Get ready for cold season with soothing essential oils that can provide relief for those inevitable sniffles and coughs we all have to deal with during the cooler months.
Sometimes, despite our best efforts to keep our immune systems in tip-top shape and do all the things to keep colds at bay, viruses win the battle and leave us with stuffy noses, coughs and fevers.
In addition to getting plenty of rest and eating foods that support immune function, some simple home remedies can make us feel a bit better while we wait for our immune systems to repel the invaders. Below are some essential oils that may alleviate cold symptoms like congestion, runny noses and coughs.
How do essential oils address cold symptoms?
Many essential oils, including tea tree, eucalyptus, peppermint and rosemary, contain anti-inflammatory compounds that can calm tissues inflamed by cold viruses. The cooling effects of certain oils can help airways feel clearer, making it easier for us to breathe. Other essential oils sometimes recommended for cold symptom relief include fir, cypress, bitter orange and frankincense, and you’ll often find them together in oil blends targeting colds.
Lavender has anti-inflammatory properties as well, but it’s especially prized for its abilities to help promote restful sleep, so important for recovery from colds and flu.
Essential oils for colds: what’s best, and how should you use them?
As with other essential oil applications, you can use the essential oils you choose in a number of ways. Diffusing them into the air with an essential oil diffuser is one popular option. You can also inhale oils on their own or in a congestion-fighting steam, add them to a soothing bath or apply them topically after diluting them with a carrier oil.
If you’d like to diffuse essential oils into the air, you can choose from among the many different types of diffusers. You can also buy a simple aromatherapy mist and spray it as needed.
If you’d like to be able to take your soothing oils on the go with you, consider a personal diffuser, like a pendant you can wear around your neck. Taking a little sniff every so often may help make breathing easier when you feel stuffy. You can also place a few drops of essential oil on a cotton ball or tissue and keep it in a sealed plastic bag until you need it.
Other options include adding diluted essential oils to a warm bath, which can relax muscles while you inhale congestion-fighting scents. Or try a bath soak that combines epsom salts with essential oils that can help relieve congestion as well as alleviate the aches and pains that sometimes accompany colds and flu.
Another way to use essential oils for cold relief is topical application. Add a few drops of essential oils to a teaspoon of carrier oil and rub on your chest, temples, neck, or the bottoms of your feet. You can also buy pre-blended roll-ons with oils for relieving stuffy noses and coughs.
A warm compress can help soothe headaches and other discomfort. You can put a few drops of essential oil on a wet washcloth and apply to your forehead, neck, or chest for soothing relief.
Eucalyptus and peppermint for stuffy noses
Some of the go-to essential oils for nasal congestion are eucalyptus and peppermint. You can add them to a soothing facial steam or take a little sniff directly from the bottle. Place these helpful oils in a diffuser to get them in the air, or try a salve that can be dabbed under nostrils to help temporarily clear a stuffy nose.
You can also make your own congestion-busting salve that incorporates eucalyptus and peppermint or buy a prediluted oil blend for congestion with rosemary and thyme for additional anti-inflammatory relief.
Still another option to consider is a nasal spray that uses oils like oregano, tea tree, and eucalyptus to help clear airways and make breathing easier.
Quash a cough with a chest rub
The same oils that can help clear up nasal congestion can help with chest congestion as well. Try a chest rub with peppermint, eucalyptus and lavender to address cough-provoking congestion. Badger’s chest rub also contains oils such as thyme, ginger, and tea tree.
Rub a little on whenever a cough bothers you, and reapply as needed. Using a cough-soothing chest rub at bedtime can help make it easier to get the uninterrupted sleep you need to get better quicker.
Promote sleep with lavender and frankincense
Though lavender is the best known, several other essential oils are considered useful for promoting relaxation and sleep, including chamomile, frankincense, cedarwood, and clary sage.
Many essential oils, lavender and frankincense among them, also have anti-inflammatory properties that may help calm inflamed tissues and make it easier to breathe. You can combine these oils in a sleep-promoting blend or buy them pre-blended. Diffuse them while you sleep, or add them to a DIY aromatherapy pillow.
The next time a cold strikes, try some of these essential oils to relieve congestion or soothe aches and coughs. While essential oils won’t magically cure your cold, they can make its symptoms less bothersome so you can get on with your life.
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