Cold sores, usually found near the mouth, are caused by the Herpes virus.  While they don't pose a serious health risk, they can be painful and can also cause you to feel seriously self-conscious. 

Once you get the herpes virus that causes cold sores, you'll never be able to completely get rid of it, which means that you'll likely have to deal with an occasional cold sore outbreak for the rest of your life.  

Here are some natural cold sore treatment tips that may be helpful: 

~ Use Vaseline on your cold sore. It will protect the area from getting further infected with bacteria.  

~ Buy a new toothbrush as soon as you experience an outbreak. When your outbreak is over, get rid of the toothbrush that you were using during the outbreak and replace it with another new one. 

~ It's extremely tempting to use make up to cover the cold sore, but don't do it! It will take longer to heal and can cause addtional irritation. 

~ Don't touch or pick at your cold sore. If you do touch it, wash your hands immediately with anit-bacterial soap. Carry anti-bacterial hand sanitizer with you for times when you are not near water. 

~ To deal with the pain, use Tylenol and/or a topical anesthetic.  Both will at least reduce the pain temporarily. 

~ Use lipstick or chapstick that contains sunscreen. This will help to protect you from future outbreaks.  

~ Besides natural remedies, there are some presription medications that can be used to reduce the time that you'll have the cold sore and the number of outbreaks that you have. If cold sores are becoming an issue, make an appointment with your doctor to see about trying a prescription. 

~  Stay away from salty foods and fruits that contain a lot of acid during a cold sore breakout. Both can cause additional pain. They can also make the cold sore appear worse. 

I hope some of these natural cold sore treatment ideas will help you to deal with your next outbreak! Don't forget to take great care to not affect anyone else as cold sores are extremely contagious.