There are two things that are always constant in my little apartment in Brooklyn...
One: Having to bang on the kitchen faucet for the water to come on (I've acquired quite the touch. Fonzie would be proud). Two: Extremely dry heat at night during the winter. I never complain about the heat because I know the minute the landlord turns it down (which I'm sure she'd love to do) subzero degree weather would roll in. And believe me, getting her to turn it back up wouldn't be nearly as easy. So I usually just sweat it out...literally!
Over the weekend, I picked up a cold...for the second time this winter, and I rarely get colds. I fear I may turn into a germaphobe and carry a bag of wipies everywhere I go. Or become like those people on the subway train that would rather fall and get a concussion before they touch a pole or handle.
Anyway, back on subject...I have this cold. Sneezing, painful coughing/hacking and congestion...Oh the congestion! As you know, trying to sleep with a cold is one of the hardest things to do, especially when you can only breathe through one nostril. And there's only so many times I can switch sleeping sides during the night to give the other nostril a break. How that happens, I don't know. But, it feels so good for the two minutes the stuffiness breaks up before traveling to the other side!
So, in the midst of my suffering with the cold, stuffy nose and dry, nostril burning heat that makes it painful to breathe, I came up with a solution! I made a sweet concoction of Essential Oils which included peppermint, lavender, eucalyptus and hot steaming water. After letting a wash cloth soak in the water, I rang it out, folded it and placed it across my nose. Breathing in the moist aromatic air was just heaven. The eucalyptus and peppermint cleared my stuffiness and the lavender put me to sleep...not to mention made me feel all warm and fuzzy.
So for all of you Rhinovirus infected suffering souls out there, I implore you to try this easy at home Aroma Cold Therapy.
- 3-4 drops of Lavender
- 3-4 drops of Peppermint
- 1-2 drops of Eucalyptus
- Washcloth
- 1 Bowl
- Hot Water
You can experiment with the percentages depending on what works best for you. Note: Eucalyptus oil is very very strong!
Find Essential Oils here.
