My Top Tips For Beating Your Cold Naturally

It’s cold season again – eugh! Every winter, I will fall foul to at least three colds, in fact I have already had two and winter hasn’t even properly started. As my mum always says, I must have a weak immune system. (I was a slightly premature baby, apparently that can do it.)

Anyway, I have spent all week feeling miserable with a nasty cold. As soon as I got rid of my last one, the fiance passed this one onto me. How selfish is that? (Only joking, it’s not his fault.) As we both work from home and spend almost all of our time together, if one of us gets sick, it’s only a matter of time before the other one catches it. The joys of love, ay!

As someone who constantly has colds during the winter months, I have learnt all the best methods for dealing with them. So I thought that I would share them, just in case you are also suffering.

Drink lots of water

This is a tip I learnt from one of my uncles, in the first 48 hours of developing a cold drink lots and lots of water. It helps to flush the bug out, and can literally make your cold vanish overnight. Pretty amazing, right?

If lots of water doesn’t help you to shake your cold right away, keep drinking, and I promise you it will do. Aim to drink at least two litres of water a day, and you’ll soon get rid of that pesky cold. If you aren’t a fan of plain water, you could always infuse it with fruit. (Infused water is meant to be super, I haven’t got around to trying it yet though.)

Get lots of vitamins

When it comes to beat a cold, getting lots of vitamins into your body is crucial. My mum always used to make me drink lots of freshly squeezed orange juice when I was ill, so whenever I have a cold, that’s what I do. (Mums are always right when it comes to these kinds of things.)

Another way I get lots of vitamins into my body is by taking a 60 ml shot of pure aloe vera each day. This might sound a little strange, but aloe vera has so many benefits, especially when drank every day. I don’t mean that aloe vera juice you can buy in Holland and Barrett, I’m talking about pure aloe vera gel. So many people buy aloe vera juice and think that it’s great for them, but unless it’s a gel – has to contain 85 percent pure aloe vera, it has very little benefit. (I am a Forever Living business owner, so I know my aloe vera.)

Have a hot toddy

Whenever I was ill when I was younger, my step dad would make me a hot toddy. When you’re all bunged up, this really is the best cure. Made from half a shot of liquor, boiled water, honey – Manuka is best, and a squeeze of lemon, when you’re feeling ill, a hot toddy is AMAZING! (It might knock my socks off – my step dad makes them strong, but it works wonders.

When I make my own hot toddy, instead of using whiskey like my parents do, I use Disaronno. I am a massive amaretto fan, so using Disaronno is perfect – it taste all lovely and nutty.

If you don’t fancy a hot toddy, a hot cordial can be just as soothing. My favourite is a hot elderflower cordial – it might sound strange but it tastes amazing. The heat from the hot drink helps to soothe your throat, and decongest your nose, and all without the use of drugs.

Beat that headache

Whenever I get a cold, I find that I end up with the worst headache. While you can take paracetamol to get rid of it, I prefer a natural approach. (I don’t like taking too many pain killers, I prefer to try natural treatments first.) To treat my headaches, I always use my Aloe Heat Lotion – it is FANTASTIC.

A natural aloe vera based product, Aloe Heat Lotion, is not only fantastic for muscular aches and pains, but also for treating headaches. I place a small amount of the lotion on my temples and massage it in, and that’s all it takes. This is a menthol product, so making sure to keep it away from your eyes is crucial. (You can get your tube of Aloe Heat Lotion, here.)

Apply lip balm

When you have a cold, both your nose and lips become sore, and lip balm can help both. I have a stick of Forever Living’s Aloe Lips that I use on both my lips and around my nose to prevent soreness when I have a cold. (I use a clean finger to apply the balm around my nose, not the stick itself.)

I used to use Vaseline on my nose, but I found that it stang. However, the Aloe Lips balm that I now use hasn’t caused any stinging, and best of all, my nose isn’t sore at all. (You can get your Aloe Lips, here.)

Breathe in Olbas Oil

Whenever my brother and I had colds as children, mum would fill the bathroom sink with boiling water and a few drops of Olbas Oil. She would then put a towel over our heads and the sink, while we breathed in the fumes from the oil. (For clearing a stuffy nose, this is fantastic. It works a treat every single time.)

Colds might not be very nice, but hopefully these tips will help make your next colder easier to beat!