5 Essential Oils That Can Help Cure Your Worst Cold Symptoms
Getting a cold is one of those inevitable winter rites of passage, like binge watching House of Cards the first two days of March and pretending to care about football at the end of January (okay, so maybe some of us bleed NFL colors). When you’re feeling sorta icky, but not bad enough to need to lay around in bed all day, sometimes popping a couple DayQuil can make you feel worse than your actual symptoms. What do they put in that stuff, anyway? If you’re down for some more natural relief and you’ve already tried tea, try stocking your medicine cabinet with a few bottles of essential oils for a DIY cold remedy the next time you’re feeling “eh.”
1. Congestion: First, you can’t stop with the tissues… then suddenly everything stops and you can’t breathe! To help clear your passageways, make your own chest balm. Add a few drops of peppermint or tea tree oil to some coconut oil and spread it over your chest and under your nose for instant relief.
2. Cough: Eucalyptus oil has incredibly anti-inflammatory properties that will help soothe your agitated passageways. Massage a few drops into the soles of your feet and cover with socks or add to a humidifier near your bed while you sleep!
Sore Throat
Is there anything worse than being so painfully aware of swallowing when you have a sore throat? To help ease the pain, try adding oregano oil to warm water and gargling for a minute a few times throughout the day. Oregano has incredible anti-viral properties that will help rid your body of germs quickly.
4. Fever: If you’re feeling a bit hot and bothered, pour a mixture of chamomile, tea tree and lemon oils into a lukewarm bath. The oils’ properties will promote circulation (and thus warm up your body) and a bit of (good) sweating, so you can break your fever naturally and quickly.
5. Restless sleep: Managing a cold while you’re up and awake is one thing, but trying to deal with a runny nose or cough once it’s time for bed can be a real challenge. Try mixing a few drops of lavender essential oil with water in a spray bottle and spritz over your pillow at night. The calming effects should have you off to dreamland in no time.
