DIY Travel First Aid Kit + Homemade Hand Sanitizer

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Do you all remember that commercial where the parents are watching a clumsy kid grow up? Each scene shows the parent saying things like “he’ll never make it to 5” and so on each time the boy reaches a new age? Sometimes I feel like that with my Emma. I was clumsy as a kid, but Lord above, she has me beat by leaps and bounds. As a result, I never leave my house without a first aid kit. It used to be filled with chemical based first aid creams and all of that jazz, but when we figured out in 2015 that I am sensitive to the majority of chemicals that we all use in our daily lives, I needed to turn to more natural options so that I wouldn’t be coming into contact with those chemicals. This DIY travel first aid kit with essential oils is the product of that.

What I like best about this idea (and what I’m sure you will too) is that it really can be customized to what your needs are. My daughter is clumsy so I prefer to keep it filled with things that will heal cuts and scrapes, essential oils that soothe bug bites, things to relieve minor burns (like a sun burn) and so on. If you or your kids aren’t as clumsy as my family is, you can easily swap out what I use for what you need. The possibilities are really endless when it comes to making these your own.

Travel First Aid Kit with Essential Oils

Because of their size, these are not only awesome for your purse, but they are awesome in your car glove box (although extreme heat or cold will make the essential oils in your travel first aid kit lose their potency) and they are perfect for your 72 hour emergency bags. Since they’re fairly budget friendly to put together, you can do one for each bag without going broke. As for which brand of essential oils to use, you can use any brand that you prefer. I personally love to use Plant Therapy essential oils. I’ve used the more expensive ones and they’re just as good if not better. I absolutely adore their quality and they’re super budget friendly so it just makes sense to me.

You will need a few supplies to make your own DIY travel first aid kit. They’re not horribly expensive to buy so don’t be too worried. Most of the supplies you can actually buy in multiples so you’ll be able to make several kits with one purchase. When we first made them we did one for my purse, one for our car and one each for our emergency bags. Since we had bought supplies in counts of six, we have enough left over to make one more kit if we would ever need. This list might seem scary but it really isn’t. It will make blends for homemade bug bite relief, homemade cut and scrape relief, homemade burn relief and more.

You will need:

A small divided box – Any small box that has dividers will work.
2 ml essential oil drams
Essential oil spray bottle
Cosmetic bag
Essential Oil Funnels
Parchment paper or small plastic Ziploc type bags
Gauze pads, cotton balls or cotton swabs
Bandages in different sizes

To start, you’ll need to fill your essential oil dram bottles with each blend that you want to make. I will include the ones that we use below the “how to” along with the recipe for homemade hand sanitizing spray and the other essential oil blends that we have in ours. Fill each bottle with the essential oils required for each blend and then top off with fractionated coconut oil. Be sure that you label each one very clearly so that you don’t get them mixed up. I print out the blend name on the computer then use clear packing tape to cover it. It gives it a laminated quality and protects the label from water or in case one of your blend leaks. Also, you can totally do these blends in an essential oil roller bottles if you would prefer. I like to use the drams because they fit in my box a bit better.

Next, take the zippered baggies or your parchment paper and wrap up any medications you want to include in your kit. This can be anything from prescription medicines that you take to Tylenol or Ibuprofen. Since I have an issue with chemicals, I keep tart cherry tablets in ours for pain since tart cherry is a natural Tylenol PM. Wrap them up in the parchment paper making sure to twist the ends and seal with a small rubber band to keep things nice and tidy or put a dose or two in your zippered bags. Make absolutely certain that you label them very well so that you know exactly what you’re putting into them. I also keep two pieces of hard candy in each of ours since I am diabetic and my sugar has been known to bottom out.

Once you’ve got your essential oil blends made, put the bottles into your first aid box. The small box will keep them from bouncing around against each other. Add the first aid box to the makeup bag then finish your kit with the bottle of homemade hand sanitizing spray, bandages and more. Toss the entire makeup bag in your purse or wherever it will be kept and you’re good to go!

Below you’ll find the essential oil blends that we use in our own first aid kits. Make sure that you absolutely include the vitamin E oil. It acts as a preservative to your blends giving them a longer shelf life.

Homemade Hand Sanitizer Recipe

10 drops Tea Tree Essential Oil
5-10 drops Lemon Essential Oil
5-10 drops Four Thieves Blend Essential Oil
1/8 teaspoon Vitamin E Oil
Witch Hazel

Combine the essential oils and vitamin E oil in your spray bottle. Top off with witch hazel. To use: spray onto your hands then rub to cover your entire hands. Air dry. If you want to make this into an actual gel like the ones that you buy at the store, use an essential oils lotion bottle and add aloe vera gel until you get the consistency that you want. How much you add will depend on your own personal preference.

Homemade Bug Bite Relief Essential Oil Blend

This particular recipe will make several 2 ml essential oil drams. Keep that in mind if you’re only needing a smaller amount.

Add the essential oils to a bottle then the Vitamin E oil. Top off with fractionated coconut oil and give a quick shake to mix. Fill 2 ml drams with your blend. To use, add a drop or two onto a bug bite. Let air dry.

Homemade Cut and Scrape Soothing Spray

15 – 20 drops Lavender Essential Oil
10 drops Frankincense Essential Oil
10 drops Tea Tree Oil
1/8 teaspoon Vitamin E Oil
Fractionated Coconut Oil

Add the essential oils to a bottle then the Vitamin E oil. Top off with fractionated coconut oil and give a quick shake to mix. Fill essential oil drams. To use, spread onto cut or scrape with a cotton ball or swab. Let air dry then cover with a bandage if needed.