Congestion Junction - Another view

All right... this officially sucks.  Everyone in the house is sick.  Me, B, and our Pup are all shuffling through the house with snotty noses, groggy expressions and achy bodies.  Nyquil is a godsend!  An absolute bona fide miracle for sleep.  But, sometimes you don't need to be knocked out cold, and still do something about that cold.  I would like to note before I even start that this is a quick fix.  It isn't going to get rid of the cold, but at least it alleviates some of the pressure in your head. 

Get a pot. Got one?  Oh, good.  Most people do.  They're dead useful things, pots are. 

Now put some water in the pot.  If you want, you can toss some "hot" herbs in, like cinnamon, mint, eucalyptus, etc.  HOWEVER (yes, I am raising my voice for this) if you have sensitive EYES or SKIN leave out the herbs.  They're nice, and make the steam more effective, but I'd rather leave them out than feel like my eyes are melting out of my skull. 

K, so we got a pot of water with maybe some herbs tossed in.  Put it on the stove and bring it to a nice boil.  

A few other things you can collect while you're waiting for your pot to boil. 

• If you're like a lot of modern families, the dining table serves as a catch-all more than a place to eat meals.  Clear a space, and put down a hot pad/trivet/folded towel - something to set the pot on. 
• Get a big towel.  Something large enough to drape over your head, the pot, and still have enough towel left to reach the table top. 
• Tissues, a roll of toilet paper, paper towels, a snot rag, whatever suits your fancy.  You're going to need it. 

Once the pot of water is boiling, sit yourself down at the space you made, put your face over the pot, and the towel over your head and shoulders.  The towel should reach the table top, trapping steam in with your head.

Now... 

Breathe.   Through your nose if you can at all, if not just wait for it.  It'll happen.  The steam will loosen up all the clogged up gunk, and relieve some of the pressure from your head. 

Use some sense, though.  When I did this for my husband, he stuck his face so close in to the pot of BOILING WATER that the steam started to burn his face.  *shakes her head*  Use some sense.  It's boiling.  It's hot.  Steam can burn.  I really did not expect to have to tell him that.  He's a pretty smart fella.  So, if he's dumb enough to stick his face down into a pot of boiling water, someone else might be, too. Don't sick your face in it so close that it burns, people.  

Good luck, and may we all feel better soon.  

Congestion Junction.

The cold and flu season is upon us here in the south and probably everywhere else in the country. I just recently got over a week long battle with some mutated strain of something or other. JB had it as did Mini Me. For a week, we all sat here and coughed and choked and felt like our heads were gonna explode. Then it dawned on my snot clogged mind. "Hey doofus, you have a bottle of Eucalyptus Oil and you have a bottle of unscented lotion and hey guess what?!? You also have a couple of empty baby food jars lying around." So the end result of my congested wanderings was a homemade recipe for Vicks VapoRub. It might not have stopped the headaches and fever but it sure helped with the coughing and congestion.

Homeade VapoRub:

Small empty jar of some sort. ( I used an empty baby food jar. Worked perfectly)

Unscented hand lotion.

10-20 drops of eucalyptus oil.

Wash and dry empty jar. Fill jar almost to the top with unscented lotion, then add the eucalyptus oil. You can stir it or you can cap it and shake it. I stirred it with a wooden chopstick I had lying around. And VOILA!!! You have homemade Vicks. Apply it to the chest before bed and it should start right to work on opening up those clogged sinuses.

Eucalyptus Oil can cause skin irritations in some people. I used 20 drops because I know that it doesn't affect me or my family adversely. I would strongly suggest that you try out a tiny bit on an unobtrusive spot of skin before using it. If a rash develops or you notice a burning sensation DO NOT USE IT. Note I said burning not tingling. Because eucalyptus has a mentholated property to it, it will tingle if put directly on the skin. 

I hope this helps any of you that might be visiting the Congestion Junction unwillingly.

Happy DIYing!!!