How to Get Rid of a Cold Sores Fast Overnight with Natural Home Remedies

Cold sores, also known as fever blisters or oral herpes are small, red or brown-colored blisters that are caused by a virus, known as the herpes simplex virus. In this video you will learn tips and natural home remedies on how to get rid of a cold sores in the mouth and lips fast overnight naturally.

Studies reveal that almost 80% of the people across the globe have been infected by the herpes simplex type 1 virus. Fever blisters are regarded one of the most common skin conditions in the United States with more than 30% of the inhabitants getting affected by it.

Cold Sore Symptoms

The patient will feel a tingling or burning sensation in the infected area as soon as herpes simplex virus infection takes place. Reddish, fluid-filled skin blisters show up in the area within 1 to 2 days, which undergo ulceration, and form open sores. This skin sores then crust over and heal. These blisters get resolved on their own within a period of 2 weeks, however, the healing period can be minimized with effective home remedies and medication.

Cold Sore Causes

Some of the reasons that may trigger the virus are stress, sleep disorders, menstruation, exposure to ultra-violet rays of the sunlight, dry or injured lips, tooth extraction, digestive disorders, common cold, flu, etc. Cold sores can appear as a single blister or in a group, mostly around the conspicuous parts of the body such as nose, mouth, lips, cheeks, eyelids, and fingers, giving a tingling or itching sensation.

Home Remedies for Cold Sores

There are many home remedies for cold sores in the mouth and lips that can help you overcome the painful blisters caused by the herpes virus and cure the disease fast. Some of them are follows:

Apply Ice

Applying ice is one the best home remedies for cold sores. Ice lowers the temperature of the tissue where the blister is forming. Herpes virus cannot stand low temperatures, and ice sends the virus back to its dormant stage. Alternatively, alcohol or diluted hydrogen peroxide is best cold sore treatment that can also be administered to clean the blisters several times a day.

Tea Bags

Usage of a tea bag on the infected area is another effective home remedy for fever blisters. Tea contains tannic acid that possesses antiviral properties. You can place a moistened tea bag, for a few minutes every one hour, to bring the condition under control.

Petroleum jelly

Petroleum jelly is also best cold sore remedy.  Petroleum jelly moisturizes the lesions, thereby preventing further cracking and bleeding.

Aloe Vera Juice

Mixture of Aloe Vera juice and salt is also fastest way to get rid of a cold sore. Take a teaspoon of aloe vera juice, and add a pinch of salt to it. Mix it well and apply with the help of cotton on the blisters. It speeds up the process of healing a cold sore.

Cornstarch

One of the good cold sore home remedies is the use of cornstarch. Take a little cornstarch in a bowl, and add two to three drops of water to form a thick paste. Apply this paste on the affected areas once a day.

Tea Tree Oil

Tea Tree Oil is also another effective home remedy to cure cold sores fast. Get good quality tea tree oil from a health or beauty store and apply on the sores with a cotton swab, for at least two times a day. This oil is said to speed up the process of healing to a great extent and prevent spreading of sores. Use of undiluted versions of tea tree oil may cause skin irritation in some people so in that case, it is good to use the diluted form of tea tree oil.

Tips to Prevent Cold Sores

Although these simple home remedies for cold sores may be effective in treating cold sores, you can also prevent the disease by following these simple measures. Here is how to prevent cold sores.

• Adopt proper hygiene habits. Avoid touching the sores and then touching other parts of the body or things around you. Keep the sores clean and dry as much as possible.
• Avoid sharing towels, razors or utensils with someone who has cold sores.
•  Keep yourself clean, especially your hands, as the same will prevent the sores from spreading to other parts of the body.
• Keep your toothbrush clean. Wash your toothbrush before and after every use to keep bacteria from accumulating on the bristles.
• Avoid kissing someone with cold sores or having sex with a person affected by genital herpes.
• The best way to prevent cold sores is to maintain a strong immune system and lead a stress-free life. Get enough sleep, at least for eight hours a day. Also perform stress relief exercises such as yoga, meditation, etc. Proper sleep and relaxation helps reduce fatigue and relax your body, which ultimately prevents the chances of cold sore outbreaks.
• Dry chapped lips are also one of the contributing factors. Therefore, keep your lips and skin well moisturized to remain safe from the infection. Try using cocoa butter, coconut oil, and almond oil for this purpose.
• Avoid ultraviolet rays of the sun by using sunblock creams or ointments.
• The cold sore virus requires an acidic atmosphere to grow. Thus, maintain the alkalinity of the body to ease the fight against herpes simplex virus. The pH level of a healthy human is 7.4. Therefore, it is advised to avoid eating acidic foods like carbonated drinks, citrus fruits, and vinegar.
• Arginine which is an amino acid, plays very important role in the replication of herpes virus. Therefore, it is very crucial to cut down the level of arginine in your body to get rid of cold sores fast. Peas, grains, whole wheat, chocolates, and oatmeal are some important dietary sources of arginine so, their consumption should be avoided during an outbreak of cold sores.
• Vitamins and minerals like vitamin A, vitamin C, and zinc are also helpful to speed up the curing process of the sores, and strengthen the immune system.
• Lysine is helpful in accelerating the process of recovery and reducing the frequency of the cold sores. Therefore, it is advised to include lysine-rich foods, like milk, fish, potatoes, corn, and chicken in your diet. Fruits such as apricots, apples, pears and mangoes, also contain large quantity of lysine. Medicines which contain lysine are also useful in preventing any cold sore outbreaks.

The tips and home remedies on how to get rid of cold sores fast provided in this video are solely for information purposes. Although cold sores heal within two weeks, people with a weak immune system may take a longer time to recover. If the symptoms are severe or the cold sores are recurrent, you should definitely consult a doctor.