Physiological serum is a saline solution composed of water and salt. In order for this product to be considered physiological, and not simply water with salt, it must contain 9 grams of sodium chloride (salt) per liter of water.
In this way, it can be applied without risk or stinging problems on eyes, mucous membranes or wounds. Are you going through a cold and nasal congestion does not let you live a normal life? Do you need to clean your baby's legañas with a soft and harmless product? In this article we teach you how to make homemade saline step by step. Notes!
What is physiological serum for?
Saline is used by health professionals for rapid rehydration of the body intravenously, but do you know the uses you can give to the physiological serum in your day to day? Do not lose detail of the main domestic applications and uses of physiological serum.
Nasal physiological serum
Using the physiological serum for babies is effective in relieving congestion for the little ones, since it does not cause irritation or stinging. Mucus builds up in the nose and makes it difficult to breathe, since babies only breathe through the nose until 6 months. The physiological serum not only serves to remove mucus and clear the nose, but also moisturizes the mucous membranes thus reducing dryness and helping them breathe better.
Physiological serum for the eyes
This solution can be applied to the eyes without fear of it being spit out and is perfect for eye cleaning. If you have conjunctivitis problems, apply saline to clean your eye before proceeding with treatment. The serum is also indicated to clean the area in newborns when it is difficult for them to open them well or they may feel discomfort from the lagañas or dry tears.
Has something ever entered your eye and started rubbing them to try to get rid of the foreign body? It is common to do so and the rubbing movement with your hands may cause more damage to the eye than what was bothering you. In these cases, you can also apply physiological serum to clean.
Physiological serum for cleaning wounds
If you have a wound or burn, before disinfecting it you can use saline to clean the wound of dust or dirt residues. We recommend cleaning the wounds with gentle movements and from the inside out to remove as much dirt as possible from the injured area.
How to make physiological serum at home – step by step
Do you know how to make homemade serum at home with just 3 steps? The preparation is very simple and you only need:
- 550 milliliters of clean water
- 4.5 grams of salt
- 1 pot with lid
- 1 airtight container
Before starting with the preparation, it is necessary that you sterilize the container where you will store the serum. Find out how to sterilize canisters by clicking on the link. You will see how simple it is to make your own physiological serum at home, take note!
- Heat 550 milliliters of tap water in a pot and bring it to a boil. If your tap water isn't clean, you can use drinking water, but try using one with the lowest concentration of minerals possible.
- Add 4.5 grams of table salt (the one you use for cooking) to the water and stir until dissolved in the water.
- Remove from heat and, without letting it cool, pour the solution into a container that can be tightly closed.
This solution should remain closed when not in use and should be used as fresh as possible (between 24 and 48 hours). As a recommendation, in oneHOWTO we advise you to use this homemade solution only to perform nasal rinses. The reason for this is that tap water can contain impurities such as lime or chlorine and is not entirely sterile, so we suggest you do not use this solution to clean open wounds or to apply to the eyes.
If you are looking to prepare homemade oral serum for hydration or to relieve digestive problems, you will only need to add a little sugar and lemon juice. Discover in our article How to prepare homemade oral serum all the steps you need to get it.
How to put a physiological serum
The most frequent question among new parents is how to apply the physiological serum to babies. We tell you not only how to do nasal washes, but how to wash your little one's eyes and how to proceed in washing wounds and burns with physiological serum. Read!
Nasal washes
To do the nasal wash to babies or children you will need physiological serum in single doses (if it is a large bottle, you need a syringe to remove the product and be able to apply it with some pressure in the hole) and a knob or nasal aspirator. The correct way to apply saline to remove mucus is as follows:
- Depending on whether you will apply it to yourself or someone else, lie down or lie the child on one side and apply saline to the nostril.
- Repeat the operation on the other side and incorporate or incorporate it immediately to expel the mucus.
- If it's a baby, this is the time when you can use the knob or nasal aspirator gently to help with mucus expulsion.
It is advisable not to abuse utensils for cleaning the nose, such as the knob and vacuum cleaner. It is preferable to leave it alone for when the baby is congested and never use more than twice a day so as not to cause irritation. On the contrary, serum washes can be applied frequently since they are harmless to the baby.
When to perform nasal washes? In we advise you to do them after bathing, since the baby is more relaxed and the nasal mucosa is also more hydrated. Another good time to do it is before eating since, by decongesting the area, the intake of food is facilitated and your baby will eat better.
Find other techniques to clear the nose of your little ones in our article How to decongest the nose in children.
Eye washes
If your baby has woken up with eyes full of dried tears and tears, you can clean the area with saline and gauze. To treat an area as delicate as the eyes, we need a sterile product, therefore, we recommend using serum in single doses, since you only use what you need and the product is not open. The cleaning procedure is as follows:
- Wash your hands.
- Apply a few drops of saline around the eye to soften the legañas.
- Take a clean gauze and rub gently around the eye to gradually remove the remains.
Clean wounds
For cleaning wounds or burns, you need to apply physiological serum on the wound and gently clean with sterile gauze. You should make gentle movements, not friction, and clean from the inside out.
