It seems everywhere I go, people are coughing, sneezing and wheezing. Telltale signs of cold and flu season, like this, are rampant. People are using up their sick days right and left, and I, for one, am not one to sit idly by. I protect my family and myself by creating a health plan, allowing us to avoid and defeat seasonal bugs time and time again. If you don’t have a health plan or are curious to find out how an aromatherapist faces cold and flu season, read on. 

PROTECT

You may be surprised by how effective taking measures to stay cold- and flu-free can be.

1. Wash Hands: This is perhaps the single most effective preventive measure when it comes to avoiding the flu. As an added measure, I stock up on Fighting Five Bar Soap to keep clean. This antimicrobial blend is my heavy hitter once cold and flu rolls around, and in a bar soap, it’s that much more useful and healing. 
2. Diffuse: Once February rolls around, my diffusers work overtime (one hour on, two hours off that is). I like to switch it up between Healthy Hero and Guardian. My boys are still young, so Guardian gets diffused 25% of the time while Healthy Hero gets diffused 75% of the time. 
3. Fresh Air: I also like to take walks with the family at local parks and beaches as I find this, along with some sunshine, can be the best medicine. 
4. Reminders: Keeping my household free from sickness only works if the entire family is on board. I often have to remind my kids to wash their hands and not touch their faces. It may seem redundant and tiresome, but having all of us come out of cold and flu season unscathed is worth every little reminder. 

FIGHT

What went around, came around. Now what? On top of continuing to take the latter measures, nip cold and flu in the bud with these helpful tips.   

1. Protect Others: It may seem elementary, but those around you will appreciate you covering your mouth when you cough or sneeze and staying home. Make a point of not allowing sickness to go any further than you. 
2. Detoxifying Bath: Baths are so soothing when you’re sick and adding a bath salt like Fighting Five can be supremely healing. The ingredients in each of our bath salts are detoxifying, healing and paired with Fighting Five’s antimicrobial benefits, supremely effective at quashing cold and flu.  
3. Hydrate: When sickness befalls me, I replace my coffee with tea. I’ll generally start with green tea and add fresh ginger, lemon juice, honey and occasionally fresh peppermint or lemongrass. I also drink plenty of cold, lemon water to flush my body. 
4. Sleep Tight: If there’s one positive thing about being sick, it’s that it’s encouraged to sleep more – as if us nap-lovers needed a reason. But not everyone has an easy time falling asleep when sick (namely, my husband). In this case, the Good Night collection is a godsend. Trust me when I say sleep is only a Good Night bath salt, body oil or roll-on away. 
5. Sooth Symptoms: Come fever, I reach for Peppermint, Spearmint, Ylang Ylang or an equal mixture of these cooling oils. I combat muscle aches with conveniently diluted Circu-Touch roll-on. Cough and congestion are no match for my Deep Breath in the diffuser. And headaches run for the hills with my Head-A-Sore-Us roll-on applied to the temples.

RECOVER

Once I feel well enough, I get outside for some more fresh air and sunlight. I also stand in the grass or sand with my bare feet, as I’ve found anecdotally and through research that this has phenomenal benefits towards health. My health plan doesn’t end once sickness does either, although I do change up the aforementioned essential oils and products to prevent my body from building a tolerance to any one product. Luckily, the selection of products for wellness at EG are unending and so is information and resources on staying healthy, no matter the season. 

FIND MORE GOODNESS: 

Fight the Flu With These Kid-Friendly Diffuser Recipes

Our Favorite Roll-Ons For Cold & Flu Season

Cold and Flu Season's Got Nothing on These Essential Oil Products

Can Essential Oils Help Reduce the Symptoms of a Fever?