still there, but he said they didn't hurt!

Apis is now added to my first aid kit, which is a homeopathic remedy for stings and swelling, and the toothpaste is coming with me anytime we travel from now on, not just for oral hygiene, but for any potential cases like that fire ant attack too!  Hopefully we never need it again, but thank goodness it was there.  And thank goodness I thought to use it!