Cold sores also referred to, as fever blisters are a type of sores, which are contagious. These occur mainly inside the mouth of a person and the skin around the mouth, but can also occur on fingers, genitals, around the chin etc. The symptoms that a person suffering from cold sores shows are quite similar to the symptoms a person suffering from any other form of infection or blisters might show. However, it is important to note that once the problem has been diagnosed then you must take as much as care as possible to treat these sores, in order to make sure that the condition does not worsen, and that nobody else around the patient catches the infection. For this reason, it is advisable to not share any personal hygiene products such as soap, bed linen, towels etc. of the infected person. Even sex with an infected person, especially oral sex can cause the spread of the infection.
Luckily, there are some home remedies for cold sores that one can make use of, in order to speed up the healing process. One of the safest home remedies for cold sores that you can try is to soak a cotton ball in cold milk, and then dab it over your sores. The cold milk will provide instant relief, and will also aid in the healing process.
Next, you can also try using a wet tea bag and applying it on your sores for around 30 minutes. It is one the safe home remedies for cold sores.
Aloe Vera, as we all know is useful in curing many kinds of infections. Hence, Aloe Vera gel or oil can also be applied on the sores to get some relief and speed up the recovery.
One's diet plays a very important role in curing cold sores. Excessively salty and spicy foods have a tendency to irritate the sores more, and can also cause them to spread. Therefore, it is very important to avoid all foods with high spice and salt content. Keep drinking a lot of water as well to constantly clean your internal system.
It is believed that being in sunlight for too long can also cause further outbreak of sores in your mouth. So it's best to avoid going out. In case you can't avoid going out, then at least make sure that you have applied a lip balm with sun protection. If at any time you feel that your sores are hurting too much, then an instant home remedy for cold sores is to apply ice on the sores.
If you manage to get your hands on either lemon balm or olive leaf extracts from somewhere, then you can use these too to cure your sores. Or you could probably just get natural creams or lip balms, which contain these elements, and use them on a regular basis to get rid of cold sores.
For some people, cutting a piece of garlic and placing it on the sores for sometime also does wonder. It may hurt a lot, but will probably be the quickest of all other remedies.
Always remember that each person has a different rate and speed of recovery, and a different level of immunity. So the amount of time you take to recover will be different from others. Be patient, and with proper care, your sores will go away soon.
Read more Home Remedies for Cold Sores. Also know Home Remedies for Dry Hair.