Cold Sore Survival Kit!

I am one of the unlucky few who suffer from cold sores, or oral herpes. My Mom always feels bad because she caught her mom (my Oma) kissing me when I was a baby, and Oma had an outbreak. Since then, whenever I'm not getting enough sleep, I'm stressed, and sick, I get a little outbreak.

When I was in middle school I remember trying to hide my face with my sleeve during class because I imagined everyone was grossed out and wondering what it was. Truth was, those kids weren't jerks, and never teased me or said anything. I appreciate that, cuz kids can be jerks.

I've been pretty lucky in my adult life preventing cold sores from happening, but if they do, I know how to stop them.

Wonder why I made this post? This past Saturday evening I noticed my lip hurt, and was getting bubbly. Luckily, the cold sore was on the inside of my lower lip, so it was pretty well hidden, and just looked like I had a slightly fatter lip than usual. With the magic of these products, I was able to get it gone within a couple days, instead of a week.

Step 1 - Stop it!
Take an oil pill that helps heal your skin - I'm currently using Evening Primrose Oil and any other vitamins to stop you from getting more sick.

Step 2 - Relief
Put some ice cubes in a ziplock bag, and reduce the swelling!

Step 3 - Cleanse!
Several years ago I bought Holista's Tea Tree Oil and Vitamin E cleansing balm. The tea tree oil, while you don't want it to get too far into your mouth, helps to get rid of the virus, and the vitamin E will help heal your skin. You can also use straight up tea tree oil occasionally.
On the topic of cleaning, I also keep hand sanitizer with me everywhere to clean my hands after I apply anything to my lip, so it doesn't spread elsewhere.

Step 4 - Night Care
You want your lip to heal and not scab over. Overnight (while I can't keep applying stuff to my lip) I use Quantum's Health Lip Clear Invisible Cold Sore Bandage because it keeps your sore moist, doesn't let it scab, and protects from irritants, and allows you to put makeup on your lips. Not that I've tried that. I don't want to risk contaminating any of my makeup.

Step 5 - Moisturize
During the day, I alternate between the Holista cleansing balm, Vaseline to moisturize, and the Quantum Lip Clear Lysine+ Ointment. The ointment is my "ride or die" balm for cold sores over everything else I've ever tried.

Step 6 - Rejoice!
Within a couple days, you should feel relief!