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cold sore remedy- salt & SIZZLE

Submitted by Natasha

MOISTEN finger, dip in table salt (salt & calcium silicate), press on affected area for 30-60 seconds and dab salt off with a disposable, moistened napkin. Do this for two days as needed, or until the blister is dried up.

I just tried this for the first time tonight and it works very well to reduce swelling and dries up the blister. The salt dip is painful at first, but has drastically reduced the size and pain. Make sure to moisten the sore with Neosporin (with Lidocaine) once the sore starts becoming a "scab".

This will help reduce the possibility of scars and reduce the pain and itching associated. Using a non-petroleum based lip moisturizer, such as Rocky Mtn. Lip Balm with sunscreen helps when you do not have an undelightful cold sore session.

Sun is a leading cause of cold sores, so using this takes care of two things at once when trying to prevent this HORRIFIC ANNOYANCE! Good luck and keep smiling, even if your lip does crack.

Visitors comments

Works pretty well Comments By: Pat New York

I'm 23 years old and this is my third cold sore. I've been using salt on the sore the last three days and i've noticed a great improvement in the size of the cold sore

Salt for cold sores Comments By: Stephanie

Putting salt on the cold sore, like described here, was the best thing I have ever tried; my cold sore surfaced on Tuesday, the swelling was gone by Wednesday, and scabbed over and very small by Friday. Thanks

horrible do not do this Comments By: Carol

I read everywhere trying to find a quick fix for my cold sore. Found out about the salt. Put the salt on a few times when the coldsore was still blistered. Next day blisters were gone but so was all my skin underneth and around the cold sore so it turned from a cold sore to an open wound on my face.

Looks as if It burnt the skin or ate away at it. Just put creams that you find in the store. Valtrex works good but you have to take 2 times a day for at least 4 days or the cold sore will come back hince what happened to me.

WORKS WONDERS!! Comments By: Miss QTee

I had a cold sore surface on a Wednesday and my co-worker suggested that I use salt. Well later that day I saw a difference in the size (smaller). By Friday, it was healed and only a small scar was remaining, which eventually went away. THANKS BE TO GOD FOR SALT!!!

BURNED!!! Comments By: Jessica

It really burned!!! Im not sure if it works yet or not..I have done it twice today...it seems to be eating at my lip! Long story short...don't do it if you can't handle the burn!

I am sure it works Comments By: Jennifer

Neosporin is the top remedy that most people have in their household. It does prevent scarring as well.I live in Florida and I was boating in the salt water and some spashed my lip and it was unbeleivably painful.Usually my cold sores last at least 10 while using Abreva,but the salt immediatly stopped the swelling and it scabbed the next day.When the happened it was only two days into my cold sore.

COLD SORE HEALER FOR SCABBED OVER SORES! Comments By: JEN

I was a little too chicken to try to salt remedy, so I decided to scan my cupboard...I found a bottle of tea tree oil and dabbed some on..ok, dabbed alot on...this stuff smells really bad, but it really works!!! My sore was about five or six blisters combined that had already scabbed over. About two hours after applying the tea tree oil I could visibly see it had shrunk!!!! After the second application several hours later, even more shrinkage!! End result, completely gone two days later!! YAY! and it didn't burn!

Worked for me!! Comments By: Phil

I crushed the salt up so that it was very fine. When it's fine it can get into all the crevices. I typically did mine over night. I dabbed the salt in there and slept with it on. I think I did this for two nights. By the morning I had a wonderful scab. Once the scab is there you are in good shape. I put Vaseline on the scab and within 12 hours or so the scab just peeled off. It was kind of gross but cool at the same time lol. I had my cold sore in a weird spot, the top of my ear lobe. This is the second time it has been in that spot. The first time I got it it lasted over a week. This time it was about 3.5 days.

salt and tea tree Comments By: Ali

I woke up this morning to find two small blisters on my bottom lip. I crushed some salt and dabbed a cotton bud in tea tree. I then placed the bud in the salt and gently rubbed it on the blisters. The swelling has'nt increased and the blisters have'nt gone any bigger either. In between salt applications, i use a small dab of zovirax. I don't know if this is a good idea, but I will post any improvement tomorrow. I need this gone by the wkend. Any other advice?

IT REALLY DID ME GOOD!! Comments By: Anon.

OKay i did the salt thing like was said..and now my lip is looking SExy ass hell. MY lip was already healing but was taking forever to do it... my lip was half healed but did not scabb over..

but now my lip looks way better..it hurt like hell, but i got thru it..lol
and now i have some nesproin on my lip..

i only get one coldsore on my lip....so i dont really have to deal with like 5 like some ppl do. but my lip is fine..i am soo happy...but i go to work tomorrow....wednesday...i hope it gets better..i just have to remeber to keep nesopiron..and get me some damn chapstick.becauz i dont wear chapstick..but i will now.. wow i am just rambling on.lol

cold sore treatment Comments By: steve

got an even better way to get rid of cold sores, i've been using household vinegar and salt just using a cotton bud dab the end with a mixture of vinegar and salt and every 4 hours roll it over the sore trust me it works don't bother with all these fancy creams cos they don't work ....hope this helps people out....only one thing tho it might sting a little and taste like crap but what would you rather have a huge sore or a sore that will go in a matter of 48 hours??

L-LYSINE WORKS WONDERS Comments By: LAURA

I HAVE BEEN GETTING COLDSORES SINCE I WAS ABOUT 8, I RECENTLY FOUND THAT IF YOU TAKE 1 1000MG L-LYSINE TABLET A DAY IT KEEPS YOU FROM EVEN GETTING ONE, IF YOU FORGET TO TAKE YOUR PILL DAILY AND FEEL AS IF YOU ARE GOING TO GET ONE YOU UP THE DOSEAGE AND TAKE 2-4 TABLETS A DAY, BUT YOU MUST TAKE IT AS SOON AS YOU FEEL THAT ANNOYING TINGLE, THIS STUFF REALLY WORKS IT'S AMAZING AND ACTULY VERY CHEAP AND YOU DONT NEED A SCRIPT FOR IT, I HAVE BEEN TAKING IT FOR ABOUT 9MONTHS NOW AND AM COLDSORE FREE, I USE TO GET THEM AT LEAST 5-7 TIMES A YEAR AND VERY VERY BAD TO THE POINT WHERE I DIDNT EVEN WANT TO LEAVE THE HOUSE, JUST GIVE IT A SHOT I PROMISE IT WORKS!!!!

dried it up but left a scar Comments By: sara

I tried this on my third day of having my cold sore, it stung a lot, but no pain no gain right, my cold sore dried up within a few hours and turned into a scab the day after. scab came off a couple of days later but i've got a nasty red scar where it was now. dont kno if it was to do with the salt or not, i dont fancy trying it again though

THIS WORKS Comments By: Liz

i had a really nasty gooey cold sore this morning but iv'e been doing this every half an hour for the past 5 hours and my cold sore has nearly completely dried out

yeeyaaaa i like Comments By: Keenan

man i got home from skool, i felt a thing on my lip.. didnt kno wat it was. but i knew it was a coldsoree. n yea. i shoved salt n stuff on itt. it liek dried outt.. now its sorta drying outt:). im black. so u cant really see it. which is good.. unless u tell everyone u have a coldsore on ur lip lol.
haha.
well i like this one.. it works for me.
by the way.. i put ice on it for the first hour.. didnt swell up as i was expecting. so that was good.
thanks heaps..
I HATE COLDSORES, its been liek 5 months since my last one..

coldsores Comments By: coldsore haterrr

I always get cold sores.. they are soo annoying I tried the salt today..I just got the cold sore today n it didn't sting does that mean it's not working?! well anyway It looks a little smaller I guess so idk what will happen tomorrow! I hope something good I'm tired of being made fun of.

popped then salt Comments By: Patrick, NY

I woke up this am with a cold sore and was so irritated,(Ive been getting them once a yr forever) I popped the blisters then doused them in salt it did burn but they were completely dried out within 20 mins. hopefully they will be gone soon..
P.S. I don't know if it happens to anyone else but when I get a cold sore my lymphnodes become swollen and hurt too.

OOhhhh.. Comments By: Natalie, Cumbria

Once the coldsore has dried.. what should i do? Does it just disapear or what?

Salt and tooth paste. Comments By: Alex

I used White tooth paste then added salt cleared my cold sore in a matter of days! Felt it instantly.

I'm pretty sure this works! Comments By: Hatesfreakin coldsores!

I got a sunburn on sunday, and I knew I was going to get a cold sore, so before I even felt one coming on I started putting Zoverax on it, It still surfaced and got swollen, it is now Friday, and my cold sore is blistered and gross! I tried the salt remedy about 20 minutes ago, and It has DRASTICALLY decreased the swelling, It burns really bad, but I was willing to try anything! Try this, I think it really works!!!! :D

Works well! Comments By: Bongo

I woke up 2 days ago with three nasty sores on the top of my lip and under my nose. UGH! I wish we could find a cure. They ruin my life. Anyway, I broke the blisters with a pin and soaked it in nail polish remover. This tried it out alot. The next day at school the one seemed to get larger so I broke it again and now am doing salt and vinegar with a band-aide over it. It is going down alot.

Here I go Comments By: Gail

I'm trying it tonight.. We will see in the morning what happens.