Cold sores do hurt. This is a skin disorder which is caused by herpes simplex virus (HSV-1), which commonly causes labial cold sores. Cold sores usually start with itchy skin around the mouth, which further followed by the appearance of water-filled blisters. These blisters might be located on the corner of the lips or even on the lips itself. Cold sore occurrence leads to the sensation of severe itching and pain. When blisters are broken and the water goes out, you might end up having more blisters, as they are definitely contagious. Cold sores, which is also known as fever blisters may stay on your skin for days before it disappears completely. Normally, these small watery blisters do not leave scars, given certain circumstances such as immediate treatment and no scab picking during healing process.

Healing cold sores is not complicated. Although there is no exact cure, several treatments and methods are believed to relieve itchiness and pains accompanying fever blister formation. Oral medications, such as Acyclovir is widely used to treat cold sores. People also do several home treatments in combating labial cold sores. For years, rubbing alcohol, salt, lemon juice, ice cubes, and toothpaste have been known as some home remedies which help healing cold sores.

Does salt and toothpaste help cold sores?

Salt and toothpaste are two home remedies which are usually applied together to help cold sores healing. Salt is a natural anti-bacterial substance which helps easing the effect of herpes virus invasion in our body. In fact, salt does not only work with cold sores, but also various other skin problems. This can be used as an initial remedy before you go to the drugstore for some oral medications to take. Similarly, toothpaste has also been really popular for cold sore medication. Commonly, toothpaste contains an active substance called Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) which can inhibit blisters formation during virus infiltration. A combination of salt and toothpaste is also one home remedy which can be used for healing the stinging blisters. This is the simplest method that is reported to work well for some cases.

How do you apply salt and toothpaste for cold sores?

Salt and toothpaste can be used directly for treating cold sore blisters. However, application of these ingredients onto your cold sores may cause bad sting, especially when you are applying those onto an opened blisters. To use these household things in combating cold sore blisters, you might need to do one of the procedures:

1. Salt treatment

Applying salt onto an open wound might be effective in inhibiting bacterial or viral infection to our skin. However, the sense of sting it will cause is unimaginable. Although blisters may seem unpainful and simple, application of salt might lead into a bad sting feeling. To avoid this while still getting the effective natural effect of salt for a wounded skin, you can mix salt and milk before applying it onto the blisters. This way, you will have less sting as the antiseptic substance in salt has been buffered by protein in milk. Salt water solution can also be used, instead, for helping cold sore healing.

2. Toothpaste treatment

Toothpaste is also believed to be effective in battling the effects of herpes simplex virus invasion. SLS substance in it makes toothpaste a considerably good initial treatment for fever blisters. Applying thin layer of white paste toothpaste help numbing the blisters and drying them out. This will inhibit the blisters from growing bigger. It also stops viral infection and eventually get rid of cold sores. When you notice a sign of cold sore infection even before any visible formation of blisters, you might want to consider applying the toothpaste, as it will inhibit further infection and hence, stop blister formation. As a result, your cold sore will heal faster and is definitely scar-free.

3. Salt and toothpaste treatment

Both ingredients can also be mixed into a thick paste which can be used as a cold sore remedy. The toothpaste acts as virus inhibitor, while the salt works as an antibacterial agent fighting the existing virus. Apply this before bed and leave it overnight to make the affected skin numb and therefore, heal easier.

Are there any side effects?

Natural home remedy usually causes less side effect than chemical medications. Salt and toothpaste remedies for fever blisters are said to have very little side effects when applied moderately. Salt is only known to cause excessive sting when applied solely. However, the SLS substance in toothpaste is still debated to have an irritating effect, especially for those with very sensitive skin. Hence, if you decide to use the paste as your cold sore remedy while you have sensitive skin, you might not want to leave it overnight. Instead, rinse it thoroughly after several hours, so that it does not leave any residue which makes your skin dry and cause other skin problems.