Give Your Sniffles The Cold Shoulder With Olbas Oil!

Last week I was invited by Olbas Oil to attend an extremely informative event with their resident GP (and clearly a cold expert) Dr Roger Henderson. I met up with Sabina from Mummy Matters who was organising the bash to help banish cold symptoms along with a gaggle of other lovely influencers and we talked about all things germy this winter – namely how to avoid picking germs up in the first place and how to aid their riddance once already full of sniffles and cold!

Dr Henderson was really clear on his belief that Olbas Oil, a herbal remedy, is a very effective way to soothe the sinuses giving you back the power to breathe. And we’ve ALL been there, I mean if you haven’t had a common cold then where have you been all your life? It’s appalling enough to be achy and tired with a cough so if you can do anything at all to relieve the nasal passage then that’s gotta make things a thousand times better! My Grandma used Olbas Oil all the time and would frequently give me a hanky with some droplets on when I was under the weather but actually Dr Henderson says we should use tissues and discard them immediately and never leave them lying around. The germs are so virulent that a paper basket full of used tissues is a hot bed for the next family member to come down with your cold –  It then takes two weeks for the germs to go through the entire family and everyone to be well again! Don’t know about you but I could really use a fortnight this winter where we don’t have coughs and colds not the other way around so I’m taking his advice on board very strongly!

It won’t come as a surprise to find out that children at nursery and school will pass these germs on like wildfire because when you’re only little it’s kind of hard to follow the rules of hand washing and NOT sneezing into your hand before touching something the next person will put their hand down on before popping a finger in their mouth… And the domino cycle begins! However, a recent poll of 2000 Brits declared Dad being the main culprit when it comes to passing on the common cold. The older children get the less likely they are to pick something up because they have built up quite a few immunities by then and other people surrounded by children like teachers are also quite hardy having been exposed much of the time! I suppose Dad off to work (how stereotypical am I being here – just looking at my own family I have to say!) isn’t surrounded by germs a lot of the time so when he is… It’s a case of down like a brick!

Dr Henderson’s top tips for prevention are to maintain strict hand hygiene washing regularly for 20 seconds with soap and water as well as using a hand sanitiser that’s 60% alcohol when not near a sink. He also says to avoid intimate contact – 46% of us (according to the survey) deliberately don’t engage in cuddles with family members through fear of being the cold’s next victim! Other things you can make sure to do are to throw away those used tissues properly and don’t sneeze into your hands, use an inner elbow if you don’t have a tissue to hand!

Of course it’s never going to be possible to avoid the common cold entirely, it strikes all year round with children sufferig four in a 12 month period and adults three! So just be kind to yourself when you do get struck down. That age old saying of starve a fever and feeding a cold is a bit of a myth according to the Doc but it makes sense as this is what your body will tell you to do because it’s what it feels up to and there might just be something in that chicken soup cure he says so don’t discount it! But DO use Olbas Oil as a decongestant as it’s made with essential oils and has been the nations favourite household remedy for years. A few droplets into a tissue does the job or some dropped into a bowl of hot water lets the vapours release their power around the room!

There is also a remedy Olbas Oil for children which is for children aged over three and this is a tiny bit gentler. Personally I like to fill the bathroom with steam and add some drops around the room and sit on the toilet seat with a poorly child to allow that to help their breathing just as I take the adult oil with me to the gym and release a few drops in the steam room. A few drops on their pillow also works a treat and for myself I’m rather fond of the nasal spray but… Nothing can beat Olbas Oil’s latest addition in the form of a bath soak – warm water, steamy bathrooms, achy limbs, a stuffed up nose and a bath full of the good stuff, what could be better than that – actually love this stuff so much I’m not sure I even NEED a cold to enjoy its soothing qualities!

So… A few reminders from the Doctor when it comes to looking after your family’s colds and hopefully lack of them this winter:

• Give out gold stars for hand washing – gotta get them doing this!
• Sharing isn’t caring – use your own towels, tissues, cups and cuttlery!
• Show empathy – it’s VERY easy to be annoyed at a husband with man flu but… Let him off the washing u and he really will get better quicker!
• Ban the hanky – disposable tissues put in a proper bin (or even better on the fire) after use!
• Disinfect the toys – come on, if you don’t let your children play with dirty toys at the Doctor’s surgery (just me?) then the toys at home need to be clean too!
• Elbow not hand – if you don’t have a hanky sneeze into something you won’t immediately touch something else with afterwards!
• Open the windows – Fresh air and a ventilated house is a good thing, cold air and wet hair and all that jazz is just a myth!
• Stay hydrated – Keep those immune systems fighting fit by drinking lots of fluids!

So… Thanks to Olbas Oil, Sabina and Dr Henderson, what a fascinating day busting myths around the common cold and giving us all the practicalities to know how to REALLY fend one off or deal with it once it’s set up shop!

In collaboration with Olbas Oil.

Follow