You would think that after Spring Break everyone would come back well-rested and ready to face the last 6 weeks of school. I myself was hoarding all the rest I could get…and then I caught a bug. This past week of back-to-school? A bit of a blur, I’ll admit, what with explosive coughing and now my sinuses are having a field day. My nose, much to its indignation, is pretty raw because I am apparently too cheap to buy softer Kleenex in favor of the harsher toilet paper courtesy of my school’s bathrooms. (I just want to save money for skincare…ha.)
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| This is my lip balm collection and I am not ashamed…Note: I would not recommend using tinted lip balms around the nose!!! |
My recent Rudolph-y undertones have reminded me of a trick my mother taught me as a child. When I would be blowing off my nose like an elephant, my mom would tell me to put chapstick on, around, underneath, and in my nose to soothe the redness and irritation post-nose-blowing. People thought I was ridiculous! I thought I was ridiculous!
While I’m not certain of how green those chapsticks were back then, now that I generally know what kind of ingredients make a chapstick awesome, it makes total sense! My mother was a genius! She was harnessing the multitasking powers of balm moisturizing!
When you look at the ingredients in the lip balms of Burt’s Bees, S.W. Basics (formerly Sprout), and Hurraw!, you see plant oils, beeswax, some extra essential oils over and over again–and no wonder.
- Beeswax is antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and helps draw moisture to the skin.
- Plant oils like coconut oil are also anti-bacterial/viral/fungal and moisturizing.
- Essential oils are used to treat illnesses (have you heard of how lavender essential oil’s benefits were discovered?) or influence moods or promote healing. Companies like Lotus Wei, 21 Drops, Hope Gillerman, and Essence of Vali have products based entirely on essential oils designed to treat hangovers (not kidding), aid sleeping, deal with stress, promote a quiet mind, and more.
While I think lip balm serves as a valid trick in a pinch (and you should try to be as hygienic as possible with your chapstick around your running snot or use a clean finger), I’ve also been repurposing my favorite hand moisturizers as my nose soothers.
Badger Balm for Hardworking Hands: You can see I’ve hit pan on this and I am feeling simultaneously sad and victorious about it. I love massaging this into my hands post-shower, and now I’ve added rubbing it around my poor nose and upper lip. It’s super concentrated with moisturizing heroes extra virgin olive oil, beeswax, and aloe; and it calms down the rawness. It’s also got a fresh wintergreen scent (from the essential oil itself, of course). One thing, make sure your paws are always clean when you dip into this so you don’t contaminate the goodness!
Weleda Skin Food: You can also see I am squeezing out the last bits of this one. Since this thick cream is the product that I take on-the-go in my backpack for convenience’s sake, I take the smallest dab and pat around my nose in class or after a grueling nose-blowing session. And done, nose well-moisturized until the next time the mucus creeps up…Beware: Skin Food is mega thick so blend thoroughly or else it’ll look silly. This baby is orange blossom-y, as I’ve been told countless times (“What is that orange blossom smell?? Jade, is that you??”). And no surprise, this is also packed with plant oils, beeswax, and extracts from essential oils.
Have any special tips for when you get sick? I’ve also been having a teaspoon of apple cider plus raw honey in warm water once a day for digestion/general health/immunity, and it’s growing on me.
