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Chest Cold Rub Remedies

Chest colds can be miserable for children and adults. Being able to make homemade chest rubs to help relieve chest colds is one way both to save money and be certain of the ingredients. Also, there is less chance of side effects such as nosebleeds, which can result from antihistamines because they dry out the nose, and sleep problems because of the brain being overstimulated, as can happen with decongestants, although allergic reactions can still happen.

  1. Mustard Plaster

    • Put 1 tsp. of dry mustard and 1/4 cup of flour (only 6 tbsp. of flour for a child) in a bowl and sift the contents together. Add just enough warm water to make the mixture into a paste. Put the paste on a piece of muslin or terry cloth that is large enough to cover the chest, and then apply the cloth to the ill person's dry chest. Take another piece of cloth the same size as the first piece and cover the piece that the mustard paste was added to. Remove both cloths when the skin begins to redden; this usually occurs in 10 to 20 minutes. Don't leave it on for longer than 30 minutes. Once you've removed the plaster, cover the chest with a coating of Vaseline. This helps to hold in the heat produced by the mustard plaster. Check often for an allergic reaction to the mustard plaster, which can happen in some cases. If an allergic reaction occurs, remove the plaster immediately and rinse the skin to help prevent further allergic reaction.

    Eucalyptus Chest Rub

    • Add 1/2 tsp. of beeswax to 1 oz. of olive oil and heat the two in a pan until the beeswax melts. The beeswax creates the creamy consistency of a rub. Very low heat is required to melt the beeswax so that it blends well with the olive oil. When it's melted, take the pan off of the heat, and then add 40 drops of eucalyptus essential oil, 1 drop of thyme essential oil, 2 drops of wintergreen essential oil and 10 drops of camphor essential oil. Finally, stir the mixture so that all the essential oils blend well with the beeswax and olive oil. Allow the mixture to cool until it is the creamy consistency of a rub. Apply it to the chest in a light coating and cover it with an old T-shirt or terry cloth towel. This helps the vapors to reach your nose easily, and it also helps the essential oils to seep into the skin and loosen mucus.

    Lavender Chest Rub

    • For this rub, a glass jar with a tight lid is needed. Place in the jar 1/4 cup of olive oil, 2 drops of chamomile essential oil and 8 drops of lavender essential oil. Mix the ingredients together well. This mixture can be rubbed on the chest as often as needed to help alleviate the symptoms of a chest cold, but use it especially just before bedtime. This chest rub can help someone with a chest cold to breathe more easily.

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