Essential Cold Fighters

Rhonda Bridges King, a certified aromatherapy practitioner in Venice, Florida, recommends these easy-to-mix essential oil blends to alleviate cold and flu symptoms and help you breathe easier:

Immune boosting blend:
1 ounce jojoba oil
3 drops each lemon, tea tree, and ravensara oils
1 drop each peppermint and juniper oils

Mix together all ingredients, and rub the entire blend on your throat, chest, and the bottoms of your feet three to five times a day.

Decongestant steam blend (to clear up sinuses):
1 drop each laurel leaf and rosemary oils
2 drops each eucalyptus, cypress, and tea tree oils

Add one drop of this blend to a bowl of steamy—not boiling—water, and hold your face over the bowl for five to 10 minutes to ease swollen sinuses. And, for enhanced effects, drape a towel over your head to breathe in the aroma.

Expectorant steam blend (to break up phlegm in your chest):
Mix 2 drops each cedarwood, pine, ravensara, myrrh, eucalyptus, and tea tree oils in a small glass bottle.

Add one drop of this blend to a bowl of steamy water, and hold your face over the bowl for five to 10 minutes to clear away phlegm and loosen and break up congestion in your head and chest. Reseal the bottle and keep it out of direct sunlight, and this blend will last up to two years.