How to Treat Cuts and Scrapes Naturally

If you learn how to treat cuts and scrapes naturally, you'll be prepared for an accident in the woods while out hiking or backpacking. If you're ever away from the comforts of home and find yourself dealing with unexpected cuts and scrapes, try the following strategies:

Stop the Bleeding
Use the cleanest cloth available to apply pressure to the cut or scrape that is bleeding. Put the cleanest piece of cloth at the site of the injury, and layer additional pieces of cloth on top of the initial piece if the wound soaks through. Don't remove the cloth until you are sure the bleeding has stopped sufficiently, otherwise the wound will start bleeding again.

Look for Natural Ways to Clean the Wound
Hopefully you went hiking with a generous supply of water bottles; water is the best cleanser. Be careful not to waste water by pouring it all out over the wound at once.

In an emergency, when you feel a cut must be cleaned and you don't have clean water, urine can be used to cleanse the wound. Urine is sterile as long as the person who supplies it does not have a bladder infection.

Relieve Pain Naturally
Many hikers bring along ground cayenne pepper in case of a serious cut or wound. Sprinkling cayenne pepper actually dulls the pain of the wound, allowing you to bear the pain until you can get help.

Natural Treatments at Home
If you're not in an emergency situation, but you still want to treat your cuts and scrapes with all natural products, follow these steps:

Clean the wound. Clean the wound using mild soap and water or lavender essential oil and water. Lavender works as a natural antiseptic, so it will gently cleanse the wound and protect it from infection. Make sure you remove all dirt and gravel from the cut or scrape, but try not to rub or scrub it.
Apply a natural healing treatment. Apply a layer of one of the following natural remedies on the wound: tea tree essential oil, lavender essential oil or aloe vera fresh from the plant.
Keep the wound covered. Apply a bandage to the scrape or cut. Change the bandage, applying a new layer of your natural healing treatment each time, several times a day.
Prevent scarring by applying oil after the scab has fallen off. Once the cut has healed and the scab has fallen off, apply castor oil or vitamin E oil to the scar several times a day for the next month. The scar should lessen in visibility as time passes.