Top Natural Remedies for Cold Sores (Fever Blisters)

Vitamin A

Posted by Sara (Houston, Texas)
★★★★★

Break open a vitamin A capsule and apply. I've tried everything. This helps me prevent a full blown outbreak. I get the virus on my nose!

Hydrogen Peroxide

Posted by AJ (Bamberg, SC)
★★★★★

I used to get outbreaks on my lip at least a couple times a year with an unsightly scab that lasted about a week. I went through a period where I got them once a month like clockwork and it gave me plenty of chances to try all the remedies. Here are things that DON'T work.... Lysine, Bleach, Lysol, Abreva.... Here is the one that works... As soon as there is a blister, poke it with a pin and drain it. Then soak a small tissue in Hydrogen Peroxide and hold the tissue in over the blister site for at least two hours. After doing this, I have only had 2 outbreaks in 5 years and both were kept so small, that they were not even visible to others and no scab to follow.

Hydrogen Peroxide and DMSO

Posted by Nancy (Phoenix, AZ)
★★★★★

I haven't tried this remedy yet but am and will keep you posted as soon as I find out the results...The remedy is DMSO and Hydrogen peroxide from a book called Never an Outbreak by William Fharel. This combo is supposed to kill the herpes virus in your body where it lays dormant ... so you NEVER break out again... I have had cold sores for years and those remedies with just the hydrogen peroxide or just some other remedy putting it on the cold sore and trying to stop the virus once it starts a break out doesn't work... I have tried everything there is but the DMSO and Hydrogen peroxide... According to the book, you will never get another break out again. That is a cure... not just getting rid of the lesions but the virus from your body totally...He also discusses that this also gets rid of the mole virus...yeah, I didn't know moles were viruses but I have them all over... Anyway, it is worth looking into... I welcome feedback from anyone who has done the DMSO and hydrogen peroxide therapy.

Local Concentrated Heat (LCH)

Posted by Bart (Athens - Greece) on 02/19/2025
★★★★★

Local Concentrated Heat (LCH)

I have used LCH machines for mosquito bites with great success. The ones with ceramic plates that can reach 51C. If one searches in the internet, there are many good comments for these machines from buyers. There is also this research:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24231728/

Use these machines at least three times a day from the first signs of a cold sore. You can use them repeatedly but with 2 minutes intervals at least in order not to get burned. No more than 5 uses per hour. The burning sensation is for about 3-6 seconds.

Acetone

Posted by KK (Cyprus) on 02/18/2025
★★★★★

Acetone works...but cautiously

Been dealing with this regularly for 30 years.. ended up with acetone dabbed on with earbuds.

Initially kept it on until the burns. Now I'm not sure if a lot of the scabbing that follows is due to the coldsore healing itself, or actual acetone burns.

Will keep using it. Maybe cautiously to avoid damage to surrounding areas, which may actually take longer to heal.

Neem Leaves or Oil

Posted by Ann (Miami) on 02/16/2025

A homeopathic remedy Natrum muriaticum stops a herpes outbreak if taken in the early, tingling stage.

Bingpensan

Posted by famcoll (TN) on 08/05/2023
★★★★★

Bingpensan for Cold Sores on the Lips

Many years ago in China, a local doctor gave me a vial of Bingpengsan (borneolum and borax), which is a white or pink powder. She told me to rinse my mouth three times a day with diluted hydrogen peroxide (4 parts water, 1 part hydrogen peroxide). After rinsing, I was to use the equivalent of a Q-tip to spread the Bingpengsan lightly on the cold sore. This must be done immediately when the cold sore just emerges.

Within a day the cold sore will dry up, but keep using the treatment. About day three, the cold sore will have turned into a scab and will fall off. I've kept the vial for more than 25 years and use it whenever I feel/see a cold sore emerge. It has never failed to eliminate the cold sore immediately. I'm not sure where or how to get this type of powder in the U.S., but my acupuncture doctor has provided to me a powdered preparation in capsules called Tianqi, which has the same effect on open wounds (like blisters, burns, scrapes, bed sores). Just take the the powder out of the capsule and sprinkle or spread it on the open sore (if it's a blister, just put the powder on it). The wound will dry up and scab over very, very quickly. I've never tried the Tianqi for cold sores, but it seems to have the same action as the Bingpengsan.

L-Lysine

Posted by Sam (Miami ) on 03/25/2023

It does work, just add vitamin C.

DMSO

Posted by Kristi LMT (Moore, OK) on 03/03/2023
★★★★★

2 drops of 99.9% DMSO with 2 drops of reverse osmosis water on a q-tip. Apply to cold sore area. With 1 application, mine was completely gone in 4-6 hours. It was applied within hours of the start of it.

Hydrogen Peroxide

Posted by Cris01us (Honolulu) on 07/07/2017

I would let the skin rest and probably not do it more than a few times a day, especially each application is for an extended time.

Zinc

Posted by Dave Of Canada (Victoria, Bc) on 02/24/2017 15 posts

Well, it's been like a month since my last post. I have to say the zinc I take has kept working all this time. The information I read suggests that people who are addicted to chocolate are often the people with exhaustion, viral problems, anxiety, racing mind, etc. and I found today that exhaustion is reducing in me! I thought the 50mg of zinc citrate I take a day was only helping a lot with cold sores, but today I did some spring cleaning, and found that I could keep cleaning rather than taking a break every 15 minutes. I haven't noticed any increase in energy over the past month and a half, but I seem to have energy after exertion, so I guess that's an improvement in stamina.

I also found that days when I did have chocolate gave me some small amount of that unwelcome itching and redness the next day, as I had read, but I love chocolate so! I found I have much less of a reaction with powdered chocolate than with milk chocolate.

(I was so happy that I celebrated with getting some chocolate! )

I am so glad that read of this connection with zinc/copper, that I think I might try exercising and seeing if I can raise my overall energy level.

Calamine Lotion

Posted by Molly (Tampa, Fl) on 08/05/2016
★★★★★

I've suffered with cold sore outbreaks all my life, and most of the treatments only make my sores worse. I think it's because gels and liquids irritate the sore rather than soothe it. Even a breeze blowing on it seems to make it worse. I had the idea once to coat my sore with calamine lotion to protect it from irritation and I was amazed at how it made my sore so much better. I have been using calamine lotion now for several years, and I have never had a full blown break out since. Now when I feel the tingling of a cold sore, I apply calamine lotion as soon as I can and it dries it up right away before it can develop into a huge sore. I have found the more pasty the lotion, the better it works. So I take a bit from the top of the bottle around the cap that is dried out some and dab it over the cold sore. It really is like a miracle cure for me. However, my sores tend to come up on the skin beside my lips rather than on the lips themselves, so I'm not sure how well the calamine would stick to your lips since they move around when you talk and eat. It is definitely worth a try though!

Hydrogen Peroxide

Posted by Sisi1109 (Montreal ) on 07/03/2016
★☆☆☆☆

I'm a bit disappointed... I have herpes on my mouth for 7 years now. Found out about hydrogen peroxide and I did it I read the book and did everything 3 drops in a 8 oz glass of distilled water 3x a day until I reach 25 drops stayed a 25 drops for 4 days and went down to 3 then stopped and I went to do a blood test to see if I still have it in my system ( I haven't got the answer yet ) but on Saturday I felt a bump on my lip and guess what it was my herpes again.... its less intense then before.. but still frustrating that I still have it :( :(

Gluten-Free Diet

Posted by Sc (U.s.a) on 02/01/2016
★★★★★

I used to get cold sores ALL the time. when I went gluten free I have had none . I know if I even get a tingle something has happened in my diet!

Coconut Oil, Tea Tree Oil

Posted by Sharon (Pennsylvania) on 01/25/2016
★★★★★

Love the coconut oil for cold sores. So much better relief than anything I've tried. Also used tea tree oil this time soaked into a q-tip. But I think the coconut oil worked first. Love both for cold sores.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Toni (Netherlands) on 05/12/2015
★★★★★

ACV it is! Applied a soaked in Apple Cider Vinegar cotton ball on my sore and put a bandade over it and just left it there, reapplying the Apple Cider Vinegar every hour and within 2 hours the sore was dry....but kept the bandade on after that I applied aloe vera to keep it moist constantly to prevent a scap from forming bye bye sore! So happy with this! It took me 1 day!

Tissues with Lotion

Posted by Tracy (Ohio, US) on 12/31/2014
★★★★★

WARNING!

While it could very well be herpes, mrsa, staph or some other virus... it could also be from your tissues! It took me months to figure out what was causing my nose sores - TISSUES WITH LOTION. I don't know what they are putting in those tissues with lotion, but they were causing my nose to break out inside every other day with crusty, cracky, weepy, hurty, open sores. As soon as I stopped using tissues with lotion, they cleared up.

Acetone

Posted by Sabrina (Toronto, Canada) on 11/26/2014
★★★★★

OMG!!! God bless the founder of this miracle. I AM ABSOLUTELY GRATEFUL IT WORKS. I woke up yesterday to the most disturbing painful sore on my lip. I used a warm green tea bag every 3 hours and pressed it against the cold sore for about 20 minutes. Later in the evening using a cotton swab I applied 100% pure Tea Tree Oil. (Please dilute with equal drops of water if you have sensitive skin) I searched the web for another home remedy and stumbled across this blog. To my surprise using the acetone for 5 minutes every 30 minutes dried up the remainder of the sore almost immediately. I felt the burning sensation but it was worth it. Thank you for this magical remedy.

Acetone

Posted by Mia (Formerly Of Lyons, Now Syracuse) on 12/17/2013
★★★★★

I have been using Retin-A for wrinkles. Problem is that everytime I use it, I break out in a cold sore. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.

I am sick of it and was driven to try the nail polish thing again so I bought some today because taking L-Lysine wasn't touching this one. My lip was so swollen it wasn't funny. Then, another started to pop out in a different after I started to use the nail polish.

I had to use it more than a couple times. I have been putting it on with a cotton bud every hour or so by dabbing it until the cotton ball dries out . I haven't just let it sit there for five minutes because I don't really want to breathe the fumes in. So I dab it, breathe, dab it, etcetera until it dries out and then I do it again a bit later when the thing tries to moisten back up.

It is working because I am diligently attacking it.

The thing is already crusting over after one day and normally it would take five days to get this stage. I will definitely keep putting the acetone on until it is all dried up and gone.

I am also taking L-Lysine, which wasn't really working that well, along with Vitamin C. I am planning to continue to do both as a daily preventative.