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Tea bags for cold sores

Use a warm tea bag on a cold sore. Press it to your mouth for 20-30 mins. The next day it will be gone! I didn't believe this when someone told me, but I tried it (and felt really silly) - but when I woke up next morning it had completely disappeared!

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omg lol Comments By: Chelsey I felt really silly and my parents even took a picture of me, lol   havent tried it Comments By: anna I'm trying it right now   Tea bags will help a Cold Sore Comments By: Steve Use a warm tea bag on a cold sore. Press it to your mouth for 20-30 mins. The next day it will be gone! I didn't believe this when someone told me, but I tried it (and felt really silly) - but when I woke up next morning it had completely disappeared!   Does it really work?>?>>? Comments By: britanie hambrick Ok I tried this idea and I used it before I went to bed.....then in the morning I woke up and it was brown from the tea bag ....Did I do something wrong was I supposed to wash my face afterwards ?>?> please help me!!!! TipKing Says: Many of the tips sent to the site are trial and error. Maybe this was not the remedy for you.   wow Comments By: Sarah I have the worst time getting rid of coldsores but when I read this review I tried it and my coldsore's size was cut in half the next day. Thanks! :)   Tanic Acid is the Trick! Comments By: V. The teabag compress has tanic acid. This dries and heals the sore. Also try to reduce citrus from your diet during an outbreak. P.S. This cure also works for "below the belt" cold sores (aka: herpes).   disaster Comments By: owie Tried this - it made it WORSE! I guess it works for some people, though.   - Comments By: cassie im trying it right now ahh this is what its come too!   Less than an hour! Comments By: Eric I am not sure if it was a cold sore or canker sore. I'm 32 and never had either of them but my sisters had problems with canker sores over the years. I had it for about 4 days just on the inside of the lip, you could not even really see it unless you were watching while I talked. The pain was very very minor but on the 5th day it became very painful. I tried some topical anesthetics and although they helped I could still feel it. I tried the teabag trick that I read somewhere else but they said to do it 1-2 minutes every hour. Tried it and it failed. My wife went and bought some hydrogenperoxide mixture that the pharmacy recommended but while she was gone I tried the 20 minute tea bag trick. Slightly hot water and put in the teabag, decaff if it matters, just as it was starting to turn the water brown I pulled it out, drained it against a spoon and put it on the sore. Took it off 20 minutes later and literally within an hour it had dried up completely. It hasn't scabbed, the skin is still there, it did peel off a bit and although just a bit tender underneath the sore itself is totally gone. Well worth the try and use warm/hot water to get the tea bag working and releasing its ingredients. Leave is slightly moist and have some papertowel on hand since you will make a bit of a mess deppending on where the sore is.   Tea bag trick Comments By: Brandon Colbert Does IT matter what kind of tea bag you are using? I am going to use green tea. we will see what happens   it sucked Comments By: Keith Flynn that stuff did not work i woke up the next morning the only thing it was was a little smaller   this better work !!! pleaseeee Comments By: claire im gonny try it right now! i hope to god it works! i hate them soo much! i had one for a week now its just going away im getting another ahhhhh !!!!!   the teabag trick- lets wait and see... Comments By: callie i have tried the real stuff that u can buy from chemists and doctors but it just takes tooo long (im very impatient) i've tried honey, as somebody suggested to me, this didnt't do much. i now have toothpaste on it to try and dry it up, but this tea bag idea sounds kinda hopeful, so wish me luck!   Tea Bags Work! Comments By: Clare Yes the tannins in the tea soothed the sores in minutes and I have woken up today much more comfortable. Great remedy... and so cheap, natural and readily available. Is it no always the case though, that the remedy lies in nature. Thanks for the tip!   Hopeful Comments By: Kylee I have gotten cold sores my whole life, and I am only 14 almost 15 years old. This is about the worst time of the whole year that I could get them! I play softball and I didn't wear sun screen and I didn't have a vizor on and I think I have sun blisters, not cold sores! Well, My lips are REALLY swollen, and I don't know what to do! I have Denivir, which works for cold sores but does it work for sun blisters? I got told to put warm tea bags on my lips, but doesn't the heat make my lips swell more?? ughhh!!   if this dont work im eating a 9mm Comments By: ozzieguillen im gonna give it a shot....last resort effort here....i have my harvard interview tis thursday and go into it with herpes all over my face.....   last ditch effort Comments By: Lipcrazy I'm going on a cruise, and this intrusion started on Tuesday. It's Saturday, and I think I tried everything; two different otc's, toothpaste, listerine, even earwax. I want it GONE!!!   feel stupid Comments By: anon the pain is going away im really tempted to suck on it to get the tea i love tea lol   this time trying tea Comments By: aGIRL I get them every time I'm sunburned,stressed out or get frost bite.SICK OF IT!!!it is day 2,looks bigger than yesterday.I'm trying earl grey bags(for 30 min).I can tell you what doesn't work:alcohol,draining whats inside it,antibiotic cream,ice-although it does relief pain,crushed aspirin.LET'S HOPE TEA WORKS!!!   this time trying tea Comments By: aGIRL It worked!!!!I mean it's not like my lip looks perfect but it looks and feels like I have it for over a week(it's day 3),so:it is dry,I have a little scab and it doesn't itch or burn.It is healed!!!TEA ROCKS!!!   nnnnnnoooooooo Comments By: anon it made it worse and more dark   i burned my self Comments By: loz i burned my self and it really hurt i forgot you said warm ones so it was like boiling hot and it hurt awww i cant believe i did that but hey it got rid of my cold sore i think   hahahaaaa Comments By: Emma i'm doing it right now! i've suffered with coldsores all my life, and i am praying this works for me! I feel so silly!!   visible sores can green tea still help? and a tip as well Comments By: miss embarrased i have multiple on my lower lip right now cuz i just had a horrible fever which really got the virus attention, and they are already visible so will the green tea bag still help them heal?? oh and if you apply just any triple antibiotic ointment (which contains a good amount of zinc) will help if go down and also applying cold ice   hope! Comments By: sezz ive tried absolutly every method possibe to get rid of theses awful coldsores! im definatly giving this a go....such a simple thing i dont think ill mind looking silly for a while lol wish me luck   helpp :) Comments By: Elliiee x hey, im 14, i hate my coldsores i get them all the time, its awful going to school with them, cause you get laughed at, i have started to do the tea bag remedie because it seems the least painful, but how many times do i need to repeat the process and how quick will my coldsore dissapear aprox? :)   cold sores suck!!! Comments By: Angela ok i don't hate anything as much as much as i hate cold sores it just ruins your whole day, my boyfriend was going to make me dinner tonight but since i got a stupid cold sore i didn't go and now i'm sad but i'm trying the tea bag hopefully it works guys and lets hope they find a damn cure for this soon because i'm getting sick of it!!!   Does It Really Work Comments By: IhateColdsores I Have To Go skwll on monday does it really work or just make it work. Omg i hope it Works Wish me luck !   Not sure Comments By: cdyf I have really been stressing out witht his dam thing. I got the flu and then suddenly i find sweelling on the side of my lip and I FEAKED out. The day i was going to ask my wife to marry me I get the worst... Although ive had it for about a week and the swelling has gone down very little. The blister itself is very small and i dont give a crap about it but the swelling is very noticeable... So I've decided to find the peoples views and cures... I chucked a teabag witch was soaked and made it hot in the microwave. and the next day the swelling was half cut. and by 2 days its gone... THANKS   Giving It A Try Comments By: Shakayla Im 19 and this is the first time ive had a cold sore. I want to cry. I start a new job this coming week and i dont want to go in with a cold core. I dont want to pay lots of money for some silly creames and i have a large amount of tea bags available. Wish Me Luck! Im trying it as we speek, Thanks For The Tip!   NO Comments By: Shakayla I Tried It And It Only Made The Itchy/Tingly Feeling Go Away For A Few. So I Went And Bought A Thing Of Abreva, Only 14-16 bucks. So Far Its Stopped The Itchy Feeling And The CS Has Been Getting Smaller. Looks Like It Should Be Gone In Another 2 Days Or So.   I'm trying Comments By: John I'm 18 years old and i'm having a new years eve bra and panties party at my house tomorrow. Just so happens, I get a cold sore, 2 days before it. I'm trying this tea bad method, hopefully it'll work. Wish me luck =\.   :| Comments By: D I Sooo Hope This Works Im Going To A Water Park Tomorrow And This Big Baby Isnt Goin Out In Public!   ice Comments By: drew martin i tryed ice on day and it actually went away the next . might have just been a lucky one i'm tryin t-bag now   they suck Comments By: tom z i got a cold sore the size of texas it emmbarrising and makes me worrie too much its all i think about so im just gonna keep puttin on tea bage it realy sicks i stay home from school because of it now i gotta make it up life sucks keep you heads up pce n luv   It REALLY Works! Comments By: Samantha I hate cold sores and nothing worked for me except waiting until it went away in like a week or two. I tried the tea bags and it made it half the size after the first time. The second time it cut it in half even smaller. It is not noticeable at all and only takes a couple of days instead of 2 weeks to heal. I love tea in more ways than one. Natural remedies usually work best...but the doctors dont want you to know that cause they want you to spend money.   Comments By: Tina :) Ok well i have the tea bag on my lip right now i hope it works! i missed school today because of my cold sore! I think i might try it tonight again. i hope it works   funnnyy Comments By: mary ok so i have a fkn coldsore and i just found out today that i got a job and my training starts tomorw...im currently putting the tea bag on my lip i reaally hope its gone by tomorww thanks for the tip/// im also using abreva do u think its guna make it disseaper even faster?   These are a killer Comments By: Anon I've had this problem my whole life. It's BEYOND embarassing, lol. I'm trying the tea bag now as we speak actually, it did take the swelling down a bit. Ive been doin it all day, and then putting abreeva on afterwords. I don't know about you guys, but abreeva doesn't really work on my cold sores. Toothpaste doesnt work, or witch hazel. If anything, it made it worst. lol sorry to vent.   Oh, I hope it works! Comments By: Brooke I've had this darn sore for 3 days now, Im going on a second date with this guy in 2 days, and I cannot go with this huge thing on my lip! I got a tea bag on it now, (I feel dumb) but I hope it works. Wish me luck!   crossing fingers Comments By: courtney i get them every 4-5 months, i think mine are from stress, i have tryed everything. and abreva was the worst thing ever. the sore was on the corner of my mouth, and it literally spread onto my skin.and left a scar. i hope this works!!! :(   dang Comments By: larun well i am 14 years old and i have a cold sore and it is so embarising cause i am currtnly attanding high school and everyone be looking at it but that is not the onlt thing thos i get to at a time omg i am trying a tea bab right know i hope it works   Comments By: amyp well i have just finished with the teabag no my face so fingers crossed it works   ugh! Comments By: t.k. Mannn I woke up with this thing on my lip never had one be4! Its ugly! Got the tea bag on my lips rite now hope it works!   5 days and gone Comments By: Methodman Ok, I used to only use abreva, and typically I'd be looking at 1.5-2 weeks of visible sores. After researching all of the remedies online, I found a method that cut the time down to 5 days. Here's what I did each day: Day 1: I woke up and there were 3-4 blisters forming, but not very big or "blistery" yet. I immediately put ice on it for 10-15 minutes. While icing, I read about the tea method, so when it felt like my lip was back to body temp. I used a warm tea bag for about 20-30 min. Then I applied abreva and did not bother it for about 2 hours... I repeated this process for the remainder of the day. (Probably 5-7 times) Day 2: I woke up and found though the existing bumps got bigger and eventually blistered, there were no new ones that formed, and usually mine got much bigger and developed more blisters by day 2. I continued to ice, tea, and abreva the sore at about the same frequency as the day before. Days 3-4: By day 3, the sore had burst and began to show signs of scabbing over. At this point, ice was not going to help the healing process, so I just used the tea method each time before applying abreva (about 3-5 each day). Day 5: The scabs began to flake off, and though there were still signs of the sore, they were very minimal. As the day went on, it got smaller and smaller. The next morning, it was hard to tell I had ever had one. I understand that everyone reacts differently to different treatments, but I truly feel like this cut down the healing time by half. Also, I'm sure it wouldn’t hurt to use other remedies like lysine, garlic ect... Good luck, and I hope this method works as well for you as it did for me.   Another victim.... Comments By: Victimized I am another unfortunate victim to cold sores. I have had them since I was young, but as a recent grad working two jobs they have become more frequent and more vicious. They are getting bigger, and spreading.. FAST! I tried to put vitamin E oil on the cold sore and that only seemed to make it worse, so I am going to try the tea bag method. I have been sick for the last few days with a nasty virus (that is another story in itself), so between this and the cold sore, I am not feeling my best. My boyfriend is graduating in a few days and I want to look nice on his arm, seeing this will be the first time I meet most of his family, and some of his college buddies, so I sure hopes it goes down in time because I CANNOT show face looking a mess. Wish me luck, I will post my results.   This has gotta work Comments By: megatron 3000 ok im seeing this pretty girl 2 moro so this has gotta work,i felt it coming thru lastnight,teabag here i come   FML! Comments By: Ce ugh woke up today with the devil on the corner of my left upper lip! usually do this remedy when it starts to itch, and the blister never fully comes out. BUT this time, it advanced further than normal bcuz I slept in! it's already swollen and looks like it's somewhat of a pimple lol. hope it freakin works this time around..! got work tomorrow and summer school on monday ahhhh!   i'm trying it now Comments By: Anon I have had my coldsores for about a week now and i am getting sick of them!! one is on my lip and the other is just above my mouth. i'm going to try the teabag now, hopefully i works!   it really worls Comments By: sandra i have found that as soon as you start feeling one come out is the best time to start using the tea bag. as with any condition the longer you wait the longer to get rid of it. i put a tea bag on as soon as i feel it starting to come out and within an hour you can notice the difference. i have tried all types of other medication even prescription and the tea bag has worked the best   hopeful :) Comments By: Nicole I have two cold sores on either corner of my mouth, yeah you guys think you have it bad with just one, unfortunatly I didn't catch them when they first started out..so last night I put 1 teabag on each coldsore for 30 min. and then i put carmex (really good lip stuff, good for cold sores too)and the next day my cold sores were slightly smaller, and I just did the teabag thing again for 30 min, then put the carmex on, so wish me luck! hopefully they will be gone in the next couple of days! I would recomend this remedie.   trying it now Comments By: beth ok I just got over a cold sore outbreak. took famvir and only had for 7 days or so. finally completely healded and anouther comes. WTF!!!! i just poopod 3 famvir tabs at once and am tryin the teabag. hope it helps. im desperate. my dr said cold/hot will just make worse, but at this point ill try anything. tried iv=ce last time but still got and when i went to dr he said stop, will make worse. please please please tea bag work. =(   omg i hate this! Comments By: ashley I've tried abreva and it made is worse. i tried ice ans it didn't work at all. i'm gonna try the tea bag and i hope it works, because i'm going to my boyfriends house in a couple of days and i want this GONE! I've been getting cold sores since i was born and i am 16 and want to just chop off my mouth. wow i can actually feel it working. the hole tea bag thing. :) this is awesome! thanks guys!   trying it now Comments By: Harry is it supose4d to be damp yeah   Disappointed Comments By: Natalie I have 3 coldsores at the moment as a result of being in the sun too much. Yesterday they were managable but I thought that I would give this a try....It made them worse. Today my lips have swollen severley and I am unable to leave the house a look horrific. I am confident that if I had not done the teabag thing yesterday they would have at least stayed the same. Don't risk it!! If you suffer from bad coldsores the likelyhood is that if you put any compress on it for 30 mins you will spread the virus across the dampened area, which is what has happened to me.   Trying everything. Comments By: Nicky :) I have tried literally everything to get rid of my coldsore but its just not going away. I really hope this works because i'm going to alton towers with my boyfriend tommorow.   Tryin it right nw lol Comments By: Kay Hope this works neva had a coldsore in my life nd woke this morning with multiple lol   I need a miracle Comments By: Betsy ok i have five cold sores flared up right now im in so much pain i havent eaten anything all day im trying to eat atleast a pudding. but im going to try it and hopefully it goes away soon because i have to go to school monday so i have three days for it to go away ill get you all know if it worked.   Painful, crappy cold sores Comments By: Darlene I've had cold sores all my life. Tried EVERYTHING. The one I have right now is very painful. Put the green tea bag on it and it took the pain away instantly. Hope it heals faster now. It's HUGH. Taking over my whole mouth.   Valtrex and reduction of sugars Comments By: Fred Your doctor can prescribe Valtrex for you and it'll prevent the swelling and cut the coldsore time in half. Not perfect, but helps a great deal. I also learned that sugar (refinded) is my weakness. Lots of sweets reduce my immune system and allow cold sore breakouts. So, discipline is important for me.   TAKE SOME LYSINE PILLS!!!! Comments By: Jay Teabags aren't bad, but if you wanna shorten the duration of the cold sore go to your local drug store and pick up some LYSINE PILLS. They help reduce the recurrence and severity!!