Breathe more easily with this old favourite (Olbas Oil)

Member Name: col81

Product:	Olbas Oil
Date:	18/10/09 (81 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Relieves stuffy noses and sinuses. And muscles too!

Disadvantages: Burns a bit if you get it in your eye!

It's now that time of year where the sniffles will seek us all out at some point. As I type I am snuffling away wrapped up in a blanket looking for something to help soothe my stuffed up head. I have just the thing in my cupboard, Olbas Oil, a wonderful inhalant decongestant which has been around for many many years.

Olbas Oil is a mixture of a variety of herbal oils and can be used to give relief for colds, catarrh and painful sinuses when inhaled and it can also be used to relieve the symptoms of muscular pain and stiffness such as backache, sciatica, lumbago and rheumatic pain by applying it to the skin and massaging in.

In my family we have always used Olbas Oil as an inhalant when suffering from a blocked up nose. It smells divine. To get an idea of the scent you will need to know the ingredients:

Cajuput oil
Clove oil
Eucalyptus oil
Juniperberry oil
Levomenthol
Mint oil, partly dementholised
Methyl Salicyate

There is an overpowering mentholly smell to this oil which really cuts through any stuffiness and loosens any mucus (nice!) to help unblock your nose and sinuses. A few drops applied to a handkerchief and inhaled as necessary does the trick. At night, I quite like to put the handkerchief under the pillow to help ease breathing when I have a cold. Also, it can be dropped into a bowl of hot water to allow the vapour to be released into the room perhaps at night or in a child's bedroom to help ease any stuffiness.

I have never tried this product to give relief from muscular pain but if it does as good a job as it does relieving stuffiness then I'm sure it'd be great.

Olbas oil comes in a small bottle which allows only a drop at a time to come out which is ideal as a little goes a long way. It comes in three different sizes, 10ml, 15ml and 28ml. I have the 15ml bottle which cost me around £3. It is available from supermarkets and any high street chemists.

As it is such a potent mixture, a little does go a long way so should last you for a long time. I bought my bottle about a year ago and the best before date is 2011 so it has a long shelf life also. Useful when it isn't a product you might use very often.

Just one thing though, don't get it in your eye! The menthol content burns a little if you accidentally rub it in your eye, which I have done on many an occasion. I should learn really!

Summary: A great product, tried and tested. Been around for years.