They are nasty. And guess who has had the pleasure of getting them periodically since birth. Yes, I know, it’s terrible. But after many failed attempts at different products and recommended remedies, the good news is that I can share with you what works out of all the “stuff” that’s out there.
First, though, let’s understand what exactly a cold sore is and what causes it. A cold sore is a painful blister around your mouth that gathers pus and can easily spread. You might also know it as a fever blister or the herpes simplex virus (this virus is contagious). They are annoying, they hurt, and they don’t look good.
If you look online, they’ll tell you that the cause of cold sores is a virus. Well thank you, that sure helped me a lot. I’m not any closer to understanding how to deal with these sores. Since the virus is contagious, you shouldn’t be kissing anyone who has a cold sore unless you want one too. They say that the virus isn’t curable, but I guess you never know. I like to avoid using finalizing words. But for now, what if you already have the virus? What do you do?
Work on preventing the cold sores from forming. I noticed that I easily catch cold sores if I am cold (you get the shivers), stressed, or especially when I sweat and then cool down quickly. For example, the other day I was running errands outside with just a sweatshirt on. I definitely should have been wearing a coat because it’s very cold right now. I shivered a couple of times and wasn’t my warmest. Then, I was walking barefoot on the cold tile in my house later that evening. Sure enough, in the morning I had a cold sore. This is just an example of things that can trigger the virus to appear. It can be different for anybody.
There are two steps to quickly healing a cold sore. (And by quick I mean in just a few hours if you catch it in the beginning stages.) You need to burn the sore and nourish your lip. The cold-sore from the above experience was gone in a few hours but I had the scab for a few days.
Before we go on, you should know by now that I don’t post anything on this website unless I have tried it myself and have had experience with it. I consider myself an expert in cold sores. I’ve lost count of how many I’ve gotten since I was a child and it was only in the past year or so that I have been able to pinpoint what works.
- Oregano Oil
- Swedish Bitters
- Elderberry Syrup
- this First Aid Cream
As I already mentioned, you want to burn the cold sore and then hydrate your lip. The reason is that this sore is contagious. So if you get the pus anywhere else, you will most likely spread it. Burning the sore will cause it to drain and scab over. Nourishing the sore means hydrating it and keeping it from cracking and bleeding.
Swedish Bitters is the most effective way to burn your cold sore unless you are very brave and use the oregano oil. The oregano oil has a much stronger burning sensation than Swedish Bitters, and I still recommend Swedish Bitters because I have had more experience with it. This tincture sucks the pus out and quickly creates a scab. Next, I like to rub elderberry syrup on it. Sound weird? It works! I don’t completely understand why, but placing elderberry syrup directly on the “wound” seems to speed up the healing process. Lastly, after you wash off the elderberry syrup, rub the cold sore with the First Aid Cream. I prefer this cream because it numbs and readily hydrates any cut.
Well. There you have it! I hope my downpour of information and experience will help you deal with your bout of cold sores. If they are not avoidable, we can at least learn to quickly and efficiently deal with them.
Let me know what works for you or if you’ve tried the same things or something different. I’m interested to know!
