Home Remedies for Cold Sores
Finding painful, bubble-like, fluid-filled red blisters in the region of the nose, lips and outer edges of the mouth can be unsettling, because you know these aren’t your everyday pimples. What may actually come as a shocker is these blisters, called cold sores, are caused by the most contagious strain of herpes, which attacks the body when it’s at its weakest!
Causes of cold sores
Cold or flue, fevers, stress, fatigue, injury to the lips, menstruation or even deficiency of calcium can weaken the body’s immune system and make it vulnerable to the attack of herpes simplex virus type 1 and type 2. These conditions actually cause a reactivation of the virus already living in the body.
Preventing cold sores
To avoid getting saddled with cold sores, it’s best to adhere to certain preventive measures. Let’s see what they are:
a. Avoid acidic or salty foods and foods rich in arginine, like chocolate, peanuts and other nuts, grains, peas, seeds, oatmeal and whole-wheat products. Also, limit your coffee.
b. Never use the same cups, plates, towels, razors, utensils and the like, with those suffering from cold sores. Also avoid skin-to-skin contact with them.
c. Kissing and having sex with someone with cold sores or genital herpes will make you vulnerable to it.
d. Dab your lips and other susceptible areas with a sunscreen of at least 15 SPF to prevent the occurrence of cold sores.
e. If you do get it, don’t touch the affected part and, if you do happen to touch it, wash your hands thoroughly. Also, replace your toothbrush after an attack.
Home remedies for cold sore
Cold sores usually remain for 10 to 14 days, but if they remain for more than two weeks or occur frequently, your condition will require medical attention. Although, several over-the-counter cold sore medication are available, all have side effects. However, if you want to avoid these side effects, there is no better way than to try out the home remedies for cold sores. Let’s see what these are:
a. Ice:
Applying ice to the affected area will check further development of cold sores.
b. Tea bags:
An effective remedy is to apply tea bags to the affected area. This facilitates the tannic acid in the tea to act against the virus and prevent its further development. Another effective method is to press a warm tea bag on the cold sore. A five-day application will make the sores disappear.
c. Coconut oil concoction:
Coconut oil mixed with Dettol and Carbolic acid can be used topically to get rid of cold sores. This concoction can be bottled and kept for years.
d. Witch hazel:
The astringent contained in witch hazel is effective against cold sores.
e. Common salt:
If powered common salt is applied to the affected area by a moistened index finger, it’ll make cold sores disappear in two to three days.
g. Aloe vera:
Rubbing aloe juice or aloe gel on cold sores is effective in curing cold sores.
h. Herbs:
Herbs like herbal sage, tea tree oil and the herbal sedative violet have been used as treatments for cold sores. Sage leaf tea with a small ginger root piece or ginger powder is effective against this condition.
i. Lemon balm extract:
This may reduce cold sore symptoms and speed up the healing.
Cold sores need to be taken seriously, since they’re caused by the highly contagious herpes virus. Although, there are many prescription drugs available, home remedies for cold sores are tested and true. However, consult your physician in what you can or cannot use.
Corn starch paste
Men’s after-shave.
WHEN YOU FEEL THAT FIRST LITTE BURNING SENSATION - AND YOU SEE A TINY RED DOT, TAKE Q-TIP AND PUT THE TIPPY-TIP INTO BLEACH. TOUCH ONLY THE COLD CORE AREA. YOUR COLD SORE WILL DISAPPEAR SHORTLY AND NOT COME OUT. BECAREFUL NOT TO BURN YOURSELF - I MADE THAT MISTAKE A FEW TIMES UNTIL I GOT THE KNACK OF IT. ONLY USE THE VERY TIP OF THE Q-TIP AND TOUCH JUST THE INFECTED AREA.
Abreva. This has been the cure for me. The moment I feel that little sore bud under the skin at my lip region, I begin a regimine of “A dab each hour will kill the power”. I’ve been using this medicine (found in any drug store) for a long time. I do not get the dreaded double, tripple and eventually quadruple headed lip explosions I used to get as a kid. Stress is the trigger for me. When I’m least prepared for lifes little detours I can be sure to have a visit from the simplex sired in hell. I have the little tubes (Comes in a small blue box with yellow trade symbols) everywhere. I carry one in the laptop bag, one in my locker at work, three strategically place throughout the house and another in the car as well as the camper. I’d rather be missing a foot for the duration I have to display what the ignorant public believes it’s a sign of an STD. I’ve had ‘em since before I was taught the difference between man and woman.
I use Vick’s Vapor Rub. Just put a touch of Vick’s on the sore three to four times a day and it will soon disappear.
Use Ice. My cold sore had just started, and it felt hot and sore so I tried ice just to sooth it. The next morning i discovered that the cold sore had stopped developing!!!
ICE!! Ice is amazing! I felt the cold sore coming so I put medicine on it all day. All it did was get bigger. The second day, right before bed, I put ice on it. In two ice cubes it went down very a lot. By morning it was hard to see.
I was told by my Uncle that back in the days, when they used to get cold sores they would ptu ear wax on it. I then tried that, the cold sore begin to get hard like a scab and it dried up within two days.
Anbesol, ice and nail polish remover. First wipe all moisture and pus off the cold sore. Wrap a piece of ice in a napkin and hold on the cold sore for 3 or 4 minutes. Then wipe all moisture off again. Dip the end of a q-tip in nail polish remover. Hold the q-tip on the sore for about 5 minutes. This will sting….ALOT! But just bear with it, this works, I promise. After you are done with the NPR, let the area dry for about ten mins, then put a little bit of anbesol on it. Repeat once an hour for about 5 hours a day. (or as much as you are able) in two days, the sore will be pretty much be gone! Just a little red dot will be where your huge cold sore was before. Good Luck!!
Kristen
This will sound really weird but the crystals that you can get from health food shops that people use as deodorant, well those crystals (smaller bits obviously) get rid of cold sores, you just wet the crystal and rub it on the cold sore, it dries it up really quickly cause of all the salts in it. It worked really well for me, I was skeptical as well when my mum bought it home for me but it really does work!
Put nail polish remover on the cold sore. It really works, mine went away in just two days!
Hand sanitizer works; it burns but it will dry it up in a couple of days.
Rubbing alcohol … put it only on the affected area! It works very good!
Nail polish works and ice and Carmex. I know this sounds gross but deodorant.
My son has been getting cold sores for years. We have always used Carmex. However his cold sores are getting worse and more painful the older he gets. I’m going to try the ice and see if that works. If you know of anything that is natural or safe for children please share.
before going to bed just have some toothpaste overit you will find it dry the next morning and stoped from developing trust me.
Do not try agent like Bleach. This is household agent and it CAN BURN YOUR SKIN RIGHT TRU !!!!!
DO THE SAFE METHOD–GO SEE DOCTOR !!!!
Whatever you used on the cold sores,YOU ARE ONLY SOLVING THE SYMPTOM !! BUT NOT THE ROOT CAUSE !! EVEN DRUGS ARE NOT EFFECTIVE !!!
Take ALPHA LIPID—COLOSTRUM WHICH IS VERY EFFECTIVE TO KILL THE HERPES SIMPLEX VIRUS !!!CAN USE IT AS A PASTE ON THE LIP OF THE COLD SORES !!!!
YOU CAN BUY FROM A COMPANY CALLED NEW IMAGE IN Singapore. Call operator 100 to give you the exact telephone number and the location.
Ice is brillant…!!! I had a cold sore for two days and I had no idea what to do and was afraid to leave the house, it was so bad…but then I put some ice on it and the pain went away. I let the whole lump dissolve, and used more ice every few hours. The cold sore has greatly decreased and it isn’t very noticeable, and I have only been using ice for a little over a day. I’m hoping it will be gone in another two days!
USE ICE!!!
use mens after shave because it drys it out and it just goes inyo a scab and then goes
I would always use the product called Releev its like $17.00 a bottle and the bottle is quite small but if you notice any tingling or bumps forming put it on right away and it shouldnt show up! However now that i am pregnant it is not recomended that pregnant women use it because it has not been tested on animals nor pregnant women. So i am hoping to try the ice and the salt thing. I havent had a flare up in over two years because of Releev but being pregnant brings down the immune system even more. Abreva is said to be ok but that stuff never worked for me. good luck and wish me luck!
just so everyone knows, i just tried the ice thing i held a cube on my lip until it was almost melted away ((very cold but worth it)) now my blister is smaller, less painful and i honestly can barley feel it! Give this a try before using any thing else, besides its free and in about 20mins im going to do it again until bed, i want this nasty thing gone by morning!
rubbing alcohol..it really does work..
Korners Cold sore Remedy and ice together. When i get that numb thingling sensation I put korners on and then ice, it seriously helps. I use to have a cold sore once a month and i haven’t had one in like 5 to 6 months. Korners is cheaper then abreava and it works way better. I think Abreava isn’t as good as it says it is. It works but not so effective. Korners is the way to go.
white vinegar. it stings but it dries it out 3x a day or more 2 days almost gone
Things to NOT do.
1. never touch it because when you do the virus is on your fingers infecting wherever you touch be sure to wash your hands!!
2.I tried acne treatment all it did was turn into discusting scabs and when i smiled it oozed contagious puss like things all around causing the sore to wrosen and get bigger
3.try to keep away from the sun although it may dry it out it causes it to reden and irritate the skin making it hard to do everyday things such as smile and as i said before smiling is the last thing you want to do if it dries out.
4.I was told that bandaids worked…mainly i used them to cover it up but it softened the sore making it harder to heal so it just stayed around.
5.I went to the dentist for teeth cleaning and told them about it and how its been going on for a while. i trusted them when they said “digging out the core would work” no it hurt like hell mad the sore huge and by irritating the core of the sore it mad eit swell massivley.
like many of you i’ve been going through the painfull humiliating battle of cold sores now for about 3 months i go to highschool so its difficult to hide it from everybody if theres anything that anyone knows to get rid of it very soon please let me know thanks! keep posting!!!
Preperation H the creamy kind not the greasy one. It works great and will go away in just a couple of days.
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