Put your wellness first when cough and colds strike
Oh no. Here it comes. The dreaded cough and cold season. You’ve worked so hard all year long to keep your wellness top of mind, and no matter how many green smoothies you drink or hot yoga classes you attend, you wake up one morning with that familiar tickle in your throat and that sniffle in your nose and before you know it, you’ve got a full-blown cold and you’re relegated to the couch with a box of tissues and a heating pad.
Try as we might, none of us are immune to the effects of cough and cold season, which can have us feeling down on our luck sometimes up to 2-4 times per year. And did you know that while the average cold only lasts about a week in otherwise healthy adults, it’s still important to tackle symptoms as early as you can to help you recover faster.
Busting common myths about the common cold
A quick google search will net you hundreds of results when it comes to ways you can support your immune system during cough and cold season, ways to prevent getting sick in the first place and how to shorten the duration of the common cold. But do these suggestions really work? Is a common cold at some point or another in the year almost inevitable for most of us? Here we break down a couple of common myths and debunk a few others:
Myth #1: a cold isn’t contagious
Not true! In fact, a cold is highly contagious, and is spread most often when droplets of fluid that contain the cold virus are transferred by touch, but they can also be inhaled. Try to avoid direct contact with another person who is currently ill with a cough or cold and wash your hands well with soap and water if you’ve been in contact with someone you know isn’t well.
If soap and water are not available to you, the next best option is a good-quality hand sanitizer. Made with 100% natural ethyl alcohol derived from grain, our sanitizer also includes aloe vera to deeply relieve dryness and replenish the skin alongside fresh and zesty lime essential oil for a pleasant aroma.
Myth #2: going outside with wet hair will cause you to catch a cold
Not true! While you may be uncomfortable or feel chillier than if you were outside with dry hair, you are no more or less likely to catch a cold when you leave the house with wet hair.
And while we’re on the topic of hair, keep your strands feeling cared for and nourished during the colder months with a protective and replenishing hair oil, made with moisturizing and conditioning argan oil, rich and smoothing coconut oil and rosemary essential oil to invigorate the scalp.
Myth #3: you can catch a cold by sharing common items like food, drinks, utensils or even blankets with someone who has one
This is true! Because a common way to pass the cold virus is by direct contact with any surface that an ill person has recently been in contact with, you can absolutely catch a cold from someone even by sharing hand towels, bedding, utensils and other items. A best practice is to keep separated from someone you know is under the weather until symptoms have resolved.
Here at Saje we offer a number of 100% natural and plant-derived home cleaning products that can help keep your space feeling fresh and deodorized, and that allow you to effectively remove dirt, grease and grime from common household surfaces like countertops, sinks, cupboards and more. We suggest starting with our Multi-Surface cleaning kit in eucalyptus and black spruce, offering an herbaceous, woody and mild aroma.
Myth #4: Antibiotics can cure the common cold
Not true! Antibiotics treat infections that are caused by bacteria, and the common cold is actually a virus. The only thing that can help make a cold go away is time, and treating the symptoms to help you feel the best you can and offer support and ease.
In the spirit of offering 100% natural wellness essentials to help you stay as healthy and happy as you can during cold season, read on to learn more about the products and ingredients we offer here at Saje to help you keep your overall health and well-being at the forefront of your mind no matter what cough and cold season throws at you.
Winter natural remedies: the Fortify collection
Here at Saje, we have a hero line of products that was developed especially for the time of year when cough and cold season tends to ramp up the most, called Fortify. This comforting and relieving product line is anchored by our oil blend roll-on that was designed to be supportive and easing when you’re feeling under the weather. It’s blended with essential oils that are well-known in aromatherapy for the positive effects they have on the physical body when we’re feeling run down and not at our best, like tea tree, eucalyptus, cinnamon and pine needle. This formula helps to ease coughs, support the throat, relieve symptoms like stuffiness in the nose and provide a general sense of overall wellness.
The roll-on can be applied to areas we tend to experience cough and cold symptoms the most, like under and around the nose, over the throat and chest and anywhere else that feels relieving to you. Our favorite way to use this natural wellness powerhouse is to do what we call a Saje Breath. Roll a generous amount of product onto the palms of your clean hands, rub your hands together briskly to create a feeling of warmth and then cup your hands over your nose and mouth. We encourage you to breathe deeply in through the nose and out through the mouth 3-4 times to experience the opening, clearing and soothing properties of these 100% natural essential oils at work.
Winter natural remedies: more from our Fortify line
The Fortify line of products is vast, and we encourage you to explore other product formats in the range that can support your overall health and wellness in other ways throughout your day.
Using the Fortified Warmth bath salts as part of an age-old wellness ritual, the bath, is one of our favorite ways to feel nurtured and restored. The soothing vapors of the essential oils in the warm bath wrap you in a sense of comfort and nourishment, helping you feel relaxed and at ease when your body needs it the most. Bonus: our bath salts are highly concentrated and saturated in the essential oil blend, so a little goes a long way.
We also offer this fresh and herbaceous formula in a personal wellness mist that was designed for a quick and easy refresh any time that feels good for you. We formulated this supportive essential oil blend to act as a natural alternative to synthetic products on the market that support ease, relief and comfort. Simply close your eyes and mouth, mist above the head and over the body and breathe deeply.
Fortify is also offered as a diffuser blend, a product you can use in any of our diffusers to support refreshing and revitalizing the air in your home. This blend is herbaceous, camphorous, woodsy and fresh, infusing the air with opening and clearing essential oils that include lemon, pine needle and white thyme to provide a sense of renewal in your space, anytime.
Winter natural remedies: The Get Well kit
If a variety of product formats is more your style, we also offer our Get Well kit as an all-in-one wellness collection to take with you on-the-go or keep handy as needed. This 3-piece kit includes the hero roll-on Fortify, as well as our Fortify nasal inhaler, a discreet and personal use product that is designed to be inhaled in the nostrils to help you breathe deeply and clearly, and our fan-favorite Echinacea throat spray, a natural herbal remedy that our community members have been over the moon about for many years. Echinacea is a popular ingredient that has been long revered for its impact on overall health and wellness, particularly at the time of year when coughs and colds are prevalent. Mist this fortifying and supportive herbal supplement in the mouth and throat when you’re looking for relief from discomfort.
Winter natural remedies: wellness products for children
If the average healthy adult is catching 2-4 colds per year, just know this can be up to 8 for young children! Whether it’s because their immune systems are still in development, they haven’t yet built up their defenses to many different cold viruses that are circulating or because they are exposed more frequently to other children who may also have a cough or cold, there is reason to look for products to support them when they’re feeling under the weather, too.
We formulated Chest Comfort as an innovative, child-safe roll-on that uses gentle-but-effective essential oils like rosalina and tea tree to balance and relieve them when they feel under the weather or aren’t at their best. Rosalina is a lesser-known essential oil that while fresh and lemony actually has an effect on children that can be gently calming and soothing, which is exactly what they need when feeling unwell.
We also offer our Fortify Petite diffuser blend which is a clearing and clarifying blend of L-menthol from peppermint, lavender, lemon and tea tree made with refreshing, calming, and opening essential oils, to help them ease back into wellness. Start with a lower number of drops in a diffuser, we recommend 1-5 for children over 2 years of age and help to encourage them in feeling renewed and in robust overall health and well-being.
Winter natural remedies: Eucalyptus essential oil
The last product we’re highlighting today is a tried-and-true natural wellness ingredient, single note eucalyptus essential oil. Eucalyptus is commonly referred to in aromatherapy as ‘the breathing oil’, because the leaves of the plant are extremely rich in eucalyptol, which has been used throughout history in cough medicines and other medicinal preparations.
The essential oil itself contains approximately 70% eucalyptol, which is why it tends to be effective at supporting coughs that center in the chest, as well as encouraging deep, clear and open breathing that feels at ease. The scent of eucalyptus is clean, medicinal and sharp, making it very pleasant to experience aromatically. Try adding 1-3 drops of this herbaceous single note essential oil to a carrier like jojoba or fractionated coconut oil and rub over the throat and chest for soothing relief.
Top tips for winter wellness
Apart from adding 100% natural essential oils and other plant-based remedies to your wellness tool kit this cough and cold season, here are some of our top tips for winter wellness to ensure that you can put your health and well-being at the top of the list this year and feel better, fast:
- Stay hydrated. Upping your fluid intake is one of the best ways you can give your body the edge as you move towards healing. Water, low-sugar juice and clear broth can all be helpful in restoring the fluids lost from the body while you’re down for the count. Try adding fresh lemon and honey to warm water for a soothing effect on the throat and chest.
- Rest. And then rest more. This one is a no-brainer. Tempting as it may be to ‘power through’ when a cold hits, rest is one of the most important ways to actually get back on your feet. Simply put, the body does most of its healing and restoration while we sleep, so don’t skimp on the dedicated rest your body needs.
- Add moisture to the air. This is one of the top reasons we love our ultrasonic diffusers. Cold air holds less moisture than warm air, and the cooler seasons are when coughs and colds tend to ramp up. Keeping a certain level of moisture in the air is thought to help loosen congestion, soothe coughs and keep your nose and throat feeling more comfortable.
- Keep your throat soothed. Some people like doing a saltwater gargle, others prefer ice chips, lozenges or throat sprays. This can help prevent your throat from feeling dry or scratchy and reduce the painful feelings that accompany throat and chest soreness.
No one likes feeling sick. Though we know the common cold is relatively harmless for most, feeling under the weather can leave you downright miserable. With a little preparation and a well-stocked natural medicine cabinet, you can help kick those cold symptoms to the curb as quickly as they came. Here’s to feeling ready to tackle cough and cold season symptoms naturally and to feel your best, fast.
